ARCHLGY118  /  CLASSICS168

Student:  Won  Gi  Jung

Instructor:  Jus=n  Leidwanger

Seung-­‐Sun  Bridge  at  Sun-­‐Am  Temple

  Designated   as  Korean   Na=onal  Treasure,   Seung-­‐Sun  Bridge   is  an   arch  bridge  that   leads  

visitors  to  Sun-­‐Amsa,  a  Buddhist  temple  located  in  Soonchun  city,  Southern  Jeolla  province,  South  

Korea.  The  bridge  was  constructed  under  King  Sook-­‐jong  of  Choson  Dynasty  in  1713.  When  Ho-­‐Am  

Hwa-­‐Sang,   a   Buddhist   monk   and   architect,   constructed   the   bridge,   he   used   already   exis=ng  

bedrock  as  a  founda=on  of  the  bridge  both  to  prevent  it  from  being  washed  away  by  floods  and  to  

incorporate  the  bridge  into  natural  landscape  around  the  temple.  

  14m   in   width,   7m   in   height,   and   4.5   in   breadth,   the   bridge’s   perfect   semicircle   arch  

impresses  visitors  with  its  aesthe=c  perfec=on.  The  bridge  and  its  reflec=on  on  the  river  beneath  

altogether  form  a  perfect  circle,  which  symbolizes  reincarna=on  in  Buddhism.  Moreover,  visitors  

can   see   a   perfect   circle   only   when   the   river’s   surface   is   calm.   This   interac=on   between   the  

monument  and  the  environment  represents  an  ideal  state  of  mind  pursued  by  Buddhist  monks.

  However,  it   is  hard  to  say  Seung-­‐Sun  Bridge  fit  Trigger’s  defini=on  of  monumentality.  One  

can   argue   that   the   architect’s   conscious   decision   to   project   a   Buddhist   symbol   through   the  

architecture  should  be  considered  as  “conspicuous  consump=on.”  However,  the  perfect  semicircle  

arch  ul=mately   contributes  to  stability   of   the  bridge,  which   in   result  minimizes  cost   for   future  

maintenance  and  ensures  safety   of  its  users.  Given  the  circumstance,   the  perfect  semicircle  arch  

was  the  most   efficient   and  ra=onal  design  of  the  bridge.   Furthermore,  while  a  Roman  or   Greek  

monument  that  follow  Trigger’s  defini=on  stand  out  from  its  surrounding  landscape,  curved  design  

of   the  arch  and  unprocessed  building  materials  of  the  bridge  harmonize  with  the  environment,  

reducing  the  sense  of  ar=ficiality  of  the  monument.  In  other  words,  the  form  of  Seung-­‐Sun  Bridge  

is  almost  natural,  as  if  it  is  meant  to  be  there.   Its  form  follows  its  func=on,  but  Seung-­‐Sun  Bridge  

retains  its  monumentality  as  a  representa=on  of  Buddhist  philosophy.

[image  1:  Seung-­‐Sun  Bridge  at  Sun-­‐Am  Temple]