三國時代의 馬具小考

On the Horse-Equipment in the Era of the Three Kingdoms

To examine the horse-equipment in the era of the Three Kingdoms is important, because it not only keeps its own specific gravity as complementary interred pieces in excavating an old mound, and as precious relics, is indispensable for archaeologically studying the period, but also it helps the theory of a horse-riding race’s conquering and building a new nation which caused a sensation among Japanese scholars in the field of ancient history of Japan. Based on the materials which have already been reported, this paper is to arrange. Ⅰ. The classification and form of the horse-equipment in the era of the Three Kingdoms Following the ways of its use, the horse-epuipment is classified into three: First, the saddle for a rider on horseback, consisting of seat, stirrups, and the accessories for hanging them-girth, terret, etc.; Second, the harness for working, consisting of bit, curb, rein, etc.; Third, the trappings for ornament, consisting of cloudlike gems (雲珠), apricot-leaves, small bells and big bells. a. The saddle The saddle itself consists of seat, jockey, and pads. Up to now, the total 27 seats have been excavated in two mounds of Koguryo(2), ten mounds of Silla(19), and five mounds of Kaya(6). The shape of these saddles can often be seen in the horse-racing figure potteries excavated in the Kumryong Mound(金鈴塚) and the mural paintings excavated in Koguryo mounds. However, their shapes are all alike. b. The harness Among the rather characteristic parts of it, there are peculiar curbs and stirrups. The curbs of Koguryo are the shape of iron-bar, while the ones of Silla and Kaya are mostly the S-shape made with iron-plate. The stirrups are characteristic in that the ones of Koguryo and Bekje are similar, but sometimes miss their hanging band, unlike the ones of Silla and Kaya. c. The trappings The cloud like gems are assumed that they used to be decorated in several places of a horse, because a number of gems have been excavated. Apricot leaf ornaments predominently have the patterns of apricot leaves, fishtail, and oblong. Particularly, in the Kaya section many fishtail patterns have been found, but these patterns are similar to the mural painting one of the Koguryo Ssangyong Mound(雙楹塚). Ⅱ. Horse-riding customs in the period of the Three Kingdoms The facts that the Three Kingdoms would have horse-riding customs for a long time can be found in the records concerned with them, and in the earlier days they are considered chiefly to have been used by the cavalry war. These facts are found in Samgu kuk Sagi (Historical Records of Three Kingdoms), Samguk-chi(三國誌, A Chinese History oj Three Kingdoms), Siu History, etc. The old mounds keeping relics of the period are sure, in the structural point of view, that the ones of Koguryo were built in the 1st or 2nd century, and the ones of Silla and Kaya were built about the 4th or 5th century. Therefore, this point of view leads to the belief that horse-riding customs had already flourished in the earlier period of the Three Kingdoms. Even though it was later than the customs of horse-riding tribes in the northeastern Asia, it was further earlier than about the 5th century when the ancient mounds of Japan were excavated.