Koryo Dynasty
Although Buddhism was the established religion of Korea, Confu-
cianism, introduced from China during the Silla era, increasingly
shaped social and political conventions. In the ninth century,
the three old kingdoms began to reemerge as distinct political enti-
ties, but by 935 the Koryo (from Koguryo) had taken control, and
they dominated for the next three centuries. The Unified Silla and
Koryo kingdoms overlap slightly (the period ca. 918–935) because
both kingdoms existed during these shifts in power. In 1231 the
Mongols, who had invaded China, pushed into Korea, beginning a
war lasting 30 years. In the end, the Koryo had to submit to forming
an alliance with the Mongols, who eventually conquered all of China
(see Chapter 27).
CELADON WAREKoryo potters in the 12th century produced
the famous Korean celadon wares, admired worldwide. Celadon
wares feature highly translucent iron-pigmented glazes, fired in an
oxygen-deprived kiln to become gray, pale blue, pale green, or
brownish-olive. Incised or engraved designs in the vessel alter the
thickness of the glaze to produce elegant tonal variations.A vase in the shape called maebyong in Korean (FIG. 7-29;
meiping in Chinese,FIG. 7-22) probably dates to the early Koryo pe-
riod (ca. 918–1000). It is decorated using the inlay technique for
which Koryo potters were famous.The artist incised delicate motifs
of flying cranes—some flying down and others, in roundels (circular
frames), flying up—into the clay’s surface and then filled the grooves
with white and colored slip. Next, the potter covered the incised areas
with the celadon green glaze. Variation in the spacing of the motifs
shows the potter’s sure sense of the dynamic relationship between or-
namentation and ceramic volume.KOREA, CHINA, AND JAPANChina’s achievements in vir-
tually every field spread beyond even the boundaries of the vast em-
pires it at various times controlled. Although Buddhism began in In-
dia, the Chinese adaptations and transformations of its teachings,
religious practices, and artistic forms were those that spread farther
east. The cultural debt of China’s neighbors to China is immense.
Nevertheless, Korea was the crucial artistic, cultural, and religious
link between the mainland and the islands of Japan, the subject of
Chapter 8.204 Chapter 7 CHINA AND KOREA TO 12797-29Maebyong vase, Koryo dynasty, ca. 918–1000. Celadon with
inlaid decoration, 1 41 – 2 tall. Kansong Art Museum, Seoul.
Celadon wares feature highly translucent iron-pigmented glazes with
incised designs. This green maebyong vase is decorated with engraved
cranes highlighted by white and colored slip in the incised lines.7-28Shakyamuni Buddha, in the rotunda of the cave temple,
Sokkuram, Korea, Unified Silla Kingdom, 751–774. Granite, 11high.
Unlike rock-cut Chinese Buddhist shrines, this Korean cave temple was
constructed using granite blocks. Dominating the rotunda is a huge
statue depicting the Buddha at the moment of his enlightenment.1 ft. 1 in.