제주도 옹기가마의 구조와 그 연원

Abstract

The pottery kilns on Jeju Island are different from other regions. The island's unique and stone-built structures are recognized as the ones of their type in the world. As such, they gather great attention from experts. It is true that the old, remaining Jeju kilns have a unique shape and structure not found in other regions. Nevertheless, it is not possible to trace and collect detailed information on when the pottery production initially began on Jeju Island; how the technique was first introduced to the island; what kind of structure that the original kiln had, and the features and designs of the initial pottery, from current site investigations. Hence, in order to trace the history of the pottery techniques of Jeju Island, the study looks into preceding literature about the structures, their production methods and techniques, found through excavation efforts in other regions. The research reveals that the very inception of pottery making on the island can be estimated as at the end of the seventeenth century. The estimation is based on the observed change of the water carrying container, from a beehive shaped wooden container, to the earthenware pot (Heobeok in the Jeju dialect). To identify the route through which the pottery technique was transferred to the island, the study refers to the sea route that has been used since ancient times. Namely, the immigration route of the merchants from Jeolla Province, located in the southwest region of mainland Korea, and the arrival of the technicians, also from the Jeolla region. Their original purpose to come to the island was to repair the structure of Jeju Mokgwana, the central government office presided over by the Magistrate of Jeju, during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). Based on such historic surroundings, the Jeolla region is assumed to be the benefactor of the technology transfer. The assumption is also supported by the similarity of techniques between the Jeju and Jeolla regions. This is supported by research conducted to identify the origin and inception of Jeju's unique pottery typology called 'Toraemi' in the Jeju dialect, meaning clay plates to form the rim of a pot. The study,at least for now, considers the region of Jeolla Province as the origin from where the Jeju pottery technique was transferred. The study also investigated on the kiln structure. The Jeju pottery kilns have maintained the unique structure of 'stone kiln'. It is understood that the originally transferred kiln building method is transformed into the uniqueness of the 'Jeju style' in order to adapt to the natural environment of Jeju Island. The current types of Jeju kilns are Noranggul and Geomeungul depending on the types of pottery produced from the kilns. The Noranggul, literally meaning a yellow cave, is named for the baked final pottery products, show with either yellowish or reddish brown colors. The Geomeungul, with its literal meaning of a black cave, is named because the products are blackened from the process of baking by feeding smoke into the kiln. In conclusion, it is inferred that the formation of today's Jeju style unique kilns, were not created solely from Jeju's native techniques. Rather, it was the transfer of techniques, especially the kiln building skills that were transferred upon the arrival of technicians that made a great of contribution. It is assumed, that the initial style of Jeju's pottery kilns are the same or similar to ones found on the mainland of Korea. Therefore, it can be safely accepted that the current uniqueness of the Jeju style became indigenous to Jeju Island as a result of a long adaptation to Jeju's natural environment and through the consequential transformational process.