Design Principles of Early Stone Pagodas in Ancient Korean Architecture: Case Studies on the Stone Pagodas at Chŏngnimsa and Kamŭnsa Buddhist Temples
Ancient books on East Asian mathematics introduced to the Korean Peninsula enrich our understanding of the arithmetic notions that mold the creative thought processes of the ancients. They believed that all objects in the universe could be composed of circles and squares and all items could be expre...
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2019-03-01
|
| Series: | Religions |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/10/3/208 |
| _version_ | 1818543911730151424 |
|---|---|
| author | Juhwan Cha Young Jae Kim |
| author_facet | Juhwan Cha Young Jae Kim |
| author_sort | Juhwan Cha |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Ancient books on East Asian mathematics introduced to the Korean Peninsula enrich our understanding of the arithmetic notions that mold the creative thought processes of the ancients. They believed that all objects in the universe could be composed of circles and squares and all items could be expressed in terms of geometrical profiles. Through the combination of circles and squares, the ancient East Asians expressed the order of the world and unraveled it mathematically. These principles are evident in the construction principles of early Korean stone pagodas. In particular, the square root of 2 (√2) is a very important number in the delineation represented in the consolidation of inscribed and circumscribed circles with squares. Further, the square root of 2 is applied as a design principle in the construction of the stone pagodas at the temples Chŏngnimsa and Kamŭnsa. This article demonstrates that the ancients on the continuous impact of the Jiuzhang Suanshu and the Zhoubi Suanshu constructed the pagodas complying with design principles based on the arithmetic and geometric proportional systems of √2 times, which are intended to adjust compositional proportions and the gradual decrease in length to shape the tripartite partition of the foundation, the pagoda body, and the finial in stone pagodas. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T22:41:35Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8decd088670e4ceab9a99784422f47d9 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-1444 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T22:41:35Z |
| publishDate | 2019-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Religions |
| spelling | doaj.art-8decd088670e4ceab9a99784422f47d92022-12-22T00:47:47ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442019-03-0110320810.3390/rel10030208rel10030208Design Principles of Early Stone Pagodas in Ancient Korean Architecture: Case Studies on the Stone Pagodas at Chŏngnimsa and Kamŭnsa Buddhist TemplesJuhwan Cha0Young Jae Kim1School of Architecture, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, ChinaThe Department of Heritage Conservation and Restoration, Korea National University of Cultural Heritage, Buyeo 33115, KoreaAncient books on East Asian mathematics introduced to the Korean Peninsula enrich our understanding of the arithmetic notions that mold the creative thought processes of the ancients. They believed that all objects in the universe could be composed of circles and squares and all items could be expressed in terms of geometrical profiles. Through the combination of circles and squares, the ancient East Asians expressed the order of the world and unraveled it mathematically. These principles are evident in the construction principles of early Korean stone pagodas. In particular, the square root of 2 (√2) is a very important number in the delineation represented in the consolidation of inscribed and circumscribed circles with squares. Further, the square root of 2 is applied as a design principle in the construction of the stone pagodas at the temples Chŏngnimsa and Kamŭnsa. This article demonstrates that the ancients on the continuous impact of the Jiuzhang Suanshu and the Zhoubi Suanshu constructed the pagodas complying with design principles based on the arithmetic and geometric proportional systems of √2 times, which are intended to adjust compositional proportions and the gradual decrease in length to shape the tripartite partition of the foundation, the pagoda body, and the finial in stone pagodas.http://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/10/3/208Jiuzhang SuanshuZhoubi Suanshustone pagodas at the Chŏngnimsa and Kamŭnsa Buddhist Templesarithmetic proportional systeminscribed and circumscribed circlesthe square root of 2 (√2) |
| spellingShingle | Juhwan Cha Young Jae Kim Design Principles of Early Stone Pagodas in Ancient Korean Architecture: Case Studies on the Stone Pagodas at Chŏngnimsa and Kamŭnsa Buddhist Temples Religions Jiuzhang Suanshu Zhoubi Suanshu stone pagodas at the Chŏngnimsa and Kamŭnsa Buddhist Temples arithmetic proportional system inscribed and circumscribed circles the square root of 2 (√2) |
| title | Design Principles of Early Stone Pagodas in Ancient Korean Architecture: Case Studies on the Stone Pagodas at Chŏngnimsa and Kamŭnsa Buddhist Temples |
| title_full | Design Principles of Early Stone Pagodas in Ancient Korean Architecture: Case Studies on the Stone Pagodas at Chŏngnimsa and Kamŭnsa Buddhist Temples |
| title_fullStr | Design Principles of Early Stone Pagodas in Ancient Korean Architecture: Case Studies on the Stone Pagodas at Chŏngnimsa and Kamŭnsa Buddhist Temples |
| title_full_unstemmed | Design Principles of Early Stone Pagodas in Ancient Korean Architecture: Case Studies on the Stone Pagodas at Chŏngnimsa and Kamŭnsa Buddhist Temples |
| title_short | Design Principles of Early Stone Pagodas in Ancient Korean Architecture: Case Studies on the Stone Pagodas at Chŏngnimsa and Kamŭnsa Buddhist Temples |
| title_sort | design principles of early stone pagodas in ancient korean architecture case studies on the stone pagodas at chongnimsa and kamunsa buddhist temples |
| topic | Jiuzhang Suanshu Zhoubi Suanshu stone pagodas at the Chŏngnimsa and Kamŭnsa Buddhist Temples arithmetic proportional system inscribed and circumscribed circles the square root of 2 (√2) |
| url | http://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/10/3/208 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT juhwancha designprinciplesofearlystonepagodasinancientkoreanarchitecturecasestudiesonthestonepagodasatchongnimsaandkamunsabuddhisttemples AT youngjaekim designprinciplesofearlystonepagodasinancientkoreanarchitecturecasestudiesonthestonepagodasatchongnimsaandkamunsabuddhisttemples |