Bulguksa Temple

This temple is located in Tohamsan, Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, Korea. It is also called Hwaeom Bulguksa Temple or Hwaeom Beolyusa Temple. It was built by imperial decree in 528 by King Beoheung of Silla for his wife Beolyu-ni. It was restored in 574 by King Jinheung, and two statues of Vairocana and Amitabha were cast and enshrined there. In 670, the lecture hall Museongjeon was built and Hwaeom lectures were held. In 751, Prime Minister Kim Dae-seong built a temple for his parents and a stone temple (Seokbulsa) for his ancestors, and invited Shinrin Hyokun to be the chief priest. After Daeseong's death in December 774, the imperial court took over the temple and it became the most famous temple in the eastern capital. It prospered after repeated restoration and repairs, but in 1592, the temple was burned down by Japanese troops (the Imjin War, or the Bunroku War), and the main hall, Gokuraku-den, Shikamun, and other buildings were all destroyed. It was rebuilt in 1659, but was again hit by the Shukuyu disaster. The current main hall was rebuilt in June 1767 by Dotae, Sanko, and others. The layout of the temple buildings was similar in scale to those in the early Nara period in Japan. The bronze statue of Amida Buddha enshrined in Gokuraku-den has the spirit of the early Tang Dynasty and is said to be a representative masterpiece of the unified Silla period. This temple, along with Gyeongju Seokguram Grotto, was registered as a World Heritage Site in 1995 (World Cultural Heritage).

[Michio Sato]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

韓国（大韓民国）、慶尚北道慶州市吐含山(とがんさん)にある寺。華厳(けごん)仏国寺、華厳法流寺ともいう。新羅(しらぎ)法興王が528年に王夫人法流尼のために勅建されたものである。のち574年真興(しんこう)王のとき重興され、毘盧遮那(びるしゃな)仏・阿弥陀(あみだ)仏の2像を鋳造奉安した。また670年講堂無説殿が建立され、華厳が講ぜられた。751年、宰相金大城は両親のために堂宇を建て、先祖のために石仏寺（石窟庵(せっくつあん)）をつくり、神琳表訓(しんりんひょうくん)を請(しょう)じて住持させた。774年12月大城の没後、朝廷はその事業を継承し、東都第一の名刹(めいさつ)となった。たび重なる再興、重修を経て栄えたが、1592年日本軍の兵火にかかり（文禄(ぶんろく)の役、壬辰倭乱(じんしんわらん)）、大雄殿、極楽(ごくらく)殿、紫霞(しか)門ほかことごとく焼失。1659年に再興されたが、ふたたび祝融(しゅくゆう)の災にかかる。現存の大雄殿は1767年6月、道泰(どうたい)・贊弘(さんこう)らによる重建である。伽藍(がらん)配置はわが国の奈良時代前期の規模と類似したものであった。極楽殿に安置されている銅造阿弥陀像は初唐の気風をもち、新羅統一時代の代表的傑作といわれる。この寺は慶州石窟庵とともに、1995年に世界遺産の文化遺産として登録されている（世界文化遺産）。

［里道徳雄］

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例