Analysis of the Inscription on the Stone Standing ... Amitabha Buddha of Gamsansa Temple through RTI

ACADEMIC RESEARCH

Analysis of the Inscription on the Stone Standing Maitreya Bodhisattva and Amitabha Buddha of Gamsansa Temple through RTI

by SHIN SOYEON Associate Curator of the Future Strategy Division, and KIM YOUNGMIN Curator of the Collection Management Division, National Museum of Korea

The Stone Standing Maitreya Bodhisattva and Amitabha Buddha at Gamsansa Temple Figs.2 and 3 have inscriptions remaining on the back of their aureoles and are therefore major examples of ancient Korean Buddhist sculpture whose date and reasons for production as well as their patrons can be identified. Thanks to excerpts from the inscriptions that were published in the Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms (Samgungnyusa), compiled by Monk Iryeon in the Goryeo Dynasty, it is known that Gamsansa Temple was built in 719, commissioned by a Silla official named Kim Jiseong, and that the statues of Maitreya and Amitabha were erected there in honor of his deceased parents. The two statues were discovered in 1915, and the full contents of their inscriptions were first published in 1919 in the book Comprehensive Survey of Joseon Epigraphs (Joseon geumseok chongnam) during the Japanese colonial period. However, as the two inscriptions had been worn down over the centuries some of the characters proved difficult to read. This has led to subtle differences in interpretations of the inscriptions and varied opinions as to when the two statues were made.

Fig.2 Stone Standing Maitreya Bodhisattva of Gamsansa Temple

Unified Silla Kingdom 719 / H. 254.0 cm / National Treasure No. 81

Fig.3 Stone Standing Amitabha Buddha of Gamsansa Temple

Unified Silla Kingdom 719 / H. 271.0 cm / National Treasure No. 82

With the renovation of the Buddhist Sculpture Gallery in 2012, the partition behind the two statues was removed and in order to study and decipher the original inscriptions Fig.1 while ensuring the integrity of the statues, the National Museum of Korea conducted reflectance transformation imaging (RTI) rather than relying on existing rubbings of the inscriptions. The principle of RTI is that the ratio of surface reflectance differs according to the angle of the light, causing changes in clarity. Using special software and virtual 3D light, it is possible to decipher inscriptions that are difficult to see with the naked eye. A photography specialist and curator from the NMK received training at the University of Southern California West Semitic Research, and RTI photography of the inscriptions was conducted in 2012 by the research center and in 2013 by the NMK. The NMK published the results of the 2013 project, including explanation of the RTI method and how the inscriptions were deciphered in the 2013 volume of the Misuljaryo (the museum’s Koreanlanguage journal) and the 2019 volume of the Journal of Korean Art & Archaeology (English-language journal).

Fig.1 RTI image of the central lower part of the aureole of the statue of Maitreya Bodhisattva

As one of the most important outcomes of the RTI study, the total number of characters in the inscriptions was confirmed, some of which were newly deciphered. According to existing studies it was understood that the inscription on the Maitreya statue had 381 characters and that on the Amitabha statue 392 characters. RTI images showed that the Maitreya inscription has 381 characters inside gridded lines while the Amitabha inscription is not contained in a grid and has 389 characters, three less than previously believed. Those three characters previously presumed to exist at the end of the 17th line are not actually present.

The RTI images also enabled proper identification of the characters that had been controversial in academia. For example, in the case of the Amitabha statue, opinion was divided regarding the 16th letter in the 20th row, some seeing it as the character “ 六 ” (six) and others as “ 在 ” (to exist). RTI images confirmed that the character was indeed “ 六 ” and that the complete phrase was not “ 歲在十九 ” (19th year of the reign of King Seongdeok) but “ 歲六十九 ” (69 years old), indicating the age at which Kim Jiseong died. The 9th character in the 19th row of the inscription on the Maitreya statue was previously believed to be “ 誠 ” (truly) but was confirmed to be “ 城 ” (fortress).

