SLIP-COATED BOTTLE / TOKKURI, Buncheong ware, Joseon Dynasty（1392–1897CE）
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A buncheong slip-coated bottle from the Joseon Dynasty.
Buncheong ware is a type of pottery produced in the early to mid Joseon dynasty, made by applying a white slip to a gray-blue clay body and then glazing the piece. The slip-coated variety involves covering the entire vessel with white slip, yielding a soft white appearance that differs from that of true white porcelain.
This small slip-coated bottle has a rounded, swelling body and a short, upright neck. The rim flares slightly outward, and while the body is generously rounded, the overall proportions are compact and fit comfortably in the hand.
The glaze surface is covered throughout with fine crazing; from beneath the white slip pale gray‑blue seepage and iron‑toned variations emerge. The mouse‑gray hues seen from the shoulder to the body have a rain‑streaked quality, lending a quiet depth to the slip’s white.
Traces of the clay remain around the foot, and the effects of firing and the clay’s color are visible even on the interior. The highlights of this tokkuri are its form—neat without being overly refined—and the surface texture that has developed over a long period.
Capacity when filled to the brim is approximately 300cc. As a sake vessel it holds about one and a half go, a size well suited to practical use. Although modest in scale, the body has a satisfying sense of mass; at ROCANIIRU it is regarded as a "palm-sized tokkuri," an object whose appeal is complete in the hand. Even with a single flower, the white surface and the subtle spread of glaze will gracefully receive and complement the bloom.
There is glaze loss at the rim; the body shows crazing, abrasion, iron spots, and grey-blue staining. Aside from minor surface scratches and soiling consistent with its age, the overall condition is good.
Numerous product photos are available for you to examine the details and condition. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
The aesthetics of the period did not favor surface-level ornamentation or technical prowess but emphasized forms and expressions that quietly supported the inner life of the individual. Objects and furnishings were not merely tools of utility—they might be seen as a kind of dōjō, spaces for self-discipline and reflection. A humble jar placed in a scholar’s study, a plain desk, or an unadorned brush rest were not only objects to be observed but mirrors reflecting one’s posture and thoughts.
It is no coincidence that the crafts of the Joseon period possess a “quiet presence.” These works were created not to impress, but to accompany the human spirit—to breathe with it and to help bring it into balance.
Take white porcelain, for example. Subtle glaze flows, the tremble of clay, slight asymmetries in shape—these so-called “unintentional phenomena” were accepted and even cherished. They reflect a broad-minded sensibility that contrasts sharply with modern ideals of perfection and uniformity. This sensibility questions the boundaries between nature and artifice, beauty and imperfection, object and mind. One could even say it was not just a way of making but an expression of the spirit of the age.
If we were to describe Joseon-era beauty, it is less a “beauty of display” and more a “beauty of resonance.” Not the charm of an object itself, but the way it creates a moment for the viewer to reflect on how to live and how to be. For this reason, the object must not speak too loudly—it must carry emptiness, pauses, and silence within. This kind of thinking seems to run through the very heart of Joseon craftsmanship.
These values would eventually cross the sea and take root deeply in Japan. In the world of chanoyu (the Japanese Way of Tea), Joseon white porcelain and buncheong ware had already begun to be used by the late Momoyama period. Their modest and quiet character offered a contrast to the stately grandeur of Chinese imports. The aesthetic sensibility of “listening to what is unsaid” in tea culture resonated with the silence and imperfection held by Joseon vessels, nurturing a gaze that would eventually find form in the spirit of wabi-sabi.
In modern times, thinkers of the Mingei movement such as Yanagi Sōetsu and Kawai Kanjirō discovered in Joseon crafts “a power that purifies” and “a form of life as it ought to be.” In an age when traditional crafts were being forgotten, these objects were not viewed merely as antiques but as expressions of a way of being—welcomed with profound respect and empathy.
Even now, when I encounter a crafted object from the Joseon period, I find myself moved by its stillness. Within it dwells the spirit of a time that asked how we ought to live and what it means to be—and that quiet voice continues to speak to us, undiminished by time.
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Tax excluded. Import duties may apply. Shipping costs are calculated at checkout.
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