Korean Onggi

Korean Onggi

The Preservation of the Onggi Tradition

Experienced potters who are able to make large Onggi pots have let go of their talents. Today, we are unable to reproduce the Onggi that was made centuries ago. However we can preserve the methods that were once used by our ancestors. Yet the sad truth is that we no longer have the skilled potters to continue with our precious tradition. There are only few people left who are able to follow in the footsteps of our great predecessors. The young people today are learning but it is not enough to carry on the tradition. Today the tradition is in danger of disappearing.

The Onggi is in danger of disappearing and there may come a time when we will have to import Onggi from foreign countries instead of us exporting them internationally. The problem is serious because the disappearance of the Onggi also signifies a halt in the development of Korean stoneware that existed for thousands of years.

Furthermore, the Onggi is essential to our daily lives for it holds food and liquid for long periods of time. Due to its mass-production and its accessibility, its importance has been neglected. The price of the Onggi is considerably cheap and because people are used to seeing it everywhere they forget its importance in our habitation.

Like the air that we breathe, we once forgot how importance clean air is to us until it became polluted. It is the same with the Onggi. We will only recognize its importance once it becomes a rare treasure.

We still preserve the methods in how to make the Onggi. Therefore it is not too late to teach and hand down such precious information to our young generation. What we need to do today is to develop the old methods further in order to continue the movement. Without such a development the Onggi will simply remain as part of our history. This is where the problem lies in the development of our entire craft movement.

In developing a culture, it is important to consider the interest of the upper-class people and the ordinary people. This is the same with Onggi. We need to know what the contemporary appeal is. The skills and the scientific discovery of our ancestors must be understood to show and develop our tradition further to appeal to the international market. The Onggi is a ware that can attract world attention with its peaceful and capacious nature.

This thesis was written for the exhibition, “Korea’s Third Ceramic Tradition – From Earthenware to Onggi”, held at the Ewha Womans University Museum in the year 2 000.