Page 111 - Korean Buncheong Ceramics, Samsung Museum Collection (great book)

the distribution and consumption of this ceramic in Japan it is necessary to consider the broader
context of Korean–Japanese relations during this period. In the latter part of the Goryeo dynasty,
in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, the Korean kingdom suffered widespread looting by
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Japanese pirates along the coasts of the peninsula. The establishment in 1404 of official diplomatic
relations between the Joseon government and the Ashikaga shogunate of Muromachi Japan (1392–
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1573) stemmed as much from an effort to control the rampant piracy as from political motives. In
the sixteenth century, alongside the formal diplomatic missions between the two states, commercial
and cultural exchanges led by wealthy Japanese merchants shaped the consumption of Korean
material culture in Japan. In particular, during this period Japanese appreciation of Korean-made
ceramics, which included but were not limited to buncheong ware, was intimately tied to the
culture of the tea ceremony and the tastes of its leading practitioners. In fact, Korean ceramics
played a part in the internationalization of the tea culture in Japan from the sixteenth century on,

Catalogue 56 Jar with decoration of lotuses and birds. Korean, Joseon dynasty (1392–1910); first half of the 15th century.
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Buncheong with inlaid design, H. 8 ⁄8 in. (22.5 cm), Diam. of mouth 3 ⁄8 in. (8.5 cm), Diam. of base 3 ⁄8 in. ( 7.8 cm).
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Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art, Seoul
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