▲ Owned by Seogosa Temple and the Seongbo Museum at Geumsansa. Photo courtesy of the National Jeonju Museum. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE)(Yonhap)

SEOUL, Sept. 15 (Yonhap) -- Draped in robes, some sit comfortably with one leg resting on the opposite knee, while others sit with one knee raised.

A closer look reveals faint smiles at the corners of their mouths and remarkably lifelike expressions.

These are the arhats, or "sixteen arhats," who once listened to the earnest wishes and prayers of worshippers at Seogosa Temple on the slopes of Hwangbangsan Mountain in Jeonju.

The 16 arhat statues, which returned to their original home after being stolen in 2004, will be brought together for the first time in 22 years.

They will be featured in "Return to the Temple: Arhat Statues of Seogosa Temple, Jeonju," a special exhibition opening Tuesday at the National Jeonju Museum in cooperation with Seogosa Temple and Geumsansa Temple, the headquarters of the 17th district of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism.

"This exhibition brings together, for the first time in 22 years, the arhat statues that had long been scattered and are now enshrined at Seogosa and the Seongbo Museum at Geumsansa," a museum official said Tuesday.

▲ The opening ceremony for the special exhibition "Return to the Temple: Arhat Statues of Seogosa Temple, Jeonju" is held at the National Jeonju Museum's special exhibition hall in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, on Sept. 15, 2026. The exhibition opens to the public the following day. (Yonhap)

Arhat is short for arhat, a term referring to a Buddhist saint who attained enlightenment after hearing the Buddha's teachings.

Believed to possess supernatural powers, arhats were regarded as beings who protected Buddhist teachings and helped sentient beings receive blessings. Statues of 16 or 500 arhats were enshrined as objects of worship.

The Seogosa arhat statues are important materials for understanding Buddhist sculpture during the late Joseon period.

▲ The opening ceremony for the special exhibition "Return to the Temple: Arhat Statues of Seogosa Temple, Jeonju" is held at the National Jeonju Museum's special exhibition hall in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, on Sept. 15, 2026. The exhibition opens to the public the following day. (Yonhap)

According to an invocation text documenting the history of their creation, the statues were made on May 23, 1695, during the reign of King Sukjong (1674-1720), by sculptor Seongsim and others.

The statues had stood guard over the Arhat Hall alongside Kasyapa and Ananda, two of the Buddha's principal disciples.

But in 2004, eight of the 16 statues were stolen and suddenly disappeared. Some were recovered in 2014 after appearing at an auction.

The remaining statues were found during an investigation into a Seoul-based private museum director involved in the case and were recovered in 2020 and returned to the temple grounds, a space for Buddhist practice.

Some of the statues were damaged while being kept as stolen artifacts, and investigators also found evidence that their colors had been repainted to make them appear to be different works.

The statues are currently kept at Seogosa and the Seongbo Museum at Geumsansa. The museums have carried out conservation treatment while also conducting research, including computer tomography (CT) scans.

The exhibition, featuring a total of 126 artifacts, begins by exploring the history of Seogosa.

It examines the temple's history, including the account that it was founded by monk Myeongdeokhwa-sang at the order of Gyeon Hwon (867-936), the founder of Later Baekje, as well as the temple's location as recorded in historical documents such as "Wansanji" and "Map of Jeonju."

The centerpiece is the section titled "Contemplating the Images: Looking at and Imagining the Arhats," where visitors can see the 16 statues together as a complete set for the first time since the theft.

The section also introduces the process from their theft to recovery, the significance of the 16 arhats and the iconography of each figure.

The exhibition also offers a glimpse into the "inner" stories of the Seogosa arhats.

Invocation texts, Buddhist scriptures, dharanis and other consecrated objects were found inside the bodies of Balitasa (the third arhat), Nakkgeorasa (the fifth) and Beolnapasa (the 14th).

"Consecrated objects" refers to precious items such as treasures and books placed inside Buddhist statues during their creation.

Of particular interest is Beolnapasa, which is depicted sitting with one knee raised. A porcelain hubryeongtong, a container used in the consecration of Buddhist statues, was found inside it and is believed to be the only known example made of white porcelain.

Hubryeong is a symbol of the Buddha's "perfect voice," or his teachings. A tube is attached to the lid, while five bottles inside the container hold cloth symbolizing the five directions.

The exhibition will also present findings from investigations using advanced scientific technologies, including CT scans and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis, which have revealed previously invisible details about the statues' production techniques and pigment compositions.

The museum will hold an academic conference on Oct. 15 to present the research findings accumulated so far.

The conference will share historical and art-historical research on the Seogosa arhat statues and examine the significance of their designation as tangible cultural heritage of Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province in 2017.

"The exhibition will hopefully provide an opportunity to share the prayers and wishes embodied in the arhat statues, as well as the significance of these sacred cultural heritage objects that have returned to their temple grounds," said Park Gyeong-do, director of the National Jeonju Museum.

The exhibition runs through Nov. 29.

[ⓒ K-VIBE. 무단전재-재배포 금지]