Discover the Fascinating World of Silla Clay Figurines: From Worshiping the Phallus to Celebrating Life and Death

2023-06-10 23:00:00

‘Worship the phallus’. From the first word, they will say what kind of fat man you are talking regarding.

There were three artifacts that caught my attention while looking at the special exhibition ‘Eternal Journey, Special Companion’ held by the National Museum of Korea until October 9th. All of them were decorative lids (5th century) of clay dolls excavated in Hwangnam-dong, Gyeongju in 1926.

One of them was a lid regarding 10.5 cm in diameter. Well, the penis was standing on top of it, and the people around it were bowing down to the penis. Another point was a pottery lid that expressed people who also expressed ‘yes’ to a man and a woman who openly shared love. Like ‘Worship! Phallus’, ‘Worship! It seemed to express love. Next to the two tows, lids that emphasized masculinity and femininity were also displayed. It looks like it was before making love. Of course, these were the first artifacts I had ever seen.

Silla earthenware pottery exhibited at the special exhibition ‘Eternal Journey, Special Companion’ held at the National Museum of Korea. When the earthenware from the Hwangnam-dong ruins excavated in 1926, which had been separated and stored individually, were properly arranged and attached, the intention of the artisan who produced earthenware decorative pottery 1600 years ago gained vitality. Among the works attached this time, the scenes of worshiping the phallus and sexual intercourse have been restored.|Photographed by the author

■ ‘Worship! Men’ ‘Worship! love!’

When I inquired at Kim Sang-tae, head of the Department of Archeology and History at the National Museum of Korea, he replied, “This is the first time I have put the separated pieces together.” By attaching it like this, the craftsman’s ‘intention’ 1600 years ago, which he wanted to express on the pottery lid, gained vitality.

This ‘worship!’ In addition to the series, there are a total of 97 relics that have been properly pasted on pottery this time.

All of them were collected in Hwangnam-dong, Gyeongju in 1926 during the Japanese colonial period. At that time, it poured out in the process of collecting soil from the Hwangnam-dong area to build an engine depot (locomotive parking place) at Gyeongju Station.

The Japanese Government-General of Korea was in trouble when they were unable to obtain soil as relics were unexpectedly excavated. At this time, what Japanese scholars suggested as an alternative was the excavation of ‘Noseo-dong Tomb No. 129’, which later got the name of ‘Seobongchong’. The soil obtained from the excavation of Seobongchong Tomb was used to build an engine storage at Gyeongju Station. This is the secret of the excavation of Seobongchong.

The restored clay figure of the Hwangnam-dong ruins that emphasizes masculinity and femininity.|Provided by the National Museum of Korea

Tou who shares love

Without further ado, let’s take a look at the penis tow first. Penis stones are still present all over the country.

Since ancient times, it has been a symbol of species preservation and bountiful production. “I was worried because King Jijeung’s penis was so large that he mightn’t find a spouse,” or “King Gyeongdeok’s penis was over 8 inches (20cm).” <삼국유사> I have a record. He seems to have linked the size of his penis with royal authority. There are quite a few tows that emphasize the size of the penis ‘openly’.

Looking at the dolls arranged this time, it feels like going to Gyeongju, the capital of Silla 1600 years ago. You can see the daily life of the Silla people, who worked, held ancestral rites, sailed, and lived with animals. |Photo taken by me

Of course, it’s not just men. There are many examples of overexposure of breasts and genitals among clay figures of women. There are also figurines depicting childbirth scenes. There are also not one or two tows that explicitly express sexual behavior.

A representative example is the national treasure ‘Earth Decorated Wooden Jar’ excavated from Gyerim-ro Tomb No. 30 in Gyeongju.

The earthenware on this jar is composed of snakes and frogs as the central axis, as well as men and birds, birds, fish and land animals, and women playing stringed instruments, birds and turtles. But out of nowhere, there are explicit sex scenes between men and women.

Among the clay figures, a ‘dancing woman’ excavated from the southern mound of Hwangnam Daechong is noticeable. If the ‘face-patterned seal’ is the smile of Silla, the ‘dancing woman’ can be said to symbolize the excitement of the Silla people. | Courtesy of the National Museum of Korea and Gyeongju National Museum

A funeral is a festival

It’s kind of weird. These clay pots were buried as funeral supplies.

It may have been a ceremonial vessel containing food or ingredients for funeral rites. By the way, would he have buried a jar that expressed such a naked growth and added a musical instrument performance scene. At a funeral that should be held solemnly… .

