Jeongnimsa Temple Site, Buyeo

Buyeo was the last Baekje capital and very little of it came through, so what is left carries weight. In the middle of the modern town lies a flat rectangle of grass and stone bases, the plan of a large temple laid bare, and on it stands a five-storey stone pagoda of the seventh century, one of two Baekje pagodas anywhere, the other being the ruined one at Iksan. It is thin and wide-eaved and openly copies timber construction in stone. Behind it sits a stone Buddha of the Goryeo period, weathered nearly featureless, on an older base. A small museum on the site explains what the excavations turned up.

History

The temple was built in 538 at the heart of Sabi, the walled Baekje capital founded that year, placed deliberately in relation to the royal palace, with ponds on its east and west sides, and it stayed in use into the Goryeo period. A shelter was built over its stone Buddha in 1933; the Japanese archaeologist Fujisawa Kazuo excavated the site in 1942 and found an inscription naming Jeongnimsa and recording the rebuilding of a hall in 1028, and further digs followed in 1979-1980 and 2008-2010. It became a Historic Site of South Korea on 26 March 1983 and, in 2015, part of the Baekje Historic Areas World Heritage Site (Wikipedia, Jeongnimsa).

What to look for

• The stone pagoda - a seventh-century Baekje tower imitating wooden construction.
• The seated Buddha - a heavily worn Goryeo figure on an earlier pedestal.
• The foundation stones - the outline of the temple's halls and corridors.
• The site museum - excavation finds and a model of the whole complex.

When to go

Spring and autumn are the good months; the site is open ground with no shade at all. It sits in the centre of Buyeo, so it combines easily with the fortress hill and the old pond in one day on foot. The museum closes one day a week. Early or late light suits the pagoda far better than midday.

Good to know

There is not much here: a pagoda, a battered statue and a lawn of foundation stones. It rewards anyone who already cares about Baekje and disappoints anyone expecting a temple. Buyeo is a quiet provincial town with slow bus connections and limited places to stay. Without the museum the whole visit takes under an hour.

Nearby

Busosanseong hill and the Gungnamji pond are within walking distance; Gongju is forty minutes north.

Key facts