cheongja: Korean Traditional Celadon is intended to offer a “bird’s eye view” of Korean celadon.

In Korea, celadon (cheongja) began to be created since the early Goryeo period with the imported Chinese techniques of celadon production; however, by the twelfth century, Goryeo came to make celadon with a sophisticated and exquisite bisaek (翡色, jade-green color) that was admired by China. The publication of Cheongja: Korean Traditional Celadon owes much to the extensive discussions among many experts who participated in the project to facilitate a broader understanding of the value of Korean celadon, and introduce its reassessed value to the general public. The Korea Craft & Design Foundation hopes that the publication of this book will enhance understanding of the past and present of Korean celadon and stimulate the modernization of Korean celadon.
Readers are invited to acquire a basic knowledge of celadon in this book, which is divided into chapters of concept of celadon, production techniques, decoration techniques, and usage. Particularly in “Enjoying Korean Celadon”, reference images of celadon have been well-selected, demonstrating the formative characteristics of the celadon and also displaying its beauty and elegance. Further, the book is very informative in that it explains in detail the tools, facilities, and production stages of making celadon with abundant reference images. Through this book, I hope readers will better understand the history and beauty of Korea’s celadon and rediscover its charm which had blossomed through technical advancement of crafts.

출판사 서평 Editorial Reviews

Cheongja: Korean Traditional Celadon is published as part of “Publishing Project of the Korean Craft & Design Resource Book Series,” sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism and implemented by the Korea Craft & Design Foundation. The Korean Craft & Design Resource Book series published by the Korea Craft & Design Foundation is intended to systematize knowledge and information on Korean traditional craft technology, enabling both experts from related fields and general readers to easily understand and utilize it.

Cheongja: Korean Traditional Celadon captures the understandings of the “celadonists” of the Goryeo Dynasty, and how these celadon traditions are handed down to our current generation. To make it easier to understand, this book provides the details of celadon production process divided into four chapters as below with reference images that were taken on sites:
Chapter 1, “Korean Celadon: Introduction” introduces the concept, the type, the use, and the history of celadon. In addition to the definition of celadon, its characteristics are introduced in the concept part, and the types of the celadon are classified into 11 kinds according to the decoration technique. And in the usage section, the celadon is examined from a practical and artistic point of view. Finally, we look at the history of Goryeo celadon and its development process in history, and discuss not only the production of celadon but also the aspects of its consumption and distribution.
Chapter 2, “Materials and Tools for Making Celadon” contains celadon material (clay body), celadon pigment, celadon glaze, workshop facilities and tools, kiln and firing tools. This chapter has been completed with detailed photographs from the materials required for the production of celadon to the production environment as well as component analysis data.
Chapter 3, “Making Celadon,” introduces the celadon production process from raw-material preparation, to firing, and to finishing. The preparation raw materials include collecting, levigating, and kneading clay. In the next step of shaping, celadon vessels are modelled and their feet are trimmed. Further, the leather-hard dried celadon vessels are decorated by techniques such as incising, mold-impressing, openwork, inlaying, underglaze painting in iron brown, and paste-on-paste. Next, after firing at 900°C, the celadon vessels are glazed and second fired.
In Chapter 4, “Enjoying Korean Celadon,” celadons made and used in various ways during the Goryeo period are classified into several categories: “Goryeo’s Noble Taste and Elegance;” “Goryeo Celadon for Tea Drinking;” “Jade-colored Celadon, the Best under Heaven;” “Inlaid Celadon, Quintessence of Goryeo Celadon;” “Celadon with Poetry;” and “Lifelike Sanghyeong Celadon.” Finally, we will examine how Goryeo celadon is currently being reproduced and reinterpreted through the works of contemporary ceramic artists.

This book includes the concept of celadon and the lives of those who used it. Celadon is not something from the past, but continues to be produced until now. Also, as with all cultural properties, celadon also plays a role of the medium that connects past life and culture to the present. We can read the stories of people from the past through a single piece of cultural asset. This is a compact, introductory book on celadon, but we have tried to deliver not only the essentials for a better understanding of celadon, but also the voice of the people who lived and used celadon in their respective eras. We sincerely hope that these intentions and efforts will be conveyed to our esteemed readers.

이 책의 독자 Readership
Potters, Ceramists, Crafters, Designers, Folklorist, and Anyone interested in Celadon, Ceramic, Pottery, Craft, Folklore, Korean Tradition, or Asian Culture.