However, only 30 to 40 years ago, funerals were held at home instead of in hospitals.

A clay figure with the face of an old man holding a cane also stands out. Wisdom and authority, the symbol of the cane, can be read from the wrinkled face of the old man inside the clay pot.|Provided by the National Museum of Korea

Also, in ‘Sanggatjip’, ‘noisy’ coexisted with the music.

Let’s take a look at the funeral procession map of Anak Tomb No. 3, a Goguryeo tomb mural (mid-4th century). The deceased is burned on a cart just as he was when he was alive.

You can see people dancing with a band of 64 people. It’s not like a funeral procession, it’s like a festival parade.

The history book of the time (compiled in 636) <수서> The ‘Dongi·Goguryeo’ group said, “When a person dies, they make a sound and cry at first, but when they do business, they beat drums, dance, and play musical instruments.” Shinra was similar.

A toy doll with a puppy biting its mother’s tail and a toy doll with a mother dog biting the puppy by the scruff of the neck stand out.|Provided by the National Museum of Korea

<삼국사기> The ‘Yeojeon·Kim Yu-sin’ group said, “When Kim Yu-shin died in 673 (King Munmu’s 13th year), King Munmu handed down silk and joe for the funeral ceremony, and sent 100 band players.” Traditions like this continue unabated.

On January 22, 1472, during the reign of King Seongjong of the Joseon Dynasty, Yejo said, “Wealthy people in the provinces give generously alcohol and food on the eve of birth, gather mourners, play musical instruments, and enjoy the corpses” (Annals of King Seongjong), the luxury trend of the time. Among the Silla clay figurines excavated so far, there are many players of all kinds of string and wind instruments and dancers who show off various dance moves.

Various land animals expressed in Sillatou. There are domestic animals such as dogs, pigs, cows, and horses, but also beasts such as tigers, leopards, and wild boars. |Provided by the National Museum of Korea

■What kind of 19-karat gold play at a funeral home?

Even if it’s a funeral, I can’t just feel sad, so I play music and dance. great.

Let’s assume you can understand that. However, even a tou decoration that expresses the naked growth side appears at a funeral in memory of the deceased, and will there be something to bury it once more? A researcher gave an example.

In other words, it is the ‘Jindo Dashiraegi’ (National Intangible Cultural Property) handed down in Jindo, Jeollanam-do. ‘Jindo Dashiraegi’ is one of the funeral ceremonies held to comfort the mourning of the resident and bereaved family.

It starts with Sadang Nori, where people gather in the yard of Sanggatjip on the night before the birth of a child and sing and dance folk songs such as Yukjabaegi, Mulletaryeong, and Jindo Arirang. In this play, very primary sexual expressions and actions are performed.

Among Silla dolls, there are a large number of players of all kinds of string and wind instruments and dancers who show off various dance moves.|Provided by the National Museum of Korea

It even directs a scene where a child is born as a result of a sexual act. It contains theatrical elements.

<성종실록>One of the expressions in “The deceased is entertained by playing wind music on the day before birth” comes to mind. Perhaps the resident, relatives, and mourners put aside their sadness for a while following watching this performance. It seems that the deceased also laughed, saying ‘Ssik!’ in the coffin.

It also has other implications. It is to overcome the deficiency caused by death through the birth of a new life.

A typical example is the Sangju running away with a newborn baby in the last yard of ‘Jindo Dasiraegi’. It symbolizes the overcoming of death and the longing for a new life. The sexual act of the funeral ceremony and the intentional production of the birth scene were rituals like stepping stones connecting death and another life.

Snakes and frogs depicted in the ‘Earth-decorated Long Wooden Jar’, a national treasure excavated from Gyerim-ro Tomb No. 30. The snake and the frog are the central axis of the story. This jar is decorated with a clay figurine depicting an explicit sex scene. | ​​Courtesy of the National Museum of Korea

■In Silla, there is the Tao of the Divine Kingdom

Another thing to think regarding is the rituals related to the sex of the Silla people.

From the current Confucian perspective, the records of incestuous marriages, wife-concubine relationships, and affairs/adults in Silla cannot be resolved.

<삼국사기>Kim Pu-shik (1075-1151), who compiled the , evaluates Silla’s incestuous marriage in this way.

“In the case of Silla, not only wives were given the same surname, but also the children of brothers and sisters of Gojong and Yijong were taken as wives. Although each foreign country has its own customs, it would be said to be a great violation of duty if China were to consider subjugation.”

