The Three Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva mural at Daegwangjeon Hall, Sinheungsa Temple in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province [South Gyeongsang Province]
The Three Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva mural at Daegwangjeon Hall, Sinheungsa Temple in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province [South Gyeongsang Province]

South Gyeongsang Province has designated three items as provincial tangible cultural heritage, including artifacts tied to the philosophy of Joseon-era scholar Jo Sik, also known by his pen name Nam Myeong, and a Buddhist temple mural continuing the painting traditions of the early Joseon period.

The province announced Thursday that it had designated the "Sancheong Deokcheon Seowon Nam Myeong Artifacts Collection," the "Yangsan Sinheungsa Daegwangjeon Three Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva Mural" and the "Hapcheon Haeinsa Gobulam Gilt-Bronze Seated Bodhisattva Statue" as provincial tangible cultural heritage.

The Deokcheon Seowon collection comprises 15 items across five categories held by the Confucian academy. Among them is the "Sinmyeongsado," a diagram in which Jo Sik used the structure of a house as a metaphor to explain "gyeong" (reverence) and "ui" (righteousness) — the twin pillars of his thought. Also included are the "Deokcheon Wonsengnok," a roster of students admitted to the academy, and the "Deokcheon Seowon Iman," a register of its administrators. The collection further incorporates petitions and other documents submitted by the Nam Myeong school from 1615 to 1874 in an effort to enshrine Jo Sik in the national Confucian shrine.

The Sinheungsa mural, believed to date to the latter half of the 17th century, depicts three forms of Avalokitesvara — Suwol, Baegui and Eoram — rendered in white lines against a black background on the rear of the main altar wall of Daegwangjeon Hall. It is regarded as a line-drawing Buddhist painting continuing the early Joseon tradition and as one of the earliest known examples to include the iconography of Eoram Avalokitesvara.

The gilt-bronze seated bodhisattva statue at Haeinsa's Gobulam hermitage dates to the late Goryeo period in the 14th century. It was recognized for its scholarly value for clearly preserving the stylistic characteristics of Buddhist sculpture from that era.

"The heritage items designated this time are precious cultural assets that each embody the thought and scholarly lineage of Nam Myeong, the tradition of line-drawing Buddhist painting, and the characteristics of late Goryeo Buddhist sculpture," said Jeong Yeong-cheol, director of the province's culture and sports bureau. "We will systematically preserve and manage their value and make active use of them as regional historical and cultural resources."


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