A Study of the Era and Background of Embroidered Kasaya, Designated as a Treasure in South Korea

Abstract

The embroidered Kasaya is the twenty-five column Kasaya of Triratna: Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. Even though it is a representative artifact of embroidery, the method of manufacturing heavily depends on the collector’s reports. This study focuses on the prayer’s recorder: Gonmyeong Park, born in Muja, and Ven. Haebung, who acted as a historical investigator of embroidered Kasaya. The beginning of Haebung’s public record was in 1815, and his entrance into nirvana in 1826. The birth year of prayer in Muja was 1768. Therefore, the embroidered Kasaya was manufactured at the end of the 18th century or the early 19th century. Haebung appears to have played a critical role in historical investigation, and consequently the 125 icons of Triratna are almost identical in three treasures: the Kasaya at Seonamsa Temple, the embroidered Kasaya, and the painting of the embroidered Kasaya at Cheongnyongsa Temple. The embroidered Kasaya was particularly affected by the religion of a thousand Buddhas and by Triratna in the late Joseon era. Unlike the Kasaya of a thousand Buddhas in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the embroidered Kasaya shows the Triratna in detail, suggesting that the icons of Triratna were newly created. © 2022. The Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles. All rights reserved