National treasure stone tower returns home in 112 years

Stupa of State Preceptor Jigwang from Beopcheonsa Temple Site, Wonju, which is registered as a national treasure and was removed from its home in Wonju, Gangwon Province to Myeong-dong in Seoul, Osaka in Japan, Gyeongbokgung Palace, and Daejeon, finished a 5-year process for preservation and return to the relic exhibition hall of Beopcheonsa Temple Site in Wonju, Gangwon Province on Tuesday. After the stone tower was sold to a Japanese in 1911 during the Japanese colonial period, it was disassembled and reassembled over 10 times and traveled 1,975 kilometers in lineal distance before returning home in 112 years.

Stupa of State Preceptor Jigwang is a tower that enshrines the ashes and small crystals, called ‘sari,’ found in cremated remains of a monk named Haerin. According to the Cultural Heritage Administration on Monday, the tower was built in Beopcheonsa Temple Site in Buron-myeon, Wonju in the late 11th century when Haerin passed away. It is considered one of the most unique and well-decorated stone towers throughout all periods.

However, it has a painful history of being sold to a Japanese in 1911, moved to Myeong-dong in Seoul, and taken out to Osaka, Japan. Upon the order of the Governor-General of Chosen in 1915, it was placed in Gyeongbokgung Palace, but the top part of it, including its roof, was damaged from bombing during the Korean War.

The Cultural Heritage Conservation Science Center of the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage disassembled the tower into 33 stone pieces in March 2016 and moved them to its Daejeon center to carry out preservation and restoration until 2020. “The lost pieces were recreated by finding the most similar stone material to the ones used when the tower was built. The damaged pieces were glued together to restore the original look as best as possible,” researcher Lee Tae-jong of the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage explained.

The National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage decided to hold an ongoing exhibition of the tower for 31 pieces, except for the two pieces – the roof and body pieces – that need additional repair by moving them to the relic exhibition hall of Beopcheonsa Temple Site. The tower will be displayed for visitors for free until the final restoration location is determined.


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