Amitabha Buddha

National Treasure #45
Main Hall, Buseoksa Temple
Yeongju, Korea

The large statue of Amitabha in the main hall is 2.78m (9ft) high. The image is made of clay over a wooden armature, the clay being covered in layers of hemp cloth and then gilded. Very few images remain in Korea that use this technique.

The statue sits in bhumisparsha mudra and is dated 11-12th century (Goryeo). It sits in the west part of the building facing east, in accordance with Pure Land iconography. At first glance it hardly seems credible that these three photographs represent the same statue, but they were taken at different times and under different conditions; they may also reflect cleaning or other restoration of the statue.