UNICEF Envoy Recommends Koguryo's Murals Be Registered as World Heritage

UNESCO Envoy Recommends Koguryo's Murals Be Registered as World Heritage

The wall painting of a king in Anak Tumulus No. 3

Hirayama Ikuo, a prominent Japanese painter and UNESCO goodwill ambassador proposed to north Korea that mural paintings of Koguryo Period preserved in the DPRK be registered as the World Cultural Heritage recognized by the U.N. organization.

The recommendation was made when a Japanese investigation team of Koguryo tumuli headed by Hirayama, the first of its kind to visit north Korea, ended its inspection tour of old tombs from Oct. 7 to 12.

“We told north Korean officials that the country's mural paintings deserve the registration of the World Cultural Heritage. Although these wall paintings are old, their images are still clear enough. They are well preserved and protected,” said one of the top Japanese painters in an interview with The People's Korea.

Koguryo was the first feudal state in the history of Korea (100 B.C. - 668 A.D.), and its tomb murals are the oldest paintings still in existence on the Korean Peninsula and are one of the paragons of the Oriental paintings of the early middle ages in their technique and accuracy. So far nearly 70 mural tombs have been found, mainly in the area around Jian, the capital of Koguryo, the River Taedong basin near Pyongyang and the Anak area in South Hwanghae Province.

Hyonmu (tortoise and snake), one of the four gods, in a Kangso Tumulus

“They vividely demonstrate the excellence of Koguryo architecture. Besides, they are extremely important in light of its relations with ancient tomb murals in China and Takamatsuzuka in Nara Prefecture, Japan,” said Hirayama who drew an imaginary picture of ancient Japanese society modelled after Koguryo tumuli in 1967.

Koguryo paintings exerted a great influence on the paintings of Paekje and Silla, also feudal Korean states, and paved the way to the development of the ancient and medieval Japanese paintings.

During the 5-day trip at the invitation by the DPRK Ministry of Culture and Art, the Japanese delegation investigated seven different spots in the country, including Anak Tumulus No. 3, Chinpa-ri Tumulus No. 1 and No. 4 and Kanso Tumulus.

“The most attractive to me were those in Anak Tumulus No. 3, which can be reached by about one-hour drive from Pyongyang. Pictures found there are of a king, soldiers, maids, aids, kitchen, etc. An inscription on the tombstone refers to the year 347.”

The Anak Tumulus No. 3, located in Anak-gun, South Hwanghae Province, is the oldest and the biggest of all the tumuli so far discovered. It is 6 meters in height, 33 meters in width, and 30 meters in length. It has four rooms large and small, and corridors. On each wall, there are national-treasure-class paintings.

“The pictures of the four gods in Kanso Toumb are masterpieces. I was fascinated with the beauty of smooth but powerful lines of the pictures. Although the four gods originated in China, it's hard to find a painting of that level there,” he continued.

Four gods represent the four directions of north, south east and west. Koguryo people regarded them as guardian deities and symbols of the safety of tumuli. Chongryong (blue dragon) guards the east, while Paekho (white tiger) defends the west, Chujak (red sparrow), the south, and Hyonmu (tortoise only or tortoise and snake) the north.

“The north Koreans will soon take the registration procedures with the UNESCO World Heritage. I am willing to cooperate with them for that purpose,” he added.

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