Iksan City-Iksan Museum, special exhibition ‘Jeseoksa Temple, Revealing Baekje Royal Temple’

Iksan City, Jeollabuk-do and the National Iksan Museum announced on the 9th that they will hold a special exhibition 'Myeongmyeongbaek (明明白白) Jeseoksa Temple, Baekje Royal Temple Revealed' at the special exhibition room of the National Iksan Museum from the 10th to February 9th of next year.

Jeseoksa Temple, equipped with a seven-story wooden pagoda, is a royal temple built by King Mu of Baekje about 1.3km east of the palace. It is a space where people prayed for the peace of the royal family and the country.

It was an important temple that made up the royal capital of Iksan at the time along with the Baekje royal palace, and today its traces can be seen through the temple site and relics unearthed during excavations.

This special exhibition was prepared to highlight the historical status of Jeseoksa Temple and the Baekje royal Buddhist culture.

By gathering in one place 245 items and 325 items, including relics and related records excavated from the Jeseoksa Temple site, which were scattered across various institutions, we examine the disappeared appearance of the Jeseoksa Temple and the architectural and sculptural techniques of the time.

In particular, in this exhibition, the 'Gwanseeum Eungheomgi' (觀世音應驗記), which contains the record of King Mu of Baekje's relocation of the capital to Iksan, will be revealed for the first time in Korea.

This ancient document, housed at Shoren-in (Cheongnyeonwon) in Kyoto, Japan, records the relocation of the capital to Iksan by King Mu of Baekje, the establishment of Jeseoksa Temple, the fire that occurred in 639, and the process of rebuilding the temple.

It contains the only record of relocating the capital to Iksan, which is not confirmed in domestic ancient history books, and is evaluated as an important source of information that allows us to examine the historical status of Iksan, the royal capital of Baekje.

The city, together with Wonkwang University's Mahan Baekje Culture Research Institute, held an academic conference on the 'Gwanseeum testimonials' last year and introduced the records of Iksan's relocation and related contents of Jeseoksa Temple to Korea for the first time through the publication of a translated book.

In this special exhibition, the original documents that have been examined through translation and research can be seen for the first time in Korea.

By examining the fire recorded in the 13th year of Jeonggwan (639) and the burnt relics identified during the excavation of the Jeseoksa Temple site, the history of Jeseoksa Temple as told through records and relics can be confirmed.

In addition, new research results will be presented by comparing and combining statuette fragments excavated from the Jeseoksa Temple site scattered across various institutions, including the Baekje Royal Palace Museum, the National Iksan Museum, and the Buyeo National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage.

Iksan Mayor Choi Jeong-ho said, “The Guan Yin tester, which will be displayed for the first time, will be an opportunity to enhance the authenticity and status of Iksan history as a treasure that contains the identity of Iksan, the capital of Baekje.”