Medicine Buddha

Goryeo · 보물 · 3F · Sculpture and Crafts · Buddhist Sculpture

Discovered in Hakseong-dong, Wonju, Gangwon Province, this is a rare example among Korean iron Buddhas to hold a medicine bowl. Wonju was one of the centers of early Goryeo Buddhist art; the boldly moving drapery folds, the cord ornament near the left shoulder, and the posture of cradling a medicine bowl in one hand closely resemble the stone seated Bhaisajyaguru of Bongsan-dong in Wonju, well showing the region's distinctive style. Linked by the Namhan River to iron-rich Chungju, Wonju was able to produce iron Buddhas intensively. Notably, this statue shows none of the division-casting seams usually left on iron Buddhas, suggesting it may have been made by the lost-wax method, which does not divide the mold.

See it in person at the National Museum of Korea — 3F · Sculpture and Crafts · Buddhist Sculpture

Source: based on official e-museum records (National Museum of Korea).