Korean Hoeryung Glazed Sabal/Tea Bowl
This Hoeryung Glazed Tea Bowl by Hunseong Jang is shaped by hand with a gently rounded form and an expressive surface that reveals the movement of glaze and fire.
The Hoeryung glaze flows generously across the vessel, shifting between creamy ivory, smoky gray, muted blue-green, and warm amber-brown. Along the lower edge, the pale glaze gathers and breaks against the deep iron-black ground, creating irregular drips and passages where the two surfaces meet. Inside the bowl, the glaze settles into a striking mottled pattern of dark speckles and pools, giving the surface an almost mineral or landscape-like quality.
Its slightly irregular rim and softly compressed body retain the marks and subtle asymmetry of the making process. The contrast between the luminous, flowing glaze and the darker clay and glaze beneath gives the bowl both visual depth and a distinctly tactile character.
Rooted in the ceramic tradition of Hoeryung in present-day North Korea, Hoeryung glaze is known for the unpredictable variations that emerge through the interaction of glaze, clay, atmosphere, and heat. Rather than concealing these transformations, Jang allows them to become the defining character of the piece. Each bowl consequently develops its own pattern of flowing, pooling, and tonal variation, making every work unique.
Designed as a tea bowl, its broad base and gently inward-curving walls sit comfortably in the hands, bringing the richness of the glaze into close view with each use.
Dimensions: Opening Ø 5" x widest width 5.5" x H 3"
Glazed ceramic. Food-safe.
Handcrafted in Korea.
About Hunseong Jang: Hunseong Jang (장훈성) is a Korean ceramic artist based in Icheon, South Korea, whose work explores traditional Korean ceramics through an expressive and contemporary approach. After graduating from Yeoju University’s Department of Ceramics in 2000, Jang continued his ceramic training in Korea and later in Japan before establishing his own studio in 2006.
Working primarily with Buncheong and Hoeryung glaze, Jang creates functional vessels and tea wares that emphasize the natural qualities of clay, glaze, and fire. His Buncheong pieces are characterized by softly irregular forms, layers of white slip, tactile surfaces, and spontaneous gestures, reflecting his longstanding interest in finding a distinctly Korean sensibility through material and form.
Jang’s Hoeryung-glazed works reveal another side of his practice. His interest in the glaze began while studying ceramics in Japan, where encountering the rice-straw-ash glazed work of Japanese Living National Treasure Miwa Jusetsu inspired him to research the material further. Jang creates his Hoeryung glaze by burning rice straw into ash and combining the ash with other materials. The resulting glaze has a warm, milky quality and is notably fluid during firing.
Rather than attempting to completely control this movement, Jang embraces it as part of the making process. Under the influence of heat and gravity, the glaze runs downward and interacts with different glazes and clay beneath it, producing unexpected passages of blue, creamy white, gray, and earthy tones. These effects can evoke waves, landscapes, or the night sky, with each firing creating patterns that cannot be precisely repeated.
Across both his Buncheong and Hoeryung works, there is a sense of warmth and ease that connects his ceramics to everyday life. His vessels preserve the irregularities of the hand and the unpredictability of firing, allowing material, gesture, and nature to remain visible in the finished piece.
