Conservation of Buddhist Monk Samyeong’s Geumran‐gasa and Jangsam, the National Folklore Cultural Heritage No.29

Abstract

The Geumran-gasa (Kasaya) and Jangsam of the monk Samyeong are historical relics and were designated as object No.29, a Buddhist costume of the Joseon Dynasty, by the National Folklore Cultural Heritage, in 1973 . In 1984, after being treated for the purposes of washing and preserving the shape of the garments, the object was kept in the Temple Museum of Pyochungsa, as their holding institution. However, regular inspection conducted by the Cultural Heritage Administration in 2013 determined the need for a re-treatment. The Geumran-gasa had been originally made with 25 strips, but it had been separated into two parts and many pieces were lost. A part of the collar in the Jangsam was lost as well. Therefore, both relics needed to be restored. The re-treatment process involved pre-investigation, washing, reinforcement fabric dyeing, restoration, and fumigation. In particular, we focused on reinforcing the damaged parts and restoring the missing parts by applying advanced materials and methods in order to restore the original form as much as possible. This conservation is the result of the re-treatment of the cultural properties by replacing the old material used in past treatments and applying advanced methods under the basic principle of reversibility in conservation treatment.