Northeast Asian History Network

The Third Stone Prop of the Northeastern Wall (Side – Detailed view of the Fenghuang - Left)

This is the detailed view of the Fenghuang on the left side of the third stone prop of the southwestern wall. Much like the dragon, extremely diverse descriptions of Fenghuang exist in historical texts. Shanhaijing or The Classics of Mountains and Seas states, "A bird exists that resembles a rooster and features the five cardinal colors. Its name is Fenghuang." Shuowen Jiezi (literally “Explaining and Analyzing Characters”, A Chinese dictionary from the Han Dynasty) states, "Fenghuang is an ethereal bird featuring the five cardinal colors. Its front resembles the Qilin (a.k.a. Kirin: chimerical creature of Chinese mythology), and the rear resembles a deer. It has the neck of a snake, tail of a fish, scales of a dragon, shell of a tortoise, chin of a swallow, and the beak of a rooster." Therefore, the Fenghuang sometimes resembles a rooster or is a composite of several auspicious animals.
The Fenghuang in the image shows the most colorful of all Fenghuangs depicted in the Great Tomb of Gangseo. Primarily in red, the Fenghuang is rendered in the five cardinal colors along with white, brown, green, and black just as stated in written records. Notably, the three lines of red spot accents on the wings enrich the appearance of the colorful Fenghuang. A lotus branch palmette (decorative element resembling honeysuckle leaves) can be seen in the Fenghuang's mouth. The high degree of Koguryo artistry can be affirmed through the fine lines of the wing feathers and flowing curves of the tail. The artwork almost seems to have been painted on smooth rice paper rather than a rough stone wall, and the strokes are impossibly smooth and alluring. The fantastic and beautiful appearance of the immortal world can be fully imagined through this one particular Fenghuang.