Tomb of the Dancers: Koguryo˘ tombs in east Asian funerary art (China).

摘要

The Tomb of the Dancers represents the Ji'an style which established in the 4th century in the northeast frontier of China. Han funerary art which became the ultimate model and foundation of funerary art in East Asia was transferred and transformed in the kingdom of Koguryoˇ in the 3rd century and 4th century after Han's collapse. Han funerary art that was transferred to Koguryoˇ was already in the process of modification in the next Wei-Jin period. It was the period of the movement of people from the Central Plain to border regions, and the period of the establishment of many kingdoms by non-Chinese like Xianbei. Its temporal characteristics suggest the beginning of incorporation of non-Chinese flavor and burial practice into Han funerary art. The change of Han funerary art tradition in the Wei-Jin period is very obvious in the initial stage of Koguryoˇ painted tombs as we see in Anak Tomb No. 3 and the Tomb of the Wrestlers. Thus by the time when the Tomb of the Dancers was built, the basis that the Tomb of the Dancers was constructed already had mixed influences of the Han and the Wei-Jin. On the other hand, the Tomb of the Dancers already exhibited Koguryoˇ style even though it was the early tomb in the region. It might tell us that by the time when the Tomb of the Dancers was constructed and decorated, Han funerary art was already fully integrated by Koguryoˇ people, making it possible to put their favorite themes and ideological implication into the tomb painting and the tomb architecture. Thus the examination of the Tomb of the Dancers provides us with the solid proof of the establishment of the Ji'an art and style in the 4th century in the northeast Asia by Koguryoˇ kingdom.