Distribution of Roof Tiles for the Royal Palace and Buddhist Temples and the Tendency of Tile Makers in the Sabi Baekje Period
Authors:   THE RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR THE MAHAN-BAEKJE CULTURE, Lee Byong-Ho 
Published: December 2022

The purpose of this study is to shed light on the differences in the production and distribution of ceramic roof tiles used in the construction of the royal palaces and Buddhist temples of Baekje in the Sabi period (538-660) and the changes that occurred in the activities of the tile makers.The discussion in Chapter 2 is focused on the differing ways in which ceramic roof tiles were used in the construction of royal palaces and temples during the Sabi Baekje period. The convex roof-end tiles excavated at the sites of Baekje’s royal palaces, including those at Busosanseong Fortress, Archaeological Site in Gwanbuk-ri, Gua-ri and Ssangbuk-ri Buyeo, shared similar decorative motifs such as circular and triangular dots and waves for a long period of time. Conversely, the convex roof-end tiles discovered at temple sites dating back to the Sabi Baekje period, such as Temple Sites in Neungsa-ri and Gunsu-ri, and Wangheungsa Temple Sie in Buyeo, and Jeseoksa and Mireuksa Temples in Iksan, show that more than two new motifs were introduced at that time. The difference can be explained by the fact that new buildings continued to be added to the royal palaces, making necessary stricter management and control of the tile manufacturing facilities and equipment.In Chapter 3, the discussion deals with the ways in which roof tiles were produced and distributed for the construction of royal palaces and temples and the tendencies of tile makers. The roof tiles of new Buddhist temples built during the Sabi period were supplied by both state-run kilns and private kilns specializing in the production of roof tiles for Buddhist temples. The construction of palace buildings in the Sabi period led to continuous growth inthe size and number of tile kilns, as can be seen in the kiln sites at Geumdeok-ri, Jeongam-ri, Jeongdong-ri, Wangjin-ri and Hyeonbuk-ri. The discoveries made at the Yeondong-ri kiln site in Iksan suggest that the tile makers hired by the government-run workshops in Buyeo produced the roof tiles required for construction projects in the Iksan area. The excavation of the Wangheungsa Temple kiln site has revealed that the operator of the kiln organized temporary teams of tile makers from among workers at other kilns, suggesting a turning point in the history of tile production in Baekje. Analysis of the archaeological features has also revealed that the tile kilns of Wangjin-ri, Gwanhyeon- ri and Bonui-ri in Cheongyang were created by tile makers who had previously worked at the larger, government-financed kilns in Jangam-ri and Geumdeok-ri in Seocheon. The appearance of the convex roof-end tiles discovered at the kiln sites in Sinsan-ri of Seosan, Bunhyang-ri of Cheongyang, Sudeoksa Temple in Yesan, and Cheonho-ri of Nonsan suggests that they were produced by tile makers sent from the government-run kilns in the capital of Baekje for short-term local projects. Such changes in Baekje’s tile production system resulted from the effort to meet the need for a new system to ensure the mass production of roof tiles, effectively meeting the rapidly growing demand related with the construction of the fortified capital of Sabi in the late sixth century.