Revisiting the Lacquered Basket of Nangnang from Tomb Namjŏngni No.116

The “Painted Lacquered Basket of Nangnang,” excavated from Tomb Namjŏngni No. 116 in Pyongyang, is a lidded bamboo basket box adorned with over a hundred figures depicted in colored lacquer. Inscriptions accompanying 36 of these figures identify them. Despite its exceptional artistic quality and good preservation, comprehensive research on these figures has been lacking, and the interpretation of the inscriptions remains rudimentary. This study challenges the existing view that the basket demonstrates the prevalence of Confucianism in the Nangnang commandery. It reevaluates the images and inscriptions through extensive reference to international research on the transmission and transformation of filial piety. Additionally, it discusses the significance of the Painted Lacquered Basket of Nangnang within the context of Tomb Namjŏngni No. 116, aiming to explore the religious and philosophical aspects of the Nangnang people. The study reveals that while the depictions in the Painted Lacquered Basket primarily pertain to filial piety, this virtue could exist beyond blood relationships and serve both secular and religious purposes. Moreover, it suggests that brutal family revenge was socially unsanctioned. Notably, the analysis includes new interpretations of figures such as the “Five Emperors (五帝)” and “Qīngwū (靑烏),” indicating the influence of geomancy beliefs on the creation of the tomb. Considering these factors, it is proposed that the Painted Lacquered Basket of Nangnang was crafted not as a domestic item but as a funerary object, likely imported through exchanges with the Yangtze River basin in China.