This essay considers the pictures of wrestling that form the most fascinating subject matter in the tomb paintings of the Koguryo dynasty on the Korean peninsula. This essay asks the following questions: why were wrestling pictures painted in tombs and why does it seem that a large-nosed foreigner was always included in such scenes? As is well known, wrestling pictures were not simply depictions of the lifestyle customs of the Koguryo people. These wrestling pictures are accompanied by elements in their surrounding areas that suggest that the wrestling scene takes place in the celestial world. In particular, these wrestling scenes are accompanied by images of clouds, mythical beasts and immortals that suggest that the setting is not of this world. The presence of such elements suggests that wrestling was not considered simply a game at the time. The author notes the meaning of both images of wrestling and the limou board game on Han dynasty funerary carved pictorial images. Through these two Chinese sources the author grasped that wrestling was one of the rites of passage that the deceased in the tomb had to pass through after death in order to become an immortal. The ancient peoples of East Asia fervently sought to go to the paradise of the immortals after death. While anyone at the time could dream of becoming an immortal and entering the paradisiacal realm after death, this does not mean that anyone could simply become an immortal. The desired land of the immortals was Mt. Kunlun, home of Xi-wang-mu, often referred to as the Queen Mother of the West. However, documentary records of the time indicate that Mt. Kunlun was not an easily accessible place. Even if one arrived at the site, which was far away, actually entering it was difficult. And yet, one could not abandon the quest simply because it was difficult. The deceased in the tomb must pass through an arduous journey after death in order to become an immortal. The deceased must win at the game of wrestling in order to go to his desired realm. Further, it was believed that if the deceased won in a battle with a person from the western regions, the area where Xi-wang-mu’s home at Mt. Kunlun is located, then it would be all the simpler for the deceased to attain immortality. This can be considered the reason that the Koguryo people depicted one wrestler in wrestling pictures with a large nose and rolling eyes as their idea of the appearance of a person from the western regions. Such imagery in Koguryo tomb wall paintings reflects the careful thought that the living people of the day put into the lives of the deceased after death. Thus wrestling was a religious rite of passage that must be conducted in order for the deceased to enter their desired afterlife place, or the place that those left living prayed their deceased would enter.