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Location139-1, Naeyucheon-gil Boan-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do
- CategoryCultural Heritage / Tangible Cultural Heritage
- Korean부안 유천리 요지
- Chinese扶安柳川里窯址
- Nickname유천리 요지
- FieldCulture & Education / Culture & Liberal Arts
- Contents TypeHistoric Site / Site
- Location139-1, Naeyucheon-gil Boan-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do
- Location of Holder1493, Cheongja-ro Boan-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do
- Definition
- The site of kilns, which produced a large number of Goryeo celadon between the late 12th century and the early 14th century, is located in Yucheon-ri, Boan-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do.
- Summary
- At this site of about 37 kilns located on the slope close to the West Sea, they produced a large number of Goryeo Celadon objects and a small number of Goryeo White Celadon objects between the late 12th Century and the early 14th Century. The objects produced were taken on boats to be distributed across the country including Gaegyeon, the capital of Goryeo. There was Byeonsan Lumberyard, which was managed by the central government of Goryeo, close to Yucheon-ri. Thus, it was easy for the kilns to get firewood for producing celadon. Kilns could develop here thanks to the availability of good clay used to produce porcelain and the sea routes for transportation.
- Development
- The olden-day kiln site in Yucheon-ri, Buan was discovered by a Japanese named Ken Nomori during the colonial period. It was designated as Historic Site No. 69 in January 21, 1963. The site was re-named from Yucheon-ri Ceramic Kiln Site, Buan to Yucheon-ri Kiln Site, Buan with the Cultural Heritage Administration’s Notification in July 28, 2011.
- Location
- Yucheon-ri Kiln Site, which covers the area of Lot No. 166 including 139-1, Yucheon-ri, Boan-myeon, Buan-gun, is bordered to the east by Julpo-myeon and to the west by Jinseo-myeon. The site stretches widely on the mountain hill in the vicinity of Yucheon-ri along the National Road No. 30. Close to Julpo Bay to the southwest, the site was in a convenient geographic location to transport products across the country including Gaegyeong via sea routes.
- Background and Result of Excavation and Investigation
- 1. Excavation surveys conducted
In 1966, those from the National Museum of Korea engaged in an excavation survey of part of the No. 12 kiln site. In 1997 and 1998, those from the Wonkwang University Museum carried out an excavation survey of five kiln sites in Sector 7 in connection with the need to establish the relevant museum and arrangement of the kiln sites. In May 25 –July 1, 2009, those from the Korea Cultural Heritage Research Center did the work for installing a protective frame over No. 5 kiln/Sector 7/Yucheon-ri. During the period December 1, 2015 – August 7, 2018, those from the Jeonbuk Cultural Property Research Institute conducted an excavation survey of No. 12 kiln/Sector 3/Yucheon-ri on three occasions to come up with more efficient ways of preservation/management. They identified one kiln, four building sites of the Goryeo Period, and sites containing sedimentary deposits. During the period December 12, 2018 – June 27, 2019, those from the Jeonbuk Cultural Property Research Institute identified two celadon kilns and sites containing sedimentary deposits in an excavation survey of Sector 6/Yucheon-ri.
2. What have been found/unearthed
The excavation surveys carried out on Sectors 3, 6, and 7 from the 1960s to 2020 have identified a total of eight kilns, building sites, and grounds where defective celadon objects were scrapped. As a result of the surveys, Yucheon-ri Kiln Site, Buan turned out to be a place where diverse types of Goryeo celadon including those with inlaid decorative patterns were produced in its prime between the late 12th Century and the early 14th Century.
