The Wooden Seated Statue of the Child Mañjuśrī of Sangwonsa Temple () is a Korean Buddhist statue located at Sangwonsa on Mount Odae in Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province. Carved from wood and depicting the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī in the form of a child, it has been designated as as the 221st National Treasure of South Korea.
Description The statue portrays the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī, a figure associated with transcendent wisdom in Mahāyāna Buddhism, in the rare form of a seated child. It measures approximately 69 centimeters in height and is carved from a single block of wood. The serene expression, gentle smile, and finely rendered robes exemplify the delicate aesthetic sensibilities of the early Joseon period.
Legend The statue is associated with a story about King Sejo (r. 1455–1468), who was a devout Buddhist. In his later years, Sejo suffered from a severe skin disease that could not be cured by the royal physicians. He believed that the illness was a result of karmic retribution for taking the throne from his nephew, King Danjong, and visited several Buddhist temples to pray for recovery.
According to the legend, while visiting Sangwonsa Temple, Sejo was bathing in a nearby stream when a young boy (dongja) appeared and offered to wash his back. As the boy washed him, Sejo felt his skin become soothed. He told the boy that his illness was a secret, and the boy replied, "You must also promise never to tell anyone that you have seen Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva (known as Munsu Bosal in Korean)." The boy then disappeared, and Sejo's illness was cured. Sejo then commissioned a statue depicting the child Bodhisattva who had appeared to him. It is also popularly believed that the statue's face was modeled after Sejo's first son, Crown Prince Uigyeong, who died at the age of 19.
Discovery of historical evidence For centuries, the connection between the statue and King Sejo was regarded as a legend. During conservation work in July 1984, however, a concealed compartment inside the statue was opened. It contained votive offerings known as bokjang, including more than 20 historical documents and textiles.
Among the objects was a copy of the Worin seokbo (월인석보; 月印釋譜), a Buddhist text compiled under the patronage of King Sejo. Its colophon states that Sangwonsa Temple was restored in the same year and that the child Mañjuśrī statue at the temple was commissioned in the second month of the 12th year of Sejo's reign (1466) by Princess Uisuk, his second daughter, and her husband, Jeong Hyeon-jo, in the hope of having a son.
A jacket found inside the statue has unusual yellow and red stains. Some have suggested that these may be traces of blood and pus from King Sejo, who, according to the legend, was cured of a severe skin disease after encountering Mañjuśrī on the Five-Peak Mountain (Odaesan).
The documents found inside the statue provide a date of 1466 for its creation and record its connection with the royal family.
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