Goryeo Celadon

A general term for celadon ware fired during the Goryeo period (918-1392) on the Korean Peninsula. It began around the time of the founding of Goryeo, that is, in the 9th to 10th centuries, when celadon techniques were introduced from the Chinese Yuezhou kilns. At the time, low-fired green-glazed ware was already being fired, but this was the first time that high-fired glazed porcelain was produced.

Today, two sites have been confirmed as early celadon kiln sites. One is a celadon kiln in Yongun-ri, Daegu-myeon, Gangjin-gun, Gangjin District, Jeollanam-do, at the southern tip of the Korean peninsula. Bowls with carved snake-eye bases characteristic of Yuezhou celadon from the late Tang and Five Dynasties periods in China, bowls with line-carved double parrot designs on the inside, and pottery fragments that show strong influence from Yuezhou kilns from the Five Dynasties periods have been excavated from this site. The other was discovered in 1966 in Gyeongseo-dong, Incheon Metropolitan City near Seoul. It is a soft celadon with a light magnetization but strong greenish hue, and the snake-eye base bowls, plates, and bottles imitate the style of Chinese Five Dynasties ceramics. Generally speaking, these wares have stronger elements from the Five Dynasties period than from the late Tang period, and it is highly likely that Goryeo celadon originated around the 10th century.

In the 11th century, celadon firing techniques made remarkable progress, and in the 12th century, they blossomed beautifully. In 1123, Xu Jing of the Northern Song Dynasty of China, who visited Goryeo, said, "In Goryeo, a mysterious celadon called emerald is fired, which is highly prized by the people, and in recent years, the craftsmanship has improved and the color is the most beautiful." This emerald celadon, which reached its peak, was modeled after Northern Song ware, but the decorative patterns and the hair-carved patterns on the half-cut carvings show Goryeo's unique creativity. The glaze color is also different from that of China, a deep blue with a hint of gray, giving it a mysterious atmosphere. Sites of Goryeo celadon kilns have been discovered almost all over the Korean Peninsula, but among the kilns from this period, the two that stood out as producing excellent products were the Sadang-ri kiln in Daegu-myeon, Gangjin-gun, Jeollanam-do, and the Yucheon-ri kiln in Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do.

In the mid-12th century, a new technique called inlay was invented, and Goryeo celadon took off. This technique involved carving or embossing a design into the base, inlaying it with white or red clay or cinnabar (copper oxide), and then applying a celadon glaze and firing it. The glaze is translucent and has many air bubbles, making the inlaid design on the underglaze stand out clearly. The delicate expression of inlaying white and red clay into the base to create black and white lines and surfaces was exquisite, and it became the mainstream of Goryeo celadon thereafter. Other examples that were fired included iron-painted celadon, which used copper for the inlay and had designs painted with iron painting, white clay celadon, which had designs painted with itchin (a technique in which clay is squeezed out of the end of a bag or tube), and gaki-mon celadon, which had gold leaf designs baked into it.

In the second half of the 13th century, Japan was incorporated into the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty, and celadon production declined significantly. The inlay technique also degenerated, and by the time of the Joseon Dynasty, there was a shift to a style known as Mishima and Hakeme.

[Yoshiaki Yabe]

"Complete Collection of World Ceramics 18: Goryeo" edited by Choi Soon-woo and Hasebe Rakuji (1978, Shogakukan)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

朝鮮半島で高麗時代（918～1392）に焼かれた青磁の総称。高麗建国の前後、つまり9世紀から10世紀にかけて、中国越州窯(えっしゅうよう)の青磁技術を導入して始まった。当時、低火度の緑釉(りょくゆう)陶はすでに焼かれていたが、これによって初めて高火度の施釉磁器がつくられた。

　今日、初期の青磁窯址(し)として確認されているものは2か所あり、その一つは朝鮮半島の南端、全羅南道(ぜんらなんどう／チョルラナムド)康津(こうしん)地区にある康津郡大口面龍雲里(りゅううんり)の青磁窯である。ここからは中国・晩唐五代の越州青磁に特徴的な蛇の目高台を削り出した碗(わん)や、見込みに双鸚鵡(おうむ)文様を線彫りした鉢、さらに五代越州窯の影響色濃い陶片が出土している。いま一つはソウルに近い仁川(じんせん／インチョン)広域市景西洞で、1966年に発見された。磁化は浅いが緑みの強い柔らかい青磁で、蛇の目高台の碗や盤、瓶などに中国・五代陶磁の様式を写している。これらは総じて晩唐より五代の要素が強く、高麗青磁の始源は10世紀ごろの可能性が強い。

　11世紀になると、青磁の焼成技術は目覚ましい発展を遂げ、12世紀にみごとに開花した。1123年に高麗を訪れた中国・北宋(ほくそう)の徐兢(じょきょう)をして「高麗には翡色(ひしょく)とよばれる神妙な青磁が焼造され、人々これを珍重し、近年とみにその技も巧みで色沢はもっとも佳(よろ)しい」といわしめたとある。この頂点を極めた翡色青磁は、北宋の器皿を手本としているが、装飾文様や片切彫りの毛彫り文様などに、高麗ならではの独自の創意が認められる。釉色も中国のそれとは異なり、ほのかな灰色を含む沈んだ深い青で、幽邃(ゆうすい)な趣(おもむき)を呈している。高麗青磁の窯址は朝鮮半島のほとんど全土で発見されるが、この時期の窯では、全羅南道康津郡大口面沙堂里(しゃどうり)窯と、全羅北道(ぜんらほくどう／チョルラブクト)扶安郡柳川里窯とが優品を産した窯として双璧(そうへき)をなす。

　12世紀中葉には新たに象眼(ぞうがん)技法が考案され、高麗青磁は一大展開を示した。これは素地(きじ)に文様を彫るか型押しをし、白土・赤土または辰砂(しんしゃ)（酸化銅）を象眼し、青磁釉をかけて焼き上げたもので、釉は半透明化して気泡多く、釉裏(ゆうり)の象眼文様をくっきりと浮かび上げている。白土と赤土を素地肌に嵌入(かんにゅう)して白と黒の線や面をつくる繊細な表現は絶妙を極め、以後、高麗青磁の主流となった。また象眼に銅を用い、鉄絵で文様を描く鉄絵青磁、白土で文様をイッチン描き（袋や筒の先から、つめた土をしぼり出し文様を描く技法）する白堆文(はくたいもん)青磁、金箔(きんぱく)文様を焼き付けた画金(がきん)青磁なども焼かれた。

　13世紀後半に入るとモンゴル民族の元(げん)王朝下に組み込まれ、青磁の作陶は著しく衰退し、象眼技法も退化して、李朝(りちょう)期に入ると、いわゆる三島(みしま)、刷毛目(はけめ)などの作風に移行した。

［矢部良明］

『崔淳雨・長谷部楽爾編『世界陶磁全集18　高麗』（1978・小学館）』

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