KOREAN ARCHITECTURE

The architectural character of Japanese

architecture of early period, like its other artifacts,
is similar to that of korea.
While the architectural evolution of Japan and
Korea were parallel, and both much indebted to
the Chinese and the Mongols . The consonant
nature of the development in both countries will be
apparent. The main classification for Korean
architecture is by building type; within each
category, architectural character is lealt within by
period .

Religion

Religion in Koreaencompasses a number of different traditions.

Theindigenous religion ofKorea and of theKorean people isKorean
shamanism.

Korean Buddhismhad flourished in past centuries of thehistory of Korea

but was suppressed throughout theJoseonera, which supportedKorean
Confucianismas a state religion.

Christianitywas promoted by the ruling and intellectual class in the final

decades of the Joseon state, in the late 19th century, while the Confucian
social structure was rapidly crumbling.

Since thedivision of Koreainto two sovereign states in

1945,North KoreaandSouth Korea, religious life in the two
countries has diverged, A shaped by different political
structures:
Religion in South Korea has been characterised by a rise
ofChristianityand a revival of Buddhism. After beingsuppressed
for decades,Korean shamanismhas survived, and shamans
continue to perform their rites.

Religion in North Korea is characterised by astate atheisin

which public religious practices are prohibited. At the same time,
the government shows support forCheondoism a form of Korean
indigenous religion and is allowing a small revival forBuddhism
occur

Korean shamanism,
also known asMuism(Korean: Mugyo"mu[shaman]
religion") or Sinism( )}Shingyo religion of
theshin(hanja: ) [gods]", is theethnic religionofKorea and
theKoreans
In contemporary Korean language, the shaman-priest
ormu(hanja: ) is known as amudang(Hangul:
hanja: ) if female orbaksu if male, although other
names and locations are used.
Koreanmu"shaman" is synonymous withChinesewu, which
defines priests both male and female.The role of
themudangis to act as intermediary between thespirits
orgods, and the human plain, throughgut (rituals), seeking to

Korean Buddhism

is distinguished from other forms ofBuddhismby its attempt to

resolve what it sees as inconsistencies inMahayana Buddhism.

Early Korean monks believed that the traditions they received from
foreign countries were internally inconsistent. To address this, they
developed a newholisticapproach to Buddhism.

This approach is characteristic of virtually all major Korean thinkers,

and has resulted in a distinct variation of Buddhism, which is called
Tongbulgyo ("interpenetrated Buddhism"), a form that sought to
harmonize all disputes (a principle called hwajaeng ) by Korean
scholars.

Korean Buddhist thinkers refined their predecessors' ideas into a

distinct form.

Pre Historic Period

TheSan guo chih, one of the earliest sources documented about
ancient Korea written in Chinese, recorded the existence of three
types of prehistoric dwellings in Korea:
pit houses a tripod-like frame made of timber to provide
protection from the wind and rain.
log houses built by laying logs horizontally one on top of one
another.
elevated houses - originated in the southern regions, are believed
to have first been built as storage houses to store grains out of the
reach of animals and to keep them cool.

Three Kingdoms Period

The Koguryo Kingdom (37B.C.-A.D.668)
was the first of the Korean kingdoms to be exposed to Chinese Han culture
It was characterized by powerful lines and sturdy construction, necessitated
by the rugged terrain and harsh climate of the country.
Patterned tiles and ornate bracket systems were already in use in many
palaces in P'yongyang, the capital, and other town-fortresses in what now
is Manchuria.
The excavations disclosed that the temples were built in a Koguryo style
known as "three Halls-one Pagoda," with each hall in the east, west and

The construction of Buddhist temples was enthusiastically

undertaken after Buddhism was introduced in 372 by way of
northern China.

A series of excavations in 1936-1938 unearthed the sites of

several major temples near P'yongyang, including those in Ch'
ongam-ri, Wono-ri and Sango-ri.

