Architect, Abiji

[Abiji]
Welcome to my house! I am Abiji, the architect of Baekje.

I was regarded as the best architect in the kingdom. Indeed, the ‘Nine-story Wooden Pagoda of Hwangnyong Temple’, one of the best examples of ancient architecture found on the Korean Peninsula, counts among my greatest works. You might wonder why I built pagodas in Silla, the neighboring kingdom of Baekje.

At that time, Silla didn’t possess the knowledge necessary to build such an enormous pagoda and so they asked Baekje for assistance. I was soon dispatched to Silla where I began to design the pagoda. Before long I’d begun its construction, but I had a dream one night about the fall of Baekje. I suddenly felt anxious and wanted to return to my homeland.

At that moment, the heaven and earth shook, and an old monk and a strong man suddenly appeared before me. They built one of the pillars of the pagoda and disappeared again, as suddenly as they had appeared. Only then did I realize that it was my destiny to build this pagoda. After the experience, I gathered my wits together and devoted myself to finishing the pagoda. Umm…. It is still a poignant memory for me. In those days, many technical architects, myself included, were sent to neighboring countries. The excellent architectural skills of Baekje were even used frequently in Japan. In fact, you can still find numerous wooden pagodas and treasures in Japan today that were only made possible by Baekje technology.