Anapji Pond (Wolji)
Anapji · Wolji Pond · Woljeong Pond · Gyeongju Wolji
Unified Silla 668–935 CE (Munmu–Gyeongdeok)·Unified Silla palace (Gyeongju Wolseong garden)·🇰🇷 Gyeongsangbuk-do, Gyeongju City, Gyeongju National Park, Wolji area 500 m SE of Wolseong palace (Silla palace garden), South Korea
螺钉 · CC BY-SA 3.0
About
About Anapji Pond (Wolji)
Anapji (Wolji) — Silla palace garden pond (674 CE) 500 m SE Wolseong palace, Gyeongju, excavated 1974–76 CHA (Gyeongju Institute). Anapji is Silla Unified creation: 190-m long artificial pond with three islets symbolising Buddhist mountain–sea,12,000+ artifacts dredged including gilt bronze, pottery, roof tiles with inscription Wolji (disproving Anapji goose pond name), and Chinese imported ceramics. Built under King Munmu after Unified Silla 668 conquest of Goguryeo–Baekje, for Wolseong palace banquets and Pure Land garden. Part of UNESCO Gyeongju Historic Areas 2000. Reconstructed pavilions 1975.
Why it mattersOnly Silla palace pond garden with 12,000 artifacts and corrected Wolji name via tiles — Unified Silla banquet type-site
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Islet mountain — Buddhist Sumeru or Daoist isles?
Theories
- 01Anapji as Unified Silla Buddhist garden per Pearson
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- 674 CE King Munmu (Unified Silla) — Anapji pond creation
- Period
- Unified Silla 668–935 CE (Munmu–Gyeongdeok)
- Culture
- Unified Silla palace (Gyeongju Wolseong garden)
- Builders
- Unified Silla palace artisans (Anapji garden school)
- Purpose
- Wolseong palace banquet and Pure Land garden pond with Buddhist islet symbolism
- Excavation
- Excavated
674 CE
King Munmu builds pond for Wolseong palace
1974–76
Dredging yields 12,000 artifacts and Wolji tiles
1975–2010
Reconstructed pavilions and UNESCO 977
On the ground
Structures & features
35.8340° N · 129.2240° E · 42 m · 2 mapped features
- Eastern Islet with Banquet Pavilion Foundationislet pavilionEastern islet 20 m dia with pavilion postholes and gilt bronze finds35.8350° N · 129.2232° E
- Western Pond Edge with Wolji Roof Tile Scatterpond edgeWestern pond edge with Wolji-inscribed roof tile concentration and inlet35.8325° N · 129.2251° E
Gallery