• Bangmulgwan gwa yeongu (The National Museum of Korea Journal)
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• v.1
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• pp.120-147
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• 2024

The inscribed bricks from the Tomb of Jang Mui are unique in many ways. First, there are nearly a hundred of them. Second, there are multiples bearing the same inscriptions. Third, their production methods, including type of firing, are diverse. Fourth, the forms of the bricks are inconsistent. Fifth, the positioning of the sides with inscriptions or stamped designs and those with no designs (as well as the vertical orientation of the inscriptions) are inconsistent. Sixth, most bricks bear inscriptions written reverseds. Seventh, white lime has been painted on the surfaces of the inscribed bricks. Despite these aspects, however, a comparison with Chinese inscribed bricks from the Weijin Dynasties reveals that the inscribed bricks from the Tomb of Jang Mui are indeed connected to their counterparts and provide important materials for forging a more holistic understanding of East Asian culture. Moreover, the understanding of the inscriptions as not just a series of Chinese characters, but as textual objects with characters stamped on them, a focus on how the inscribed bricks were placed inside the tomb, and the observation of them from viewers' perspectives can help clarify the significance of the inscribed bricks from the Tomb of Jang Mui.