Abstract
Miyoji Yoneda’s controversial 1940 paper analyzing the compositional method of the Seokguram grotto triggered a series of debates among historians and critics about Yoneda’s approach. Surprisingly, much of the discussions after Yoneda focused on visually plausible diagrams full of rhetoric. However, their arguments have been weak and unconvincing without reliable demonstration. This paper begins by discussing mathematical knowledge at the time of the Grotto’s construction. Next, it outlines and proves that the Gougu rule provides the fundamental method for organizing the grotto layout. This paper sheds light on long-standing debates centered on the design method of the grotto and clarifies the underlying design principle.
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This work was supported by the INHA University Research Grant. All images are by the author.
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Park, JH. The Seokguram Grotto in Korea and the Gougu Rule: Rebuttal of the √2 and √3 Hypothesis and a New Interpretation of the Underlying Method. Nexus Netw J 24, 825–842 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00004-022-00617-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00004-022-00617-9