Analysis of the inscriptions using RTI helped to answer some of researchers’ questions through comparison of the calligraphy. The name Kim Jiseong is written with different characters in the two inscriptions. On the Maitreya statue it is written with the characters “ 金志誠 ” (Kim Jiseong), but on the Amitabha statue with the characters “ 金志全 ” (Kim Jijeon). This difference in the names means that on the Maitreya statue the patron is addressed in polite language but on the Amitabha statue in language expressing the highest respect, indicating that two inscriptions were written by different people. In the middle of the Amitabha inscription it is recorded that under the king’s command the inscription was authored by an official of the nama rank with the family name Chong and the calligraphy executed by the monk Gyeongyung and an official of the daesa rank named Kim Chwiwon. In the last line it is also recorded that Kim Jiseong passed away on the twenty-second day of the fourth month of 720. From this, it can be presumed that the Maitreya statue was completed during Kim Jiseong’s lifetime and hence the inscription reflects his own narrative, while the inscription on the Amitabha statue was written by the official named Chong under royal command after Kim Jiseong’s death. The RTI results also confirm differences between the two styles of the inscriptions. On the Maitreya statue the inscription is written in cursive script and semi-cursive script in a gentle, flowing style of calligraphy, a characteristic that may come from the use of many simplified characters. In contrast, the inscription on the Amitabha statue has fewer simplified characters and many characters in regular script Figs.4 and 5.

Fig.4 “ 山水 ” in line 7 of the inscription on the statue of Maitreya Bodhisattva (image on the left)

Fig.5 “ 山水 ” in line 5 of the inscription on the statue of Amitabha Buddha (image on the right)

Another point of great interest for scholars is the possibility that part of the Amitabha statue inscription was written at a later date. RTI images showed differences between lines 1–15 and lines 16–21 in calligraphy style as well as the arrangement of the lines and space between characters Figs.6 and 7. In addition, in the expression of age, the character “ 年 ” meaning “year,” was used in the inscriptions of both the Maitreya statue “ 年六十六 ” (66 years) and the Amitabha statue “ 年卌七 ” (47 years). However, the final part of the inscription on the Amitabha statue which says Kim Jiseong died at the age of 69 “ 歲六十九 ,” the character “ 歲 ” is used to express age. This feature strongly suggests that the final part of the inscription was carved at a later date.

Fig.6 “Kim Jijeon” in line 5 of the inscription on the statue of Amitabha Buddha (image on the left)

Fig.7 “Kim Jijeon” in line 20 of the inscription on the statue of Amitabha Buddha (image on the right)

Using RTI analysis also meant that it was possible to ascertain the degree of abrasion on the inscriptions, which is expected to shed light on the original location of the two statues at Gamsansa Temple. At the time Iryeon wrote the Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms, it is almost certain that the Maitreya statue was enshrined in the main hall of the temple but no available records confirm whether both statues were located in different places or were enshrined together. RTI images show that on both statues the top part of the inscription on the back of the aureole is heavily worn away while the bottom part is relatively intact. The height at which abrasion becomes severe is similar on both statues. Based on these points, it can be presumed that the two statues stood side by side when they were discovered or for a long period of time before their discovery and that the bottom part of both statues was buried below ground surface at a similar depth.

RTI is a useful new method of collecting data for analysis and enabling epigraphic materials to be deciphered without making a rubbing of the actual artifact. RTI analysis conducted on two Buddhist statues of Gamsansa Temple resulted in confirmation of the number and form of the characters making up the inscriptions, revised interpretation of part of the inscriptions, and increased interest in the calligraphy style used. Moreover, images of two characters that could not be deciphered at the time the paper was first written in 2013 were revealed and the two characters have been recently deciphered. Thanks to RTI photography and the analysis results the inscriptions in their entirety were deciphered for the first time in one hundred years following their publication in 1919 in the Comprehensive Survey of Joseon Epigraphs (Joseon geumseok chongnam).

This article is an abridged version of the original paper, which can be read in Korean in the 2013 volume of the Misuljaryo and in English in the 2019 volume of the Journal of Korean Art & Archaeology.