Hidden charms of Korea's humble tea bowl
By Choe Chong-dae
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Ever since one of my colleagues presented me with tea and a tea bowl, the aroma of the delicious traditional beverage has been pervading my house, and a vision of a bright future comes to mind whenever I savor the unique flavor of the tea.
It is assumed that tea arrived in Korea from the Yangtze River regions in China during the end of the Bronze Age. The ancient Korean natural environment induced a genetic change within the tea plants and thus created a variation that differed from southern China tea. Soon afterward, Koreans began to cultivate their own tea. With the introduction of Buddhism into Korea during the ancient Three Kingdoms period, tea ceremonies and culture became increasingly popular in the ancient Baekje, Shilla and Goguryeo, as well as Kaya kingdoms.
Subsequently, the cultivation of tea has been widespread and wild tea leaves are still found in the surrounding areas of Mount Jiri.
It is worthy of note that the “Ido Chawan” tea bowls, which became a national treasure in Japan, were actually produced during the 16th century in the Hadong region and other places in Korea. These most coveted and mysterious tea bowls in Japan, which Japanese connoisseurs called “sacred goods,” were known as “maksabal” (a bowl for everything) ― coarse bowls used for rice and makgeolli (traditional Korean rice wine) amongst the Joseon Kingdom's humble commoners, who ignored the aesthetic value of the bowls.
Thanks to an abundance of porcelain quality clays, since ancient times a variety of kilns have produced traditional pottery in Korean towns neighboring Hadong, such as Hamyang, Sangcheon, Jinju, Sooncheon and Sacheon. I have come to know the fact that these “Ido Chawan” or “maksabal” bowls were made with available iron-rich clay by anonymous potters mainly from the Hadong area.
A substantial number of these “maksabal” bowls were transported to Japan in the 16th century from Korea. Subsequently, the “Ido Chawans” were reproduced in Japan by unknown Korean potters who were forcibly taken captive and sent to Japan during the Japanese invasion. Their descendants continued the craft.
Sadly, these captives never returned to their homes in Korea. They were obliged to spend their days in sorrow at Kyushu pottery villages in Japan. Ironically, this is how Korean styles and techniques came to have a significant impact on Japanese pottery.
It is safe to assume that the Japanese would not be able to boast a wide variety of tea sets and skillfully crafted ceramics without the skilled potters kidnapped from Korea. It was Koreans who enabled the traditional Japanese tea ceremony and pottery traditions.
Exploring the kilns on my recent trip to the Hadong region, while looking at shards of pottery resembling a burnt tree, I was inspired and felt close to the old days of traditional glory. It all reminded me of the many anonymous potters who had labored there.
May the artisan spirit of the numerous, greatly creative Korean potters pave the way for an improvement of cultural ties between Korea and Japan, setting aside pending historical issues and the current high level of tensions between the two countries.
Choe Chong-dae (choecd@naver.com) is a guest columnist of The Korea Times. He is president of Dae-kwang International, and director of the Korean-Swedish Association.