KOREAN HERITAGE

Pottery making in Korea dates back 10,000 years all the way to the Neolithic Period. Earthenware was the dominant form of ceramics through the Unified Silla era (668–935). Afterwards, more technologically advanced forms of ceramics were introduced into Korea— first celadon during the Goryeo Dynasty (918–1392) and then white porcelain in the Joseon era (1392–1910). As these vitrified forms of ceramics gained in popularity, earthenware fell out of fashion and was disregarded as a cheap, everyday product. These vessels with their iron-rich clays and darkish colors received little attention from modern researchers as well. Large volumes of ceramic vessels dating to the Goryeo and Joseon eras have been excavated from the seas off Korea. With countless hard-fired celadon and white porcelain items with decorative designs being discovered in their original form, it was difficult to look past these valuable objects and focus on the relatively small number of greyish and blackish earthenware vessels, mostly recovered in a broken state. It was common practice for earthenware shards to be tucked away in the corners of storage rooms without conservation treatment or even appropriate record-keeping.

Goryeo Earthenware as a Vessel for Local Specialties

shells, complementing the information provided on the label. Given all the evidence—the location where the strip was found, its content, and the food residues in the jars—it is certain that these two earthenware jars were being used to pack fermented shrimp and crab to send to a person named Yun Gi-hwa living in Kaesong in present-day North Korea. Besides Mado Shipwreck No.1, additional shipwrecks were excavated in the waters around Mado Island in 2010 and 2011. They are known as Mado Shipwrecks No. 2 and No. 3. Two and 20 mokgan shipping labels describing local specialties were respectively found from Mado No. 2 and Mado No. 3.

Mado No. 3 Transports Ingredients for a Royal Feast

The three Mado shipwrecks were all grain transports with their primary cargo space filled with a range of cereals. However, the mokgan shipping labels discovered from the sites tell a somewhat different story about Mado No. 3. As with Mado No. 1 and No. 2, most of the labels concern grain (47 out of the 53 found with Mado No. 1 and 28 out of the 32 from Mado No. 2). In the case of Mado No. 3, however, 20 out of the 29 labels found— approximately 70 percent—mention non-grain local foods. Only five refer to grain. The number of earthenware vessels excavated from Mado No. 3 is the greatest among the three with 45 in total. The range of foodstuffs aboard Mado No. 3 is diverse. While the local foods transported by Mado No. 1 and Mado No. 2 were mostly everyday types of seafood, those in Mado No. 3 were high-end specialty items from both the land and the sea, such as fresh abalone, fermented mussels, fermented abalone, dried shark meat, fish oil, dried mussels, pheasants, and dried dog meat. These foods were packed in different containers for transportation: fresh abalone and fermented seafood in earthenware jars; dried shark meat and dried dog meat in bamboo boxes; and dried mussels in bags made of rice straw (similar to the bags used for grain). Large quantities of specialty foods were carried aboard Mado No. 3. According to the shipping labels, at least six jars of fresh abalone are estimated to have been onboard. It is indicated that one jar contained 100 abalone. According to this, it is estimated that approximately 600 abalone would have been loaded on Mado No. 3 (no shells were discovered inside the jars, so it is presumed that abalone meat had been separated from the shells prior to shipment). There were ten jars of fermented mussels and fermented abalone, four jars of fish oil, two rice-straw bags of dried mussels, one box of dried shark meat, one box of dried dog meat, and three pheasants. In addition, the contents of two jars could not be identified because their labels were broken. Another aspect of this specialty food cargo that merits attention is the recipients. A total of five jars of fresh abalone and fermented mussels were addressed to Kim Jun, who was among the most powerful figures in the Goryeo government from 1258 to 1268. Another jar of fresh abalone was sent to a Sirang (a title in the seventh rank) with the surname Kim, who is presumed to be one of Kim Jun’s three sons. Other recipients are related to Kim

Jun as well. All in all, six jars of fresh abalone, four jars of fermented mussels, two jars of fermented abalone, and three pheasants were addressed to Kim Jun or to people related to him. This covers all the fresh abalone aboard Mado No. 3. The volume of food addressed to Kim Jun is quite large for a single household to consume. In this regard, there is an intriguing account found in the Korean history Goryeosa (History of Goryeo) that is dated March 19, 1265 when Mado No. 3 was on the voyage. The account reads, “Celebrating the birthday of the king, Kim Jun offered food, drink, and fruit to the king via General Yi Ta. The offerings were rich and lavish. Gladdened, the king bestowed a leather belt on Yi Ta.” It seems that Kim Jun provided local specialties for royal feasts using ships like Mado No. 3. Mado No. 3 encountered violent waves and sunk in the waters off of Mado Island on its way to Ganghwado Island, but it seems that the specialty foods aboard the ship would have become ingredients in a birthday feast for the king if they had arrived safely at their destination. Earthenware vessels from shipwrecks tell much richer and more interesting stories when they are discovered together with shipping labels. Many cultural items from the past are left silent and still buried under the ground or in the deep waters. It is our duty to awaken them and allow them to speak about the lives of Koreans of the past. The National Research Institute of Maritime Cultural Heritage is holding a special exhibition on Goryeo earthenware, including these examples from shipwrecks, from September 5, 2023 to January 14, 2024. It is an excellent opportunity to hear the intriguing stories told by these humble relics from the Goryeo era.