Inclusion of Western Learning Terms in "Yeonhaeng Eumcheong"
Unified Silla Buddha Statues Also Proposed for Designation
The travelogue of Park Ji-won, written during the late Joseon Dynasty and documenting his observations in Qing China, is on the verge of being designated as a Treasure.
The National Heritage Administration announced on December 31 that it will designate the following as Treasures: the Complete Draft of Park Ji-won's Yeolha Ilgi, the Hyeondeungsa Amitabha Buddha Preaching Painting in Gapyeong, the Stone Seated Vairocana Buddha Statue at Jingu Temple Site in Imsil, and the Stone Seated Triad of Shakyamuni Buddha and Inner Shrine Artifacts at Sinheungsa Temple in Yangsan. Over the next month, opinions from various sectors will be collected and reviewed, and the final decision on designation will be made after deliberation by the Cultural Heritage Committee.
The Complete Draft of Park Ji-won's Yeolha Ilgi consists of 8 volumes in 4 sets, selected from 20 volumes in 10 sets held by the Seokjuseon Memorial Museum at Dankook University. These are considered to be original manuscripts written in Park Ji-won's own hand. Included are two volumes of "Yeonhaeng Eumcheong" (Geon and Gon), which contain Western Learning-related terms not found in the final version; "Yeonhaeng Eumcheongrok" and "Yeonhaeng Eumcheonggi," which retain the form of early drafts; "Yeolha Ilgi" (Won, Hyeong, Yi, Jeong), which are organized into sections; and "Yeolha Pisarok," which contains many entries not present in the finalized edition.
The National Heritage Administration evaluated these materials as "core resources that reveal the initial production and subsequent revision and adaptation process of 'Yeolha Ilgi,'" and emphasized that "as a work of practical learning from the late Joseon period, it had an enormous impact on society."
The Hyeondeungsa Amitabha Buddha Preaching Painting in Gapyeong is a Buddhist painting created in the 35th year of King Yeongjo's reign (1759) by the head monk Ogwan and others. On silk, it depicts Amitabha Buddha at the center, with more than 40 attendant figures such as Arhats and the Eight Diamond Guardians arranged in a well-structured composition. Among Amitabha preaching paintings in the Seoul and Gyeonggi regions, it is the earliest in terms of production date.
The Stone Seated Vairocana Buddha Statue at Jingu Temple Site in Imsil is believed to have been created in the late 9th century, during the late Unified Silla period. Although the halo and part of the wrist are missing, the body and pedestal remain almost completely intact. The National Heritage Administration described it as "a tangible artifact that demonstrates the local spread of Buddhist art during the Unified Silla period."
The Stone Seated Triad of Shakyamuni Buddha and Inner Shrine Artifacts at Sinheungsa Temple in Yangsan were completed in the 8th year of King Sukjong's reign (1682) by the sculptor monk Seungho and others, using "buseok" (zeolite), a material popular in the Gyeongsang Province region. Among Seungho's works, this is the earliest created for enshrinement in the main hall. Inner shrine artifacts, including a throat bell cylinder, have also been preliminarily designated as Treasures along with the Buddha statues.
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