Korea Business News Agency - NSP NEWS AGENCY.

His works have natural lines, keeping the original beauty of clay.

(부산=NSP통신 허아영 기자) = (NSP글로벌리틀뉴스 김진형 기자) = I think few people know that a great number of Joseon's porcelain masters abducted to Japan helped lay foundation for the economic prosperity during the Meiji by making pottery.

Today we will meet porcelain master Yugilsam who enjoys high reputation in Japan as he actively work in Japan rather than Korea, and look into his work of art and how early Joseon potters became one of the main pillars for the Meiji Restoration.

Porcelain master Yugilsam devoted his entire life to making perfect pottery that is beautiful in line and close to nature.

To him, what would pottery, clay, fire and Japan mean to him? When we met him at a pottery shopYangsan Kyungnam, his face was full of sweat as he made a pot. It is said that a pot holds the universe.

We saw the Nature in his work when we watched him making the universe with a handful of clay. He told us that he made pottery with a specific measurement.

But when he realized that he had been locked in the measuring stick, he threw the stick into fire. Now he makes pottery with nature in mind.

[Interview/Yugilsam]
“When I make a pot with clay, sometimes I get large dough of clay and sometimes small. You have to naturally make it with the dough that you pick up with your hand but if you try to make it with measurement, you will have to squeeze your work into the amount of clay so your work will lose natural beauty. ”

The reason he has worked more in Japan is that while Koreans have overlooked our traditional tea cups but Japan has studied and developed them for 500 years.

Also, the fact that while Korea has 10 thousand potters Japan does1.3 million is another reason. He believes that through competing with the 1.3 million potters and being evaluated among them he can enhance his skills.

The third important reason is that most of the great pottery made by Koreans which can be the teacher for him is in Japan.

It is regrettable for him that our pottery didn’t take a role in boosting Korean economy while it laid foundation on which the Meiji Restoration was possible.

But what is the most regrettable for him is that Japan had robbed our reputation.

While China, world-leader in pottery, was caught in a war, Japan having kidnapped a number of potters from Korea during her invasion in Korea 1592 cunningly put herself in the global pottery market.

Glamorously beautiful, colorful, and delicate Korean pottery favored by Europeans was ostensibly advertised as Japanese pottery and was introduced to developed countries.

Beautiful and artistic Korean pottery advertised as Japanese pottery filled the tables and display cupboard of European nobles and funded the Meiji Restoration. Master 유 said that not only Korean young people, but also people around the world have to know that Korean pottery has been wrongly advertised as Japanese.

He wants to inform the world that the very Japanese pottery that the whole world praised it for its stunning beaut, is actually Korean.

He also believes that we Koreans must have sufficient knowledge of our pottery when we deal with Japanese.

Master Yugilsam is still trying to make pottery natural without too much decoration, boasting its own color with beautiful natural lines.

He misses the time when Korean pottery with full of radiant color was praised by the Europeans and enamored as the most valuable belongs.

He hopes the issues concerning pottery will be weighed more seriously while illuminating the Korean-Japanese relationships.

NSP Global Little News Team, Brian Kim.


[영상편집] 오혜원 PD dotoli5@nspna.com
[촬 영] 최상훈 PD csh0114@gmail.com

nsplove@nspna.com, 허아영 기자(NSP통신)
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