Celadon objects unearthed from the site include: bowls, cups, and dishes with lid, using diverse decorative methods (such as plain, depressed engraving, iron and slipped-painting, underglaze iron-coating, underglaze iron painting, decoration/coloring with oxidized copper, inlaying, extrusion, embossing, bratticing); diverse household goods like prunus vase, glazed bottle, janggo (hourglass-shaped drum), flowerpot, yeonjeok (ink slab), long-necked bottle, jar, bottle, stand, tray, lidded bowl, incense burner, cup-stand, flat dish, pottery mold, horn-shaped cup, teapot stand, bell, roof tile, baduk (go) board, ink stone, writing brush stand, kundika bottle, spitting jug, high-legged cup, etc., and building materials. A small number of Goryeo white celadon objects such as those stated in the following were also unearthed: janggo (hourglass-shaped drum), cups, bottles, prunus bottle, lidded bowl, dish, cup stand, etc. using diverse decorative methods (such as inlaying, plain, depressed engraving). It is noteworthy that
Yucheon-ri Celadon Kiln Site No. 12 has been the only place in the country where celadon objects made with coloring/decoration with oxidized copper are unearthed. The site was where top-class objects (e.g. large-sized prunus bottles, bottles with decorative patterns like dragon/phoenix, lidded bowls) were produced for the royal family and the noble class of Goryeo. Thus, the site is an important historic site showing the essence of Goryeo celadon.
A total of eight celadon objects have been excavated until the end of December 2019 from the kiln site in Yucheon-ri. Each is a clay ascending kiln made up of semi-basement fireplace, firing chamber, and chimney made on the natural slope. Each kiln is about 10 – 25 m long, and the firing chamber is about 120 -160 ㎝ wide. There is a vertical fire path between the fireplace and the firing chamber. The stone chamber-shaped niche in front of the fireplace of kiln No. 12/Sector 3 and No. 1/Sector 6 is assumed to have been a facility for keeping pine ash left from burning. Pine ash is an important material used to make celadon glaze, and the niche shows how celadon craftsmen used materials. With regard to kiln No. 1/Sector 6, where the firing chamber for the pre-firing stage and the layer of soil where defective items from the pre-firing stage were scrapped were found, it is a valuable material for those studying olden-day celadon kilns as the earliest ones of the kilns dating back to Goryeo.
- Current Status
- Most of the slope on the north, east, and south of Yucheon-ri are celadon kiln sites. At present, pine forests cover the area, or people grow vegetables there. Excavation surveys have been conducted on Kiln site Nos. 3, 6, and 7 until 2020. Kiln Nos. 1 and 5/Sector 7 have been preserved well and opened to the public with a protective frame put over them. For Kiln No. 12/Sector 3 and the site for nearby buildings, an excavation survey has been conducted on three occasions. Restoration work will be carried out for them as per the comprehensive plan.
The Kiln No. 1 from Sector 6 consisting of a fireplace, niche for collecting wood ashes, firing chamber, biscuit firing compartment, and chimney, has been preserved well, it is considered a valuable academic material. A temporary protective frame was placed over it upon completion of the survey. The temporary protective frame will be replaced with a proper one, and then the kiln will be opened to the public. Relics unearthed from celadon kilns in Sector 7 are kept at the Buan Celadon Museum.
- Historical Significance
- In Yucheon-ri Kiln Site, Buan, a total of eight clay kilns have been excavated along with the building sites of Goryeo and many sites of deposits of relics, telling us that the site was a place where a large number of Goryeo celadon were produced between the late 12th Century and the early 14th Century when the quality of Goryeo celadon objects was at its prime in the 500-year history of the Goryeo Dynasty.
The kilns in Yucheon-ri produced ordinary/sub-ordinary household goods such as bowls, cups, and dishes as well, but large-sized (80-100 cm) prunus bottles engraved with dragon, which must have been made for the royal family, or celadon containing decoration/coloring with oxidized copper or mysteriously colored celadon with inlaid patterns are those that cannot be found elsewhere; this means that the site in Buan occupies an important position in the country’s celadon history.
The existence of Anheungchang, one of the 13 government-run storehouses for keeping grains paid as tax, Geommopojin, a military defense post, and Byeonsan Lumberyard for supplying firewood near the Yucheon-ri Kiln Site makes it necessary to engage in a wide range of research including geographic environment related to large-scale pottery production beyond research confined to relics unearthed from the kiln sites.