Joseon White Porcelain Kiln Site, Gwangju

A doyoji is a kiln site where earthenware and porcelain were made and fired. The area around Gwangju, including Namjong-myeon, Jungbu-myeon and Toechon-myeon, yields the clay needed for firing porcelain and is abundant in wood and water. Because of its proximity to Seoul, the main market for its products, and the ease of transport via the Hangang River, the area was designated in 1752, the 28th year of King Yeongjo of Joseon, as a branch kiln (bunwon) of the Saongwon, the office in charge of royal court cuisine. Thereafter, for about 130 years until the end of the Joseon Dynasty, some 285 kiln sites flourished in this area. In the late Joseon period, as national circumstances worsened, management of the kiln site at Bunwon-ri was handed over to private operators. Afterwards, the shapes and patterns of the porcelain diversified to meet the demands of various social classes, and the site developed into a centre for blue-and-white porcelain. The kilns were of the climbing-kiln type, and stepped kilns have also been identified there. Porcelain pieces bearing a wide variety of shapes and patterns have been excavated, and inscriptions on some pieces make it possible to date their manufacture. As a centre that produced high-quality porcelain from the early to the late Joseon period, this area forms an important basis for research into the history of Joseon ceramics.

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Where it is

Region

Gwangju, Gyeonggi

Designation

Historic Site · 사적