Northeast Asian History Network

Eastern Wall of the Eastern Gallery - Procession – Mounted Military Attaché 2

This is a detailed view of the mounted military attachés depicted on the eastern gallery wall in Anak Tomb No. 3. These figures can be seen behind the Gaemamusas near the top of the mural. The colors on these figures are still remarkably vivid. They are wearing military attaché Chaeks (headwear with cone-shaped points), Jeogoris (traditional Korean upper garment), and form-fitting trousers. The military attaché on the left is wearing a green Jeogori with yellow trousers, while the figure on the right is wearing a yellow Jeogori with green trousers. They are riding red and white horses, respectively. The mounted soldiers feature a very natural appearance.
The horses mainly used in Koguryo at the time weren't the large, long-legged Ferghana horses (literally "sweats blood horse") from the mountains of Central Asia but a type of short-legged pony found in the grasslands of Mongolia. Although these horses probably couldn't run as fast as the long-legged Ferghana horses from the mountains of Central Asia, they likely played key roles in battles that took place in the mountainous regions of Koguryo. The horses' manes are tied up with red straps.