Souvenir Series #2
Since 2005 I have visited South
Korea several times and travelled extensively there, visiting in all seasons.
In fact, I’ve lost count how many times I’ve travelled between Seoul and Busan
by both rail and road (it’s quite a few!). Korea is a beautiful country. It is
known as the “land of the morning calm” – and it’s true, there is something
very special about the light there. I’ve seen some beautiful sunrises (as well
as some wonderful sunsets too).
On a recent trip in 2010, whilst staying
in Seoul, I went for a wander through Insa Dong which is characterised by
handicraft and antique shops, as well as traditional tea houses and
restaurants. It’s well worth rummaging around here in the curio shops as there
are plenty of interesting finds to be had, and I’ve been lucky enough to pick
up a few bargains too. But today, for the second in my ‘Souvenir Series’ of posts,
I thought I’d write about my miniature onggi.
I bought this from a small shop
which specialises in this particular kind of traditional Korean ceramic. This
is a characteristic type of earthenware which has been produced in Korea for
centuries. Most famously these are the large storage vessels in which kimchi is made and ripened. This type of
earthenware is perfectly suited for the fermentation process needed to create
good kimchi. It is porous and yet
also waterproof when glazed, meaning that air can pass through it whereas water
cannot, hence the onggi are able to
“draw breath,” and this is essential to the fermentation process. Onggi are a familiar sight throughout
Korea. The jars are usually about the size of a small barrel with a dish-like
lid. They are often buried, half-submerged in the ground in order to maintain a
steady temperature. Characteristically they are a reddish or chocolate brown
ware with a distinctive shape; often plain but with a particular, textured
patina, they can sometimes be decorated with understated patterns too.
They are thrown on a wheel and are
built up quite quickly from coils of clay which have been carefully and
laboriously pounded and rolled beforehand. The following films were made by an
American potter called Adam Field who has studied how to make onggi in Korea. The first two films show
Kim Young-Ho, a sixth generation onggi
potter at work, and the third is a time-lapse sequence of Adam Field, each
making an onggi vessel in the
traditional manner. You can see more films of the kilns and firing process, etc
on Adam’s YouTube channel.
My miniature onggi is 10 cms (4 inches) tall, the lid being around 3.5 cms (1¼ inches), so about 12 cms (4¾ inches) when put
together; with a diameter of roughly 10.5 cms (4¼ inches) at its widest extent.
And, whilst I do like kimchi (particularly
cucumber kimchi), rather boringly I use mine for storing sugar!
