Mitan stone tower to be designated as national treasure

The Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea announced on Thursday that the three-storied stone tower of Mitan Temple (pictured), which boasts a considerable size for a stone tower built during the unified Silla Dynasty in the 9th and 10th centuries, will be designated as national treasure.

“An investigation into the base work of the tower found that the Mitan stone tower has a significant value as research subject, given that it used a construction method that solidifies each layer of the tower, consisting of mud and stone, by heating it with fire from the bottom before moving onto the next level, and that a talisman was found inside the corner stones to honor the god of earth and wish for good luck when building establishments of importance,” explained an official from the heritage administration.

The 6.12-meter-tall tower, which had been abandoned with some of the parts were missing from its bottom and body, was restored in 1980, by using the remaining pieces as well as new building materials. The culture administration explained that the tower boasts the beauty of ideal proportions, and that it has a typical transitional character found in the stone towers from the unified Silla Dynasty. Designation process will be finalized after going through a deliberation of the cultural heritage committee.

Jong-Yeob JO jjj@donga.com