Northeast Asian History Network

This is a detailed view of the oddly-shaped cloud patterns depicted on the eastern wall of the main chamber in Anak Tomb No. 3. Joists were structural members used in wooden buildings for distributing weight between columns when constructing roofs. Depictions of joists were used in tombs to mimic real-world wooden buildings.
The joists in murals were generally decorated with vine-like, oddly-shaped cloud patterns. These strange, undulating patterns were aptly named oddly-shaped cloud patterns for obvious reasons. The oddly-shaped cloud patterns seen in the image were rendered in a mixture of red and white for a mystical appearance. Although the tombs mimic real-world structures, these strange cloud patterns suggest that the tomb now belongs to the world of the afterlife. Generally, only ancient wooden structures such as Buddhist temples or royal palaces featured polychromatic color schemes. These patterns decorated on the joists in Anak Tomb No. 3 can be viewed as the beginning of Korea's use of diverse colors.