SUBJECT-FIGURATIVE CERAMICS IN BURIAL COMPLEXES OF KOREAN PENINSULA AND JAPANESE ISLANDS (III-VI)
A.L. NESTERKINA, I.S. GNEZDILOVA, E.A. SOLOVYEVA, A.I. SOLOVYEV
Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography SB RAS, 17, Pr. Akademika Lavrentieva, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russian Federation
Keywords: Корейский полуостров, Японские острова, сюжетно-фигурная керамика, ханива, кофун, Кая, погребальный обряд, курган, Korean Peninsula, Japanese Islands, subject-figurative ceramics, haniwa, kofun, Gaya, funeral ritual, burial mound
Abstract
A significant amount of subject-figurative ceramics having analogues among haniwa has been recently discovered in the southern Korean Peninsula. The study objective is to consider specific forms of subject-figurative ceramics of the Korean Peninsula and Japanese Islands, to compare artistic, technological and functional features, to identify similar mythological basis. The similarity of the discovery context and functions of subject-figurative ceramics of Korea and Japan raises the question about the place of origin and local features of further development of such objects’ manufacturing tradition. Comparison of figures and contexts revealed such common forms as houses, boats, waterfowl birds, and deer looking around. Studying mythological subjects and ancient literature made it possible to conclude that houses and boats are related to the existence and transportation of the dead people’s souls to another world; waterfowl images in burial complexes is associated with their mission to accompany these souls. The penetration of the continental myth of an archer hunting a deer, which looks around, explains the appearance of this type of images. An argument in favor of this conclusion is finding the figure of the archer with a bow in combination with a deer. The image similarities, variants of manufacturing, the context of finding are not accidental. They show the presence of constant and prolonged contacts between the population of the Korean Peninsula and Japanese Islands. The distribution area of figures confirms the existing hypotheses about the routes of resident movements in these territories. Korean samples are vessels placed on supports; Japanese ones are connected with vessels by their origin; they could not be functionally used this way. The subject-figurative ceramics often encountered at the Japanese Islands is much more due to the availability of raw materials. The similarity of mythological representations characteristic of both territories with mythological subjects of the mainland population confirms the concept of trans-Eurasian migration.
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