Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Geographical Location
Korea is located on the Korean
Peninsula in North-East Asia.
LANGUAGE
Korean is the official language of both
North and South Korea, and (along with
Mandarin) of Yanbian Korean Autonomous
Prefecture in Manchuria area of China
RELIGION
Throughout Korean history and culture,
regardless of separation; the influence of
traditional beliefs of Korean Shamanism,
Mahayana Buddhism, Confucianism and
Taoism have remained an underlying religion
of the Korean people as well as a vital aspect of
their culture.
KOREAN ARCHITECTURE
FROM THE THREE KINGDOMS PERIOD TO
THE END OF THE CHOSON PERIOD:
Korean architecture is the link between the
classical traditions of Chinese building form and
the unique transformations thereof in Japan.
TIMBER BUILDINGS
Koguryo structures often had round pillars
with entasis, supporting simple executed
brackets. Most of the houses depicted in the
murals have tiled roofs.
Little is known
about the wooden
architecture of the
Shilla Kingdom
(57BC-935) but the
excavation of the
Hwangnyongsa
Temple in Kyongju,
the capital of Shilla,
suggests Koguryo
influence.
STONE BUILDINGS
Two pagodas remain
from the Paekche
period. One is at Iksan
and the other is a five
storey structure on the
site of the Chongnimsa
Temple in Puyo.
The Miruksa
Pagoda, the earliest
known example in
stone, is believed to
have had seven or
nine storeys though
only parts of six now
remain.
Stupas to house
the sarira (the
remains of very
holy persons) and
relics of highranking monks
were an
important part of
Buddhist
Architecture
Nirvana Hall
Amita Hall
STONE BUILDINGS:
The use of
Bodhisattvas as
decorative reliefs
which had begun in
the Shilla period is
also continued, for
example on the threestorey at Chunghung
Sansong Fortress in
Kwayng-yang.
KUMSANSA TEMPLE
STONE BUILDINGS
Variations from the different
traditional styles are found in
the octagonal, five-storey
pagoda of Sujongsa Temple in
Yangju and the ten-storey
pagoda of Won-goksa Temple
in Seoul.
HONGSALMUN
- a gate for
entering a sacred
place in Korea. It
is arranged by 2
round poles and
2 horizontal
lines.