Green Celadon Kiln Site in Gyeongseo-dong, Incheon

This is the site of five or six Goryeo-dynasty kilns where celadon was fired during the tenth and eleventh centuries in the Geomam-dong area of Incheon. The terrain around the kiln site forms a gentle slope leading down to the sea. Today, protective structures have been built over the surviving remains uncovered during excavation, but the rest of the area has been turned into a golf course. Excavation of one kiln uncovered numerous fragments of green celadon and kiln tools. The kiln was a single, undivided climbing kiln built along the natural slope, and it had been rebuilt three times. On a kiln floor sloped at around 20 degrees, sand was spread and covered with flat, angled ceramic supports called dojimi, on which the vessels were fired. The ware fired here was a deep greenish celadon; its glaze, in shades of green or greenish-brown, has an uneven surface, and most pieces are undecorated, though a few bottles show pleated patterns on the body. Bowls, dishes and bottles are the most common forms. Kiln sites producing this same type of green celadon have also been found in Haenam County. Green celadon of this kind was once regarded as a stage of development from earthenware prior to true celadon, but it is now understood to have been influenced by early celadon and mass-produced to meet regional demand. The Geomam-dong kiln site is estimated to date from the late ninth century to the mid-tenth century. Of particular note among the excavated finds are horseshoe-shaped ceramic supports resembling those used at celadon kiln sites in northern China; the tendency of this green celadon toward greenish-brown or dark green tones, similar to northern Chinese celadon, is likewise a subject for further research into the relationship between the two regions. The site's official name was changed from Green Celadon Kiln Site, Incheon to Green Celadon Kiln Site in Gyeongseo-dong, Incheon, by notification on 28 July 2011.

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Where it is

Region

Seohae-gu, Incheon

Designation

Historic Site · 사적