포항 고석사 통일신라 미륵불의상의 최초발견과 그 역사적 의의

Abstract

The Maitreya Buddha Reclined Statue rock‐cut in a stone niche enshrined as the main Buddha in Bogwang‐jeon of the Goseok‐sa Temple at Bangsan‐ri, Janggi‐myeon, Pohang has a number of important historical meaning. First, the Maitreya Buddha Reclined Statue at the Goseok‐sa Temple is characterized by its reclined posture and being cut on a huge stone niche, and this type of Buddhist statues were greatly popular in China and many of such statues in China have the exact date of creation, but in Korea there had been only one case from ancient Shilla (Samhwaryeong Maitreya) and one from Koryo (Beopju‐sa Rock‐cut Maitreya Buddha). However, with the discovery of the Maitreya Buddha Reclined Statue, we came to have the third cases and first from the Unified Shilla Dynasty. Second, the Maitreya Buddha Reclined Statue at the Goseok‐sa Temple, which a reclined statue cut on a niche on the west side of a large square stone pillar, represents the realistic style of the 8th century. It is a Maitreya Buddha reclined statue around the mid 8th century closely related to the Vairocana Buddha Statue at the Seoknamam‐sa created in 766, so is quite valuable for research on Buddhist statues from the Unified Shilla Dynasty. Third, it should be regarded as highly important because, as discussed above, it is the only Maitreya Buddha reclined statue from the Unified Shilla Dynasty and was created according to the idea of Yugabeopsangjong in Shilla together with Gamsan‐sa Temple and Bulguk‐sa Temple