Collection: Willard Dickerman Straight and Early U.S.-Korea Diplomatic Relations, Cornell University Library

Title: White Buddha between here and Peng Yang

Date: ca. 1904

Place: Asia: South Korea; Nonsan

Type: Postcards/Ephemera

Description: A stone statue of Maitreya (Sanskrit term meaning the Merciful) Bodhisattva, located at the center of 'Gwanchoksa' Temple, and called 'Eunjin Miruk'. The Korean word Miruk signifies the Sanskrit word for Maitreya. Its height is 18.2 m, making it the largest Buddhist stone carving in Korea. It was erected in 967 AD under the rule of the 4th king Kwangjong of the Koryo dynasty and designated as the Korean national treasure #218. Kwanchoksa Temple is located in the city of Nonsan, around 120 miles southeast of Seoul, and serves as a major tourist attraction to this day.

Inscription/Marks: Image imprinted with legend in Japanese characters: Pencilled inscription on verso: 'White Buddha between here & Pengyang.'

Identifier: 1260.74.08.01

Persistent URI: http://hdl.handle.net/1813.001/5xr7

There are no known U.S. copyright restrictions on this image. The digital file is owned by the Cornell University Library which is making it freely available with the request that, when possible, the Library be credited as its source.