There is also a scene where a snake eats a frog. By comparing a snake to a man and a frog to a woman, the combination of the two animals was intended to express the birth, fertility, and vitality of life.|Provided by the National Museum of Korea

Let’s take an example. Kim Yu-shin’s father, Kim Seo-hyeon, saw Man Man, the daughter of King Jinheung (540-576)’s younger brother (Suk Heul-jong), fell in love with her at first sight, and seduced her with her glance. Kang Su (?~692), a writer in the 7th century, fell in love with a poor blacksmith’s daughter when she was a young teenager.

<삼국사기>expressed the love of Kim Seo-hyun and Kang-soo as ‘a union’. It means that it is not a marriage according to the normal procedure. <삼국유사> ‘Sageumgap’ Jo tells the story of a court lady and a monk who were killed while having sex in a geomungo box in 488 (the 10th year of King Soji’s reign).

<삼국유사>also told the story of Wonhyo having a son (Seolchong) with a princess living alone in Yoseokgung.

Well, following Wonhyo fell in the water partly, he went into the palace with the excuse of “drying his clothes” and met the princess. There is also a story that Kim Hyeon, a figure in the reign of King Wonseong, fell in love with a girl in a secret place while circling the pagoda at Heungryunsa Temple. <삼국유사>are listed in

Tow emphasized masculinity and femininity and expressed sex scenes without hesitation. There is an analysis that the intentional production of the sexual act of the funeral ceremony and the birth scene was a ritual like a stepping stone connecting death and another life.|Provided by the National Museum of Korea and the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage

also <삼국유사> ‘King Munmu and Beopmin’ Jo tells the story of Ahn Gil, an official in Mujinju (Gwangju, Jeolla Province) who dedicated his wife to a powerful man (Geo Deuk-gong) for success in life. Ahn Gil recognized at a glance King Munmu’s half-brother Geo Deuk-gong (year of birth unknown) who visited Mujin-ju during a civil government inspection, and said to his three wives and concubines, “I will do harm to the person who sleeps with Geosa (Geo Deuk-gong) tonight until I die.”

The two wives flatly refused, but one wife slept with Geodeukgong, saying, “If you allow me to live with you for the rest of my life, I will follow your orders.” No matter how good she is, she gave up her wife to a man outside of her. .

if you think <화랑세기> ‘Yangdogong’ Joe said regarding the custom of incestuous marriage in Silla, “There is a Tao of a new country in a new country, how can I do it with a Chinese road?” An example of this is the <삼국사기> This is a topic that is in line with the theory.

These are examples that convey the open sexuality of the Silla people.

A funeral procession in Anak Tomb No. 3, which shows the funeral customs of Goguryeo. Dancers were mobilized along with a band of 64 people in the funeral procession of the deceased.

Dancing woman, old man with a cane

Through this special exhibition, we took a look at the clay figures excavated so far. Surprisingly, there are not many places where clay has been excavated.

It is mainly found in Gyeongju, the capital of Silla.

As mentioned earlier, the remains of Hwangnam-dong, where more than 240 clay pots were found while excavating the soil necessary for the construction of the engine storage at Gyeongju Station in 1926, are representative. Gyerim-ro No. 30 and Nodong-dong No. 11 tombs, where the national treasure ‘Earth-decorated wooden jar’ was excavated one by one, are famous.

It was also seen in the graves of No. 109 in Hwangnam-dong (2nd floor) and Wolseong-ro (No. Ga-11-1). Wolseong moat, Anapji Pond, Bunhwangsa Temple, etc. also appeared in living relics. Recently, 54 pieces of earthenware were found attached to 33 pieces of grilled dishes in the Jjoksaem District (No. B6), an aristocratic tomb.

‘Jindo Dashiraegi’ handed down in Jindo, Jeollanam-do. A folk performance held all night on the eve of a birth to console the mourning of the resident and bereaved family. In the performance of Dasi Raegi, very primary sexual expressions and actions take place. It is to overcome the deficiency caused by death through the birth of a new life.|National Cultural Heritage Portal of the Cultural Heritage Administration

About 500 pieces have been excavated so far.

Looking at the clay dolls organized this time, it feels like going to Gyeongju, the capital of Silla 1600 years ago.

You will naturally become immersed in the daily life of the Silla people, who make love, give birth to children, perform dances and performances, carry luggage, and mourn death. In particular, the figure that flickers in front of my eyes is a ‘dancing woman’ confirmed in the tomb of the southern tomb of Hwangnamdaechong.

Along with the ‘face-patterned Sumaksae’ known as ‘Silla’s smile’, this ‘Dancing Woman’ is a clay figure representing ‘Shilla’s excitement’.

