Bulguksa (불국사 / 佛國寺) and Anapji (안압지 / 雁鴨池)

Today morning I found really nice article about Bulguk Temple (불국사 / 佛國寺) and reconstructed pavilion of Silla Kingdom by the Anapji Pond (안압지 / 雁鴨池). The second structure has already been mentioned on this blog in the first post (Dancheong) in the part treating of dancheongs from the Three Kingdoms of Korea period.

Bulguksa was founded in 528 by the Beopheung the king of Silla (법흥왕) and it was a gift for his mother Yongjie. In that time the temple was called Pomnyu. The name was changed to Bulguksa after second reconstruction which had place in 751 (the first reconstruction and expansion was made in 574). Previously it had been small temple but after expansions it was changed into huge monastery which consisted of 200 wooden buildings. Despite the fact it was built in Three Kingdoms of Korea period there are no dancheongs preserved from that time. There aren't even from Goryeo period. Why is that? The answer is obvious - Imjin wars. Bulguksa was burnt to the ground by Japanese invaders in the end of 16th century. In the years 1604-1805 it was renovated 40 times! During those long lasting works it received the layout kept in the style of Choseon dancheong. Unfortunatelly it was ruined again. In 1969 the president Park Chung Hee (박정희) ordered  major restoration of the Bulguksa. The conducted works brought back the structure in the shape of monastery from Choseon period. Nowadays we can admire the results of these efforts.

I highly recommend to see the post - Gyeongju (경주), czyli początek koreańskiej przygody (in English: Gyeongju (경주) - the Beginning of Korean Adventure) which is enriched in very valuable photo material. The text of the article is in Polish but I think Google Translate will make it understandable. You can also surf the blog and see other interesting articles. Its name is "W krainie tajfunów" which means "In the Land of the Typhoons" because the blog mainly deals with Korean, Chinese and Japanese subjects.

If you want to know more about dancheong style, please click here --> Dancheong

If you have any questions please feel free to e-mail me:

Dancheongs outside Korea - part I: Muryangsa (무량사)

As I mentioned in the first post on this blog, dancheong embellishments are peculiar only to Korea. It is truth because Koreans developed this style in their own unique way. They keep this painting tradition and 99,99% of dancheongs are in Korea. What about remaining 0,01%? These are exceptions to this rule. This post is the first of series of short articles which I plan to dedicate to the subject of dancheong examples outside Korea. Today I would like to present the Muryangsa Temple on the island Oahu in the US state of Hawaii.

Muryangsa was built in 1980 in Palolo Valley and it was the second Korean temple on Oahu. The first one was built in 1975 in Honolulu and was called Daewonsa (대원사). Unfortunatelly it was destroyed by fire. After that local Korean Buddhist comumunity decided to build another temple but in the different location. The sources mention three different dates of the first laying foundations: 1979, 1980 and 1986. I am not sure which one is correct.  Anyway the construction of Muryangsa was completed in 2005. It is the largest Korean temple outside of the Korean  Peninsula. Muryangsa is monastic, educational and cultural center. The temple is also famous because of its dancheongs. I tried to figure out who painted them but without luck. Instead of this I found information about the dancheongjang responsible for decoration of the previous Korean temple in Hawaii (Daewonsa). It was Hong Jeom-seok (홍점석 ) - Living National Treasures of Korea. In my opinion Muryangsa's dancheongs were also painted by some master with the skills similar to Hong Jeom-seok's artistry. I think like that because the quality of embellishments in Hawaiian temple is really high. My today's recomadations are two photo galleries which show the remarkable beauty of the Muryangsa's adornments.

Korean Temple - Palolo Valley, Hawaii by Daniel Peralta

Mu Ryang Sa Buddhist Temple by David Chatsuthiphan

If you want to know more about dancheong style, please click here --> Dancheong

If you have any questions please feel free to e-mail me:

Articles about dancheongjangs

While surfing the internet I found a few really nice articles about famous dancheongjangs (masters in dancheong paintings) that I wanted to share with you. They present the 20th and 21st centuries' dancheong masters. Some of them include short intervies. Unfortunatelly not all of them are in English. I tested Korean texts by Google Translator and I found that the main idea is translated understandable. The details may appear fallible. Basic knowledge in Korean really helps in reading electronically converted texts of this language. I recommend these articles because I want to popularize the knowledge not only about the decorating style itsef but also about its history and main figures - masters who keep the tradition. Information about thier lifes shows how difficult way they had to cross to gain the artistry of dancheongjang. Moreover it is good to listen to the masters. Those articles present their guidance and valuable hints.

