Crafting to Serve: Craftsmen and Tomb Construction from the 11th to 14th Centuries in China’s Central Plains Region

Abstract

Tomb inscriptions containing information about tomb-building craftsmen have been found inside imitation wood tombs dating from the 11th to 14th centuries in China’s Central Plains region. These inscriptions are valuable because they provide a different angle from which to analyze the designs and functions of tombs. Scholars have viewed tomb building as a domestic act. If the deceased were pleased with their burial arrangements, then their descendants would be blessed. The inscriptions suggest that this beneficial connection relied deeply on the capacity of craftsmen, whose talent was recognized by patrons. By considering how craftsmanship contributed to religious efficacy, as well as the intermediary role craftsmen played to achieve it, this paper explores how the above-mentioned inscriptions deepen our understanding of the functions of tombs and the roles played by craftsmen in burial practices in terms of historical, religious, and social factors.