The ‘man with a cane’ excavated from Hwangnam-dong and Jjoksaem is also a notable clay figure. <삼국사기> If you look at the ‘King Munmu’ section, it says, “In 664, King Munmu, at the age of 70, gave Kim Yu-shin, who requested retirement, an anseok (backrest) and a cane.” Wisdom and authority can be read in the face of an old man with deep wrinkles in the tow.

The largest number of Silla earthenware was excavated from the remains of Hwangnam-dong, where earth was dug for the construction of an engine storage at Gyeongju Station in 1926 during the Japanese colonial period. In this special exhibition, 97 of them were revealed by properly attaching the fragments of the remains of Hwangnam-dong.|Provided by the National Museum of Korea

A snake swallowing a frog

I also paid attention to the animals of the time expressed on the clay figures.

First of all, snakes and frogs are expressed as the central axis of the story in the ‘Earth Decorated Wooden Jar’, a national treasure excavated from Tomb No. 30 in Gyerim-ro.

The ‘snake and frog’ combination is found quite frequently in other tow as well. Is there any special reason?

Frogs lay many eggs, and snakes are fertile, symbolizing vitality. Snakes are animals that grow by shedding their skin in the process of growth. It also has the meaning of regeneration and eternal life. Then, how would you explain the scene where the snake seems to eat the frog? By comparing a snake to a man and a frog to a woman, the combination of the two animals expresses the birth, reproduction, and vitality of life.

What regarding turtles and turtles that often appear in Shilla clay figures? The two animals are beings that move freely between sea and land.

Like birds and horses (heavenly horses), they probably recognized them as beings that connect the worlds of this world and the underworld and guide the souls. Turtles are also one of the ten symbols of longevity. It must have meant eternal life or rebirth in the followinglife of the dead.

Recently, 54 pieces of earthenware sticking to 33 pieces of grilled dishes were confirmed in the Jjoksaem District (No. B6), an aristocratic tomb. exhibited in this special exhibition.

dogs and puppies

There was a scene in the middle of the doll that made me smile. I saw a puppy playing around by biting its mother’s tail, and a mother dog biting a puppy by the scruff of the neck. How cute and lovely… .

These earthenware decorative pottery disappeared in the 6th century when Buddhism was introduced to Silla.

With the opening of the 6th century, King Jijeung (reign 500-514), who ascended the throne, banned funeral burials (502), used the title of king (503), and enacted the Mourning Law (504), reforming funeral rites. King Beopheung (514-540), who succeeded King Jijeung, promulgated the law (520) and authorized Buddhism (528).

The custom of burying clay in a grave disappeared with the official recognition of Buddhism in 528. King Jijeung, who ascended the throne in the 6th century, banned burials (502), used the royal title (503), enacted the Mourning Law (504), and King Beopheung promulgated the law (520) and recognized Buddhism (528). The customs of the manager are gone.

Around this time, the method of constructing tombs also changed from stone mound tombs (jeokseok wooden tombs) to stone chamber tombs (stone chamber tombs).

In the end, the indigenous funeral rite culture represented by clay figures disappears in the vortex of rapidly changing Silla society.

It’s not unlike the drastic change of the store to makeover these days. In this special exhibition of the National Museum of Korea, a total of 332 items are exhibited, including clay pottery and figurative pottery (a bowl made of clay molded following a certain shape). Both clay figures and figurative pottery were created from people, animals, or objects 1500 years ago. I think I would feel 100% satisfied with the life of the Silla people at the time rather than the difficult content of how the funeral rites were and what life was like in the present world and followinglife. Kim Dae-hwan and Lee Hyeon-tae, curators of the Gyeongju National Museum, provided materials and tips.)

<참고자료>

Lee Jin-min, ‘The place where the largest number of clay figures were found, Hwangnam-dong ruins in Gyeongju’, <영원한 여정, 특별한 동행>(Special Exhibition Catalog), National Museum of Korea, 2023

Kim Dae-hwan, ‘Tombs where clay-decorated earthenware was excavated: the director’s atypical stone and the exclusivity of ownership’, <영원한 여정, 특별한 동행>(Special Exhibition Catalog), National Museum of Korea, 2023

Lee Hyeon-tae, ‘The funeral ceremony of the Three Kingdoms period seen in literature’. <영원한 여정, 특별한 동행>(Special Exhibition Catalog), National Museum of Korea, 2023

National Museum of Korea, <영원한 여정, 특별한 동행>(Special exhibition catalogue), 2023

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