동국대학교박물관 소장 〈을사인복사명 금고〉

The Bronze Gong Inscribed with the Words “Eulsa lnboksa” in the Dongguk University Museum Collection

Metal gongs have been used since ancient times. According to historical records, gongs were made in the early ninth century for use in Buddhist temples, where their sound was held to be as sacred as the sermons of the Buddha. Ever since then, gongs have been used as a key ritual instrument for calling worshippers to a service or representing the authority of a certain being. It was during the Goryeo period that gongs came to be widely used at Buddhist temples in Korea. Although two types of gongs had been used during the Unified Silla period, a third type appeared in the subsequent Goryeo period. This later type of gong featured a “sound hole” in its side, which was designed to heighten the reverberation of its sound, and also featured more pleasingly aesthetic decorative designs. It is generally believed that the gong in the collection of the Dongguk University Museum was made and used in that period, as it bears the inscription “Eulsa Inboksa” (i.e. “[Made in] the Eulsa Year [for] Inboksa Temple”). The inscription not only states that the gong was produced in the Eulsa Year for use at Inboksa Temple, but also that it was commissioned by five devout Buddhists including a man named Sogongju (also known as Dongnyang). The gong is considered a highly valuable artifact as it exhibits the characteristic features of the Goryeo-period gongs bearing the inscription “Ninth Daejeong Year (1169)”, which were excavated at the Sudasa Temple site (late 12th century), and those bearing the inscription “Gulseoksa Temple in the 23rd Daejeong year (1183)”.