Murals in tombs dating from Koguryo also reveal a great deal

about the architecture of that period as many of them depict
buildings which have pillars with entasis. Many have capitals on
top of them

The Paekche Period ( 18 BC- 660 )

influenced by Koguryo as well as by southern China. As it expanded
southward, moving its capital to Ungjin (currently, Kongju) in 475 and to Sabi
(currently Puyo) in 538, its arts became richer and more refined than that of
Koguryo.
characteristic of Paekche architecture is its use of curvilinear designs.
in the building sites, patterned tiles and other relics, as well as the stone
pagodas that have survived the ravages of time, testifies to the highly
developed culture of Paekche.
Two pagodas remains from the Paekche , one in Iksan , the Miruksa

Miruksa temple
-the largest in
Paekche, was excavated
in 1980 at Iksan of
Chollabuk-do province
- the oldest of all
Korean pagodas.

Chonginam Temple

The Shilla Kingdom ( 57 BC-935)

Buddhist influence after 527

Hwangnyongsa temple

Pulguksa, Tabotap Pagoda

( Shilla , eight century )

TheSamguk sagi(MemorabiliaoftheThreeKingdoms)
recordsthattherewasanine-storywoodenpagodabuiltherein645
thatwasabout80metershighbytoday'sscale.

The Unified Shilla Period ( 668

935 )

Shilla defeated Paekche in 660 and Koguryo in 668 to unify

the Korean Peninsula for the first time under what is known as
the Unified Shilla (668-935). Given the spiritual role of
Buddhism in helping to bring about the fall of the two
kingdoms, the religion flourished, and along with it, its
architecture and art forms.

Pulguksa templeand its grotto shrine,Sokkuram, being

the most representative examples.

Pulguksa Temple

Sokkuram Grotto - a man-made shrine in Mt. T'ohamsan, is

the greatest artistic masterpiece of the grotto movement which
ran across the whole East Asia, originating in India.

Koryo Dynasty
Influenced by the architectural trends of Song China,
The culture of the Koryo Dynasty inherited Shilla culture,
including Buddhism.
Koryo in its early years developed a unique architectural
style featuring curved bracket arms on top of columns
called column head bracketing.

Kungnakchon

Someexamplesofthiscolumn-headstylinginclude:

Muryangsujon,

Taeungjon,

theSakyamuniHallofSudoksatempleinYesan

Ch'ungch'ongnam-do province and the entrance

gate of the Kaeksa (Guest House) in Kangnung,
Kangwon-do province.

During this period, Buddhism became tinged with Taoism, shamanism and
other belief systems. The traditional styles of "one Pagoda" or "two
Pagodas" for a certain number of halls disappeared from use as such
shrines

Sanshin-gak for the Sanshin, or "Mountain Spirit,

Choson Dynasty
The Choson Dynasty suppressed Buddhism in favor of Confucianism.
Under such circumstances, the construction of temples declined
drastically, while the construction of Confucian shrines and private and
public Confucian academies flourished.
A simpler system of column-head bracketing was generally favored in
the highly Confucian society, though the multicluster bracket style was
still used in some buildings.

Kungnakchon of Muwisa temple,

Kuksajon and Hasadang of Songgwangsa temple

Haet'almungateofTogapsatemple

 Choson period town walls are best exemplified by ones constructed around
Seoul which were built in 1396, and rebuilt in 1422. The walls around Suwon
were completed in 1796. The Seoul City wall included four major gates at
each compass point and four smaller ones in between each of them.
The vast majority of the Choson palaces were destroyed during the Japanese
invasions of 1592-1598. Most of the wooden palace buildings now extant in
Seoul were reconstructed during the middle and late Choson periods.
The roofs of the palace gates are hipped while the roofs of the main
structures are hipped and gabled. Decorative ceramic figures in the shape of
dragons and other animal heads are at each end of the ridges and rows
ofchapsang, which are clay figures derived from a popular Chinese story, line
the sloping ridges to guard against evil spirits
The ceilings of the major buildings are finished with checkered panels or with
highly decorated canopies that hide the framework of the roofs. Brackets and
ceilings are colorfully painted, and the areas where the tie beams and pillars
meet are decorated with carved corbels.