Bokcheondong 11hobun Chulto Dogi Geobukjangsik Wontonghyeong Gidae Mit Dangyeongho, Busan

Basic information

Designation

Treasure No.2059

Category

Craft

Era

가야(5세기)

Designated year

2020

Location

김해시, 경상남도— 경상남도 김해시 가야의길 190 (구산동, 국립김해박물관)

Coordinates

No precise coordinates are available, so this item is not shown as a map marker. To be added later.

Tomb No. 11, Bokcheon-dong Tumuli in Busan is the pit-type stone-chamber tomb of a leader of Gaya dating back to the fifth century. The tomb was excavated by a team from the Pusan National University Museum during a survey conducted in 1980 and 1981, which yielded just one well-preserved cylindrical earthenware jar to whose body a tortoise-shaped clay object is attached. It is the only artifact of its kind dating from the Three Kingdoms period to have been found to date. Generally speaking, excavations of individual tombs, whether large or small, tend to yield dozens of earthenware relics including long-stemmed glass, jars and bowl-shaped jar stands, yet only this rather unusual cylindrical jar was found in Tomb No. 11 of the Bokcheon-dong Tumuli, which leads one to conclude that it was a very important ritual object. It is a very rare example of a short-necked porcelain jar on a cylindrical stand. The artifact displays various feature of the advanced craftsmanship of Gaya earthenware production, such as the unusually large size of the jar and stand; their harmonious and stable forms; the natural-looking glazed surface of the stand; the diverse-shaped perforations in each of the eleven tiers of the body of the stand; and the decorative patterns engraved in zigzag fashion. This cultural heritage is considered worthy of designation as a Treasure in view of its academic and artistic value, its good state of preservation, the esthetic quality of the tortoise-shaped artifact, its stable-looking body, and the refined decorative patterns.