Buncheong is defined as ‘pottery
decorated with white slip and covered with a pale
bluish-green glaze.’ Buncheong is short for bunjang-heocheong.
It is a term that was coined out of nationalist
sentiment in the 1930s by Go Yu-seop, the only
Korean specialized in art history during the Japanese
occupation. This term replaced the Japanese term
‘mishima’ that had been used to refer this type
of pottery.
Buncheong with inscriptions of names of government offices
Another feature that characterizes
buncheong is inscriptions of government offices that were applied
to many pieces. These vessels were presented to the offices
as tribute. The reason for inscribing the names of the offices
was to prevent disappearance of vessels. According to the Annals
of King Sejong, on April, 1417, 17th year of King Taejong’s
reign, an order was given to inscribe the names of offices on
vessels. This suggests that vessels with inscriptions of government
offices were produced after the 17th year of King Taejong’s
reign. These vessels bore the inscriptions of the various names
of offices, indicating when each was produced. Some vessels
have inscriptions of the names of both the office and region,
and there are some with inscriptions of the potter’s name.
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Buncheong with inscriptions of names of government offices