Articles about venerable Man-Bong (만봉 - 萬奉, 이치호 - 李致虎, 1910-2006) - I think he was the most influential dancheongjang of the 20th century. He was a holder of Intangible Cultural Property No. 48 title. Man-Bong raised next generations of dancheongjang. Some of his pupils are also honoured  by the title of Intangible Cultural Property. His works and teachings were and still are inspiration for adepts of dancheong art. In my opinion he could be called the Master of the Masters.
만봉스님의 생애와 전승활동 on 문화콘텐츠닷컴
만봉스님은 어떻게 그림을 그리게 되었나 by Lee Sang-gi (이상기) on OhmyNews (오마이뉴스)

Article about Hong Chang-won - Intangible Cultural Property No. 48 and Man-Bong's pupil:
숭례문 복원 중요무형 문화재 홍창원 단청장 by 김문이 on 서울신문

Article about Lee In-sup - Man-Bong's son:

A colorful way to honor kings and deities by Chun Su-jin from Korea Joongang Daily

Article about Song In-jeong - Intangible Cultural Property No. 48 and Man-Bong's pupil:

Song In-jeong by Yang In-sil from "Water, Nature and People" Vol. 30 - Summer 2012

Articles about Hong Jeom-seok - Intangible Cultural Property No. 48:

한국의 장인 - 단청장 홍점석 on 한민족정보마당

홍점석 단청장 (중요무형문화재 제48호) by 남동우 from 금강신문

Article about Jung Sung-gil - Incheon Intangible Cultural Asset no. 14:

Traditional dancheongjang artisan decorates a temple by Kim Min-young from 인천광역시

Articles about Yang Yong-ho:

옛 건축의 장엄한 마무리, 단청의 조율사 월천(月泉) 양용호 on 월간민화

40년 가까이 단청장의 길을 걸어온 월천(月泉) 양용호 씨[단청장] by 운영자 from 서울 무형문화재

Article about Kim Joon-Woong:

단청장 김준웅의 40년 예술혼 보존할 길 터주세요 by 강태우, 이숙종, 채원상 from 중앙일보

If you want to know more about dancheong style, please click here --> Dancheong

If you have any questions please feel free to e-mail me:

Beopjusa (법주사) in Arirang World

I have just watched very short movie "The Great Beauty of N. Chungcheong Part. 2" on Facebook account of the Arirang World TV. From 0:25 to 1:12 there is presented Beopju Temple (Beopjusa, 법주사, 法住寺). The type of all dancheongs showed in the movie comes from Joseon period, but yet the history of the temple is much older.

It was founded in 553 by Uisin (의신, 義信) - Buddhist monk from Silla, who also gave the name to the temple. Beopju means "the Residence of Dharma". The golden age of the Beopjusa was in Goryeo period when about 3000 monks resided there. With the fall of Buddhism as a state religion during Joseon period its role diminished. In the time of Japanese invasions it was burnt to the ground. However shortly after (at the beginning of 17th century) it was rebuilt and that is why nowadays Beopjusa's painting layout is based on the Joseon dancheong type. Presently it is one of the most important temples of Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism and significant historical monument. It owns national and miscellaneous treasures and items of tangible cultural heritage of Chungcheongbukdo. Among them the most famous is Palsangjeon (팔상전, 捌相殿, Hall of Eight Pictures) - National Treasure No. 55. It is the oldest wooden pagoda in Korea which preserved its original appearance. Like other buildings in Beopjusa it is reconstuction of the previous - burnt one. The building which we can admire now was completed in 1626. Of course it is worth to study its dancheong patterns as it is also famous because of them. In the movie the Palsangjeon is presented really briefly at 0:37. Anyway, enjoy beautiful scenery of Beopjusa!

If you want to know more about dancheong style, please click here --> Dancheong

If you have any questions please feel free to e-mail me:

The beginnings

I decided that the first post about my works should have presented my beginnings in dancheong style. The photo pasted above shows my three earliest works. The fourth one (the first from the left side) is a little bit later painting..

All four pictures were painted by temperas on pine wood boards. As their dimensions are small I had to use brush sizes: 2, 1, 3/0 and 4/0. They present meoricho (머리초) patterns' details. Traditionally meorichos are always placed in the beam-ends.

The first work from the right is my very first dancheong. It shows common Buddhist pattern - lotus blossom. To be honest, I am not proud of it today but I do not want to hide it. It is just my history and it is the beginning of my evolution in dancheong painting.

The second painting from the right side was inspired by patterns in Gyeongbokgung Palace (경복궁, 景福宮).

The third one from the right presents another floral motif. What is special about this work? It is my first dancheong which reached Korea. Now it belongs to Mr Choi from the city of Hwaesong (화성). I must admit it's honour for me that my painting appeared in homeland of the dancheong style.

And the last one (the first from the left side) shows lotus pattern inspired by dancheongs from Anyangsa Temple (안양사, 安養寺).

If you want to know more about dancheong style, please click here --> Dancheong

If you have any questions please feel free to e-mail me: