A Study on Owners of Smith's Tools

단야구 소유자에 대한 연구

The smith's tool is a tool used for the forging that directly heat-treats and treats ironware. Smith's tools have been thus far excavated from 58 archaeologic sites in Korea, which include 46 hammers, 40 nippers, 5 tweezers, 17 chisels, and 12 anvils, totaling to 120 items. The historic sites from which smith's tools have been excavated indicate 2 sites in Nangnang, 6 in Goguryo, 30 in Silla, 3 in Baekjae, 15 in Gaya, and other 2 sites. Those smith's tools excavated from tumuli in the Three Kingdoms period in Korea are known to be those from the Silla and Gaya areas, and some have been found in the Goguryo and Baekjae areas but require more accumulation of artifacts. Furthermore, the result of having investigated those smith's tools burnt with the corpse in tumulus revealed that smith's tool owners are classified into the blacksmiths who were directly engaged in manufacture and the ruling class who controlled them. Moreover, the smith's tools excavated from large-sized tumulus are presumed to have the potential that symbolically exhibits smithy-iron working, as compared with other funerary objects. Key words: smith's tool, blacksmith, manager.