The National Museum of Korea keeps artefacts (many of them are merely fragments, although they are valuable as historical materials) collected during the colonial period, including 389 roof tiles that were collected by the National Museum of the Gover...
The National Museum of Korea keeps artefacts (many of them are merely fragments, although they are valuable as historical materials) collected during the colonial period, including 389 roof tiles that were collected by the National Museum of the Government General of Joseon in Seon-ri, Gwangju after the great flood of 1925, 337 of which contain inscriptions. However, their archaeological context has long been unclear due to a lack of detailed investigations or excavations. Some roof tiles are inscribed with the Chinese characters "(Place name)受國蟹口船家草 (Sugukhaeguseongacho)," which could be interpreted to mean the following: "(Place name) is requested to receive the roof tiles that we are dispatching. They were produced at a (Government-run) kiln near the ferry at the estuary of the river (whose name is associated with crabs)." Thus, it is thought that the place where the roof tiles were produced was Seonri, Gwangju and that they were supplied to the places whose names were stated. A total of twenty place names (for which the roof tiles were produced) inscribed on the roof tiles have been confirmed by the record in the section titled Jiriji (Geographical Book) of Samguksagi (History of the Three Kingdoms). They include areas around Bukhansan Mountain in Seoul, as well as in Yangpyeong, Anseong, Suwon, Gwacheon, Gimpo, Yangju, Goyang, Paju, Pocheon and Hanam in Gyeonggi-do and Incheon; Cheolwon; Gaeseong, Jincheon. Seon-ri roof tiles are thought to have been produced between the mid-8th century (place names were changed following the reorganization of administrative zones in 757) and the early Goryeo Period based on their patterns, changes in the inscriptions, and the place names inscribed upon them. The places to which the roof tiles were supplied generally correspond to the scope of Hanju, one of the nine provinces of Unified Silla. Thus, the roof-tile kiln in Seon-ri, Gwangju is thought to have been a state-run production center that supplied roof tiles from Hanju. The Chinese character 國('Guk') inscribed on the roof tiles corroborates this fact. This shows the characteristics of production and the distribution pattern of roof tiles during the Unified Silla Period.