The Namhan River is a large river that flows from Mount Odaesan in Yeongwol across the western part of the Korean Peninsula. In present-day geography, it encompasses Gangwon Province, North Gyeongsang Province, and Chungcheong Province, as well as part of Gyeonggi Province. This region was particularly subject to continuous attention in the Goryeo dynasty, during which period large-scale Buddhist temples were built under the patronage of the royal family, and Seon (Chan) Buddhist monks (禪僧) were appointed as chief priests of the temples and exerted considerable influence in the region. Moreover, the introduction of a river transportation system as a means to transport grains collected as taxes led to the establishment of Deokheungchang ( 德興倉) in the Chungju (忠州) area and Heungwonchang (興原倉) in the Wonju (原州) area, two governmental warehouses that stored grains collected as tax from Chungcheong and Gangwon Provinces respectively, thereby causing the concentration of economic power in these areas. Based on the political and economic power gained through close links with the royal family, the Namhan River basin area saw a significant influx of various forms of Buddhist culture from nearby regions. As a result, some 60 Buddhist sculptures remain around the Namhan River, most of which were created in the early Goryeo period. These Buddhist sculptures mostly consist of iron and stone sculptures, and are evenly dispersed all over the regions penetrated by the river. Especially with regard to the iron sculptures, it is speculated that the crafting of such artifacts was concentrated in the Chungju region, where iron was produced in large quantity. Created amid vigorous exchanges with other regions in early Goryeo, the Buddha statues of this region show a variety of aspects. While sculptures that succeeded the traditional style of the Unified Silla continued to be created, the early Goryeo era saw the emergence of standing stone Buddhas, which mainly prevailed based on the Chungcheong region. Moreover, new religious images were imported from Liao Dynasty China, while a unique style of Buddhist statues different from those of other regions also developed in the Wonju and Chungju areas. The vigorous creation of Buddha statues in this region is attributable to, most of all, the large-scale construction of Seon Buddhist temples by the Goryeo Dynasty. At the time, there was a political intention behind the scene to dominate and wield direct power over the area by deploying Seon Buddhist monks as chief monks who would serve as local governmental officials as well. Also, it is necessary to understand the waterborne transportation system, which was established at the outset of the Goryeo Dynasty. Unlike most of the thirteen governmental warehouses built for tax revenues, which were installed along the Western Sea Paths, only Deokheungchang and Heungwonchang used the inland water transportation system to carry the collected taxes. In other words, the Namhan River was a strategic point for the Goryeo Dynasty, created with both political and economic purpose. Furthermore, the creation of iron Buddha statues under combined sponsorship of the royal family and Seon Buddhist temples was not an uncommon occurrence since the late Unified Silla. A matter of significant interest is that while the iron statues created in late Unified Silla mostly present the hand seal of the wisdom of Vairocana, those created around the Namhan River in early Goryeo mostly show the hand seal of touching the earth, or the subjugation of evil, whereby each iron statue used different hand seals. This may have been caused by the shift of Chan Buddhist doctrine from the teachings of Mazu Daoyi ( 馬祖道一 ), a Chinese school that followed the Patriarch Chan (祖師禪), to Qingyuan Xingsi (靑原行思 ), another lineage that attempted to compromise between a school, whose main tenet was the transmission of the Buddha’s teaching without relying on words or letters, and another school that advocated sudden enlightenment apart from words and letters. A more detailed approach on the methods and subjects of influence regarding this accommodation and shift in the style and form of Buddhist sculpture may be subject to further research.