Unjusa Temple, Hwasun

Unjusa lies in a valley on the west side of Cheontaesan in Hwasun. You do not come here for a grand main hall; you come to walk the valley floor and the ridges on either side, seeking out the stone Buddhas and stone pagodas scattered among the rocks. Rough, simple-faced Buddhas and pagodas shaped like balls or stacked discs create a scene you will not find at other temples. The reclining Buddhas lying on the hillside are the temple's best-known image.

History and legend

Nobody knows exactly when or by whom the temple was founded. The most popular story credits the late-Silla monk Doseon, who is said to have built it to balance the land's energy according to geomancy. Seeing the terrain as a ship, he raised a thousand Buddhas and a thousand pagodas in a single night to serve as its mast and boatmen, hence the phrase "thousand Buddhas, thousand pagodas". This is also why the name is sometimes written with characters meaning "moving the ship".

In reality the temple seems to have flourished from the middle to the end of the Goryeo period, and excavated finds suggest it existed by early Goryeo at the latest. It was rebuilt on a large scale in the late 15th century, ruined during the Japanese invasion of 1597, and partly restored in the 18th century. Four excavations began in 1984, and the site became a Historic Site in 1985. Up to the early Joseon period there may have been around a thousand statues and pagodas; sources differ on how many remain today, giving 70 to over 90 stone Buddhas and 18 to 21 pagodas. In 2017 the "Stone Pagodas of Unjusa Temple, Hwasun" were added to Korea's UNESCO Tentative List.

What to see

• Nine-story Stone Pagoda (Treasure): The tallest pagoda at Unjusa, at the mouth of the valley. Each body stone is carved with double diamonds framing flower motifs, a technique seen only at Unjusa.
• Stone Shrine (Treasure): Under a stone roof, two Buddhas sit back to back. Such a large open-air stone shrine, and back-to-back Buddhas, are hard to find anywhere else.
• Circular Multi-story Pagoda (Treasure): Disc-like stones piled on a round base, an unusual form that appeared in the Goryeo period.
• Groups of stone Buddhas: Statues ranging from tens of centimetres to over 10 m stand in clusters beneath the rocks. Their flat faces and unbalanced bodies are typical of Goryeo-period provincial sculpture. Look also for the X, diamond and triple-line patterns carved on the pagodas.
• Reclining Buddhas: A pair of Buddhas lying on the western ridge. Legend says that just as the masons were about to raise them as the last of the thousand, a lazy novice imitated a rooster's crow; thinking dawn had come, the masons returned to heaven. It is said that a new world will open on the day they stand up.

Tripto tips

• Hours: Summer 07:00–19:00, winter 07:00–18:00, open every day. There is a car park.
• Route: Walk up the valley taking in the statues and pagodas one by one, then climb to the reclining Buddhas on the western ridge. The paths go up and down hillsides, so wear comfortable shoes.
• Time needed: Allow 1 to 2.5 hours for the valley and the reclining Buddhas. A relaxation-style temple stay is also offered.
• When to go: Autumn colours and fresh spring leaves make for the best walks. After rain the rock and earth paths get slippery.