Workshop, Large Toilet, and Garden


Many types of artifacts related to production were found at the Archeological Site in Wanggung-ri, including gold and silver objects, glassware and related raw materials, crucibles, slag, and ventilation pipes. These relics suggest that the royal palace contained a craftsman’s workshop under the direct supervision of the royal family.

Furthermore, to the south of the workshop, three large toilets were found in a row along the east-west direction. Toilet No. 1 was 10.8m long, 1.8m wide, and 3.4m deep. These toilets were probably used by officials and court servants residing in the royal palace. As the first large ancient toilets found in Korea, these facilities serve as an important source for comparison with ancient Japanese toilets.

Facilities associated with the garden were found in the northern section of the palace. Rather than being a pond that simply stores water, this garden was constructed as a miniature of the surrounding natural scenery with water flowing in and out, by utilizing oddly shaped stones, rectangular stones, and river gravel. The garden consisted of a water storage facility to channel and store water for the garden, a central facility for enjoying the view of the flowing water, a drainage system to control the amount of stored water, a collection facility to store the water coming out from the garden, and a pavilion. In the rear garden to the north of the main garden, a U-shaped watercourse and a sinuous watercourse were found.

Although historical records indicate that Baekje gardens had a considerable influence on the development of Japanese gardens, the specific details remained unknown. However, with the discovery of this royal garden from the Sabi Period at the Archeological Site in Wanggung-ri, the general picture of the exchanges relating to garden culture among China, Baekje, and Japan were finally confirmed. The oddly shaped stones at the garden in Wanggung-ri include Taihu stone, also known as fish scale stone, which is a type of viewing stone from China, indicating the international nature of Baekje culture.