Busan City Announces Designation of Two Nationally Designated Cultural Properties as 'Treasures'

‘Doggi Turtle Ornament Cylindrical Vessel and Short-necked Jar’, ‘Gwanbukyeo Jido’ etc.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Yoseop] Busan City announced on the 6th that the ‘Pottery Turtle-Decorated Cylindrical Stand and Short-Necked Jar Excavated from Bujeon-dong Tomb No. 11 in Busan’ and Dong-A University’s ‘Gwanbuk Yeojido’ have been preliminarily designated as treasures.

Through the important relic designation survey project promoted by the Cultural Heritage Administration as part of the investigation, research, and maintenance projects of the Gaya cultural zone, the unearthed relics from the Bujeon-dong ancient tomb cluster, which had been neglected until now, have been recognized for their value.

Bujeon-dong Tomb No. 11 in Busan is a pit-type stone coffin tomb (pit-style stone chamber tomb) confirmed during excavations from 1980 to 1981, and it is a large tomb of a chief-level figure of the Gaya power. The gilt-bronze crown, Treasure No. 1922, designated in 2016, was also excavated from Tomb No. 11.

Among the relics excavated from the Bujeon-dong ancient tomb cluster, four items have already been designated as treasures: the pottery horse-head decorated horn cup (Treasure No. 598, designated on May 16, 1975), gilt-bronze crown (Treasure No. 1922, designated on November 16, 2016), bronze Childu-ryeong excavated from Tomb No. 22 (Treasure No. 2019, designated on March 6, 2019), and the iron armor set excavated from Tomb No. 38 (Treasure No. 2020, designated on March 6, 2019). This new treasure designation will be the fifth, and upon approval by the Cultural Heritage Committee, it will be recorded as the tomb cluster that has produced the most treasures among the Gaya tomb clusters.

The ‘Pottery Turtle-Decorated Cylindrical Stand and Short-Necked Jar’ is classified as a rare case excavated in the exact state where a cylindrical stand (stand) was topped with a low-necked pottery jar (short-necked jar). It is the only example from the Three Kingdoms period (Baekje, Silla, Gaya) of a cylindrical stand decorated with a turtle-shaped figurine. The 7.2 cm-long turtle figurine was attached to the body of the stand and is praised for its realistic and excellent sculptural quality. Regarding the turtle-shaped figurine, there is an interpretation that it represents the turtle appearing in the ‘Guji-ga’ of the birth myth of King Kim Suro.

Dog-shaped turtle decoration cylindrical stand and short-necked jar. (Photo by Busan City)

The ‘Gwanbuk Yeojido’ owned by Dong-A University is a single volume of maps presumed to have been produced between 1738 and 1753 (the 14th to 31st year of King Yeongjo’s reign). It depicts villages and military strategic points in the Gwanbuk region of the Joseon Dynasty, which corresponds to Hamgyeong Province. The use of vivid colors and the depiction of waves on the rivers demonstrate a high level of pictorial skill comparable to that of painters from the Dohwaseo (Royal Painting Bureau). It is recognized for its value as the most complete and well-preserved northern military administrative map currently existing, clearly illustrating the development history of maps in the Joseon Dynasty.

The Gwanbuk Yeojido was submitted for treasure designation in October 2017 after review by the Busan City Cultural Heritage Committee, and if finally designated as a treasure, the number of treasures located in Busan City will total 51.

Gwanbuk Yeojido. (Photo by Busan City)

Busan City plans to exhibit the newly preliminarily designated ‘Pottery Turtle-Decorated Cylindrical Stand and Short-Necked Jar’ excavated from the Bujeon-dong ancient tomb cluster, along with four other treasures including the gilt-bronze crown, bronze Childu-ryeong, and the iron armor set excavated from Tomb No. 38, at the Busan Museum’s ‘Gaya Origin - Sword and String’ exhibition from April 1 to May 31. Dong-A University Seokdang Museum will also hold an exhibition featuring the ‘Gwanbuk Yeojido’ along with other paintings after completing its preservation treatment if it is designated as a treasure.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.