Stone Lantern at Gaeseonsa Temple Site, Damyang

This is a representative stone lantern from the Unified Silla period remaining in the Jeollanam-do area. According to the [Joseon Gogeok Dobo] published during the Japanese colonial period, it was buried up to the pillar stone, but in 1965, the surrounding area was cleared and it was exposed. In the [National Treasure Catalog] published in 1960, it was already exposed up to the base stone. From 1990 to 1992, a restoration project was carried out with verification from the Cultural Heritage Administration, replacing the base stone, lower platform stone, and part of the pillar stone with new stone materials, and now the temple site and stone lantern are well organized. This stone lantern is a drum-shaped (鼓複形) stone lantern based on an octagonal shape, with a height of 3.5m. Looking at the detailed style, an octagonal lower platform stone (八角下臺石) is placed on a wide square base stone (方形 地臺石), which was replaced with new stone in 1992. The double lotus petals (複蓮) on the upper platform stone (上臺石) above are double-petaled eight-leaf (複瓣 八葉) double lotus (兩蓮), symmetrical with the double lotus petals (複蓮) of the lower platform stone.<br /><br />The underside of the roof stone has a low, flat support, and on each of the eight corners, decorative flower-shaped corner ornaments (귀꽃) are carved. Each side has a shallow corner in the middle to express a clear reverse curve (反轉), so the roof stone forms a 16-sided shape, which represents the unique style of this stone lantern. This style can be seen in various stone artifacts from the late Silla period, and the inscription on the stone lantern reads 'Yonggi (龍紀) 3rd year,' which corresponds to 891 (the 5th year of Queen Jinseong of Unified Silla), making it a valuable resource for determining its construction date and a representative stone lantern showing 9th-century techniques. At the top of the roof stone, a pedestal for the finial is placed, and the finial parts (相輪部) such as the upward lotus (仰花), jewel wheel (寶輪), and jewel ball (寶珠) are arranged in order. The lamp-lighting record (造燈記) carved on the pillar surface of the fire chamber stone is recorded in two lines per pillar, and the detailed notes (細注) written on lines 9 and 10 are each in two lines. Only on line 6, the corner of the fire window (火窓) is damaged, making it difficult to carve letters, so a space for about three letters is left blank, but letters are carved on all other surfaces.<br />[Cultural Property Information]<br />Designated Item: Treasure<br />Designation Status: Treasure<br />Designation Year: January 21, 1963<br />Period: Unified Silla<br />Type: Stone Lantern<br />Size: Height