From Joseon to Japan

This bowl originated in the Korean peninsula, in the Kingdom of Joseon in the 16th century. Bowls like this one had been produced there since the 15th century. They were simple objects made of earthenware and intended to be used by common people as containers for alcoholic drinks, vegetables and rice.

In the 16th century they arrived in Japan, where they were coveted by tea masters to be used during tea ceremonies. Interestingly, the first Korean bowls to arrive in Japan must have done so through contraband trade, as the Joseon kingdom officially forbade trade of Korean objects to Japan. But due to the bowls’ popularity on the Japanese market, the Japanese merchants located on the island of Tsushima encouraged the production and supported the import of Korean bowls into Japan, and managed to have the trade of ceramic objects accepted and officially legalized by the state of Joseon in the 1640s.

In Japan, the Korean bowls used in tea ceremonies were known as “Kōrai Chawan” and played a major role in this tradition until the middle of the 18th century. [cf]