An Examination of the Current Status and Emergence Background of Koguryo(style) Pottery Excavated from Baekje Sites of the Hanseong–Ungjin Period

This study examines the status, characteristics, and background of Koguryo(style) pottery identified within Baekje territory from the Hanseong to the Ungjin periods. During the Hanseong period, Koguryo(style) Pottery was found across a relatively wide area, including northern Gyeonggi, Gangwon, and Jeollabuk-do, with the largest quantity recovered from Pungnap-toseong (風納土城), the royal capital of Hanseong-period Baekje. Most examples are presumed to have been used locally in daily life. In some cases, Baekje pottery was produced by adopting decorative elements from Koguryo Pottery, while other vessels exhibit manufacturing techniques and forms identical to Koguryo Pottery—such as clay bodies containing iron oxide—suggesting that certain pieces were introduced through interregional contact. The appearance of Koguryo(style) Pottery during the Hanseong period is interpreted as being related to King Gwanggaeto’s southern expansion. In the Ungjin period, hostile relations between the two states intensified, resulting in a very limited presence of Koguryo(style) Pottery. These finds occur mainly in the Buyeo area, as well as in regions such as Seocheon and Gochang. Pottery from Buyeo is generally considered to represent Koguryo(style) Pottery, whereas specimens from other regions—particularly Seocheon—display manufacturing techniques and forms identical to Koguryo Pottery, suggesting that actual Koguryo Pottery was introduced. The background for the appearance of Koguryo(style) Pottery in the Ungjin period can be divided into Buyeo and non-Buyeo contexts. In Buyeo, it is likely associated with Koguryo captives mobilized for the development of the Sabi capital. In contrast, pottery recovered outside Buyeo is interpreted—based on contemporaneous examples of Koguryo jar-coffins constructed in former Baekje territories south of the Hangang—as Koguryo Pottery introduced from adjacent Koguryo regions and subsequently used as jar coffins.