NORTHEAST ASIAN HISTORY FOUNDATION 02/2018
the Cover
This 9.1 to 13.1-centimeter-tall gilt-bronze relic was excavated from Yongho-dong Tomb no. 1 in Unsan-gun, North Pyongan Province. Yongho-dong Tomb no. 1 is one among several chamber tombs from the ancient Korean kingdom of Koguryo that were surveyed by Sekino Tadashi (關野貞) in 1918. The phoenix-shaped ornament was found alongside a cooking stove and earthenware in what is likely to have been the tomb's main chamber, referred to as a neolbang (玄室) in Korea.
The relic features the profile of a phoenix cut out of a thin gilt bronze panel. The body's outline is shaped like an inverted "S" with a large tail feather stretching out from behind. The wings must have been separately made and attached, but only a fraction of them has been recovered. With no other embellishments or patterns decorating the ornament's surface, a hole is punctured at each end of the phoenix's straight legs, supposedly to allow the ornament to be attached elsewhere. The ornament's simplicity gives off a lofty sort of aura only found in phoenixes.
Reference: National Museum of Korea
- Northeast Asia History Network
- Northeast Asia History Library
- DOKDO Research Institute
- DOKDO Museum Seoul
- Education and Training
