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Behind
the Cover
The Strength and Discipline of Koguryo Warriors

In the Anak Tomb no. 3, which dates back to the days of the ancient Korean kingdom Koguryo, there is an entrance leading to the antechamber along the eastern wall of the front chamber. To the right side of that entrance is a mural depicting two different scenes divided by a black horizontal line. The mural's upper part features a scene of two wrestlers engaged in Subakhui (手搏戱), a match of ancient Korean martial arts, while six soldiers armed with axes are standing in single file in the lower part of the mural.

Subakhui is a hand-to-hand game of martial arts played by two strong wrestlers which originates back to the Warring States period in China. It remains uncertain as to when Koreans began playing it, but the mural suggests that Subakhui had already become popular by the Koguryo era.

The two wrestlers in the mural, both dressed only in a pair of triangular-shaped underwear, are about to contend one another with their bare hands. The wrestler to the left is posed to attack with his front foot lifted off the ground, while the torso of the wrestler to the right is tilted forward as if to defend himself. Their hands are particularly enlarged to portray the martial arts technique mainly using hand strikes.

The eight soldiers in the mural's lower part are holding axes upright with both hands. Axes were used as weapons in actual combat, but were also used since the ancient times as ceremonial gear that symbolized royal authority.