Korea to 1392

© Asian Art Museum of San Francisco

Duck-shaped vessel, P63P13+

Didactic Material in this Gallery:

• Introduction to Korea
• Korean Language/Chronology
• Buddhism
• Goryeo Dynasty
• Goryeo Dynasty Celadons

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Introduction to Korea

Korea is a mountainous peninsula surrounded by the sea on three sides. It shares its northern borders with China and Russia, and its closest southern neighbor is Japan, which lies across a narrow strait. The Korean peninsula measures approximately six hundred miles from its northern tip to its southern end.

The people of Korea have governed themselves since ancient times, except during the period of Japanese colonial rule (1910–1945). Koreans speak a single language and regard themselves as homogeneous, although some intermixing has taken place with the peoples of Northeast Asia, Mongolia, China, and Japan.

This gallery presents an overview of Korean culture through its ceramics, sculpture, painting, textiles, ornaments, and lacquer wares. For the most part, the objects are displayed in chronological order. Technological progress and changing aesthetic values in Korea can be clearly traced in its ceramics,from the Three Kingdoms period (57 BCE–668 CE) to the present: The energy of the Three Kingdoms period is apparent in robust stoneware; the refinement of the Goryeo dynasty (918–1392) appears in elegant celadons; and the restraint of the Joseon dynasty (1392–1910) is exemplified by porcelain and simple buncheong stonewares (wares decorated with white slip under the glaze). Finally, contemporary ceramics show the diverse concerns and aims of Korean potters active today.

Selected to represent a range of themes, paintings in this gallery include works for the court and for Buddhist temples, along with others intended for scholars or ordinary people. A special section has been reserved for the display of works made by and for women in celebration of life.

Korean Language/Chronology [11/01/02]

Buddhism in Korea

Buddhism became the official religion of one of Korea's early kingdoms in 372, after a priest from China arrived with Buddhist images and scriptures. From the time of its introduction it had the enthusiastic support of the rulers and the aristocracy. By the middle of the 500s, Buddhism had been accepted officially by all three kingdoms that reigned in Korea at that time.

Many Korean monks traveled to China to study Buddhism; some even went as far as India. The monk Hyecho, for instance, made a journey through China to India around 723. He wrote an account of his pilgrimage to holy places called The Record of a Journey to the Five Indian Kingdoms.

Buddhism reached a glorious era during the Unified Silla dynasty (668-935). Gyeongju, the capital of this dynasty, was described as the city where the roof lines of Buddhist temples looked like flying geese, and pagodas were as numerous as the stars. By the beginning of the Goryeo dynasty (918-1392) the fervor for Buddhism had become so great that princes and sons of prominent families were encouraged to become monks.

Then, during the Joseon dynasty (1392-1910), reform-minded Confucian scholar-officials instituted a number of harsh restrictions on the practice of Buddhism, such as reducing the number of temples and confiscating Buddhists' lands and goods. Despite these policies of repression, the religion survived in Korea. Today it is once again a vital force, attracting a large following.

[11/01/02]

Goryeo Dynasty

The Goryeo dynasty (918-1392) was a period of intense religious fervor. Its people-from the rulers to their lowest subjects-were ardent believers in Buddhism.

This dynasty had a unique beginning. Its founder, Wang Geon (reigned 918-943), embraced his former rivals and brought them into the fold of his new dynasty. Wang Geon became the first great patron of Buddhist art, mandating the building of ten Buddhist monasteries in his new capital city, Gaegyeong (present-day Gaeseong). A century later, there were more than seventy Buddhist monasteries in Songdo alone. This religious fervor culminated in the carving — not just once, but twice — of more than eighty thousand woodblocks representing a complete edition of the standard Buddhist texts.

Under the patronage of the royal court, the aristocracy and the Buddhist elite-whose taste for luxury and refinement was unprecedented in Korean history-spectacular achievements were made in the arts. To meet the standards demanded by their patrons, Goryeo artisans created exquisite celadons, elegant Buddhist paintings, and superb inlaid metal crafts as well as inlaid lacquer ware. The Goryeo contribution to printing, the invention of the world's first movable type, exemplifies a commitment to learning that was a hallmark of this dynasty.

For more information, please see the touch-screen video display in the Korea 1392 to the Present Gallery of the Korea Gallery Suite. [This didactic is in the first of the three Galleries in this suite.]

[11/01/02]

Goryeo Dynasty Celadons

Since they were first made, Goryeo dynasty blue-green glazed wares (called cheongja in Korean) have been held in the highest esteem. These wares are popularly known to the Western world as celadons, a class of ceramics with a distinctive pale bluish green glaze (varying slightly in color from culture to culture). In Asia, Goryeo dynasty celadons have been admired by connoisseurs for the past nine hundred years. Since the late 1800s, Western connoisseurs, collectors, and students of Asian ceramics have also been captivated by these wares.

In the 900s, inspired by Chinese ceramic glazes, Korean potters set out to formulate a comparable jade-colored glaze. By the early 1100s they had discovered the secret and were making celadons that did not merely match — but surpassed — Chinese imperial wares. In fact, in 1123 an emissary from the Chinese imperial court praised the beauty of the jade-colored glaze and the elegant forms of these Korean ceramics.

To produce celadons required a high level of technical sophistication. As noted by the scholar Yi Gyu-bo (1168-1241), only one out of ten of these wares met the extremely high standards of the Goryeo court. Goryeo potters gave free reign to their originality, creating dynamic plant and animal forms using a variety of techniques ranging from incising, carving, impressing, and inlaying to brushing on copper oxide before applying the blue-green glaze.

Click here for a Reference list on Goryeo Ceramics.

[11/01/02]