The Context of Korean Woman Ceramist BAEK Pa-sun’s Career in Japan

Abstract

When Toyotomi Hideyoshi(豊臣秀吉) invaded Korea, many Korean people were taken back to Japan. Among them, there was a woman who became one of the originators of Arita ware(有田焼). Her real name is unknown but she came to be referred to as BAEK Pa-sun(百婆仙). BAEK was an important figure in Japanese cultural history, but she was overlooked by historians for a long time while the male ceramist LEE Sam-pyeong(李参平), whose Japanese name was Kanegae Sanbe(金ヶ江三兵衛), became famous. In recent years, due to the influence of the Japanese novel and the Korean TV drama, some Japanese people are beginning to praise BAEK. This paper examines BAEK in the context of woman’s history from a gender studies perspective. BAEK Pa-sun(her real name is unknown, 1560∼1656) was taken to Japan with her husband Hukaumi Shintaro(深海新太郎), whose Korean name is unknown, by the feudal lord of Hizen(肥前, 佐賀 Saga Prefecture), Goto Ienobu(後藤家信), and they lived near the Kohukuji temple(廣福寺) in Takeo(武雄). It appears that they worked as servants at the temple. After several years they made a kiln and began to make pottery. Following the death of her husband, BAEK moved to Arita(有田) to get kaolin clay with her family and craftspersons, and she lived there and baked porcelain until she died at the age of 96. BAEK’s life was recorded on her Japanese-style tombstone build by her great grandson. In the inscription, we can know her features. She had beautiful features, with pierced ears and thick eyebrows, and was known for her loud laughter. Pierced ears and natural eyebrows were rare, even exotic in 17th century Japan. In ancient times, baking earthen vessels was the role of women in Japan. Even in the medieval period there were women potters. But in the early modern era baking porcelain with a kiln became male work, nevertheless the craftswomen of Arita have worked in porcelain production, prepared firewood, colours, poured glaze, and painted pictures. The custom that a widow heads her family after her husband’s death was common in medieval Japan. But in the 17th century , the time of BAEK Pa-sun, the early modern age was beginning and a widow’s authority was weakening. A woman as the leader of the whole family, such as BAEK Pa-sun, was rarely seen after this time.