Anbul Temple

The Anbul temple located four kilometres north of the seat of Tonghung-ri, Kumya County, South Hamgyong Province is one of the historical relics showing the Korean people's excellent architecture and artistic talent. Built in 1393 the temple consisted of seven buildings with the Kungnakbo Hall as the centre, but all of them were burnt down.

It was rebuilt in 1843. The hall, the main building of the temple, is a gabled house with double eaves, with three bays (9.89m) in front and two (7.52m) on each side. It was used to house an image of Amitabha tathagata, which was said to rule over a "paradise," for the ritual to offer worship to him. Kept intact in the hall are valuable relics including the Buddhist image, thaenghwa (Buddhist painting), a curiously engraved and beautifully painted palanquin of a Buddha, and a bell and a drum which were used for Buddhist rituals at that time. The interior and exterior of the building are painted gorgeously.

The ceiling of the hall is painted with a crane with a branch laden with peaches in its mouth, rare to be found in other temples. Though it is a small gabled house, the hall's splendid decorations are conspicuous. And the Kumya gingko tree, which is over 2 120 years old, stands near the temple, adding beauty to the temple and its surrounding scenery.