Is This the Best Hwangcha Made in Korea?

Throughout Korea’s tea growing region there are hundred perhaps thousands of individual artisan tea producers with very small farms, picking and processing their own tea by hand in the same way that their ancestors did many years ago.  Almost all use wild or semi-wild bushes that are organically grown.  Most limit their production to ujeon, sejak and sometimes jungjak, far fewer Korean producers make hwangcha or balhyocha, and very few make hongcha, even fewer make ttokcha or matcha especially for commercial purposes.  

For the most part these small producers never get known outside of their personal group of friends or home villages.  Many produce tea simply for their own consumption and to give to friends.  Occasionally a tea is so good it is shared with a passing monk or nun who tells his or her friends and the word slowly gets out.  One day a nun who knows Shin In-suk told her about a delicious hwangcha she had in Jiri-san.  Jiri-san, the 'holy mountain of Korean tea'  has many villages  each with their own fine artisan tea producers.  The nun explained to Shin In-suk that the producer, Jeong Jae Yeun, makes her hwangcha before Buddha’s birthday and dedicates her entire tea production to hwangcha.  

That the tea is made before Buddha’s Birthday is extremely important to the production of the best hwangcha. 1  Tea made before Buddha’s Birthday is made of fresh ‘energetic’ young leaves that thus contain the most qi.  The difference in taste is remarkable explained the teaware artist Park Jong Il, Shin In-suk’s husband.

But who does that?  Most other hwangcha producers make their green tea first.  That puts their hwangcha production after Buddha’s Birthday and because it is made from older leaves the tea has less qi.

We have not yet had the pleasure of meeting Jeong Jae Yeun but hope to do that on Tea Tour Korea 2013. 

This is what we know about Jeong Jae Yeun.  In her mid-60’s Jeong Jae Yeun, who lives near Sancheon has dedicate most of her life to tea and produces only hwangcha, from organically grown wild and semi-wild bushes.  We also know her tea becomes highly recommended by the nun who told Shin In-suk and it also comes highly recommended by both Shin In-suk and her husband Park Jong Il.  If you have ever visited Park Jong Il most likely you have tasted Jeong Jae Yeun’s hwangcha.  On Park Jong Il’s recent trip to China he took this tea and tells me it received great reviews.

We at Morning Crane Tea are honored to be the only Western source for Jeong Jae Yeun’s hwangcha.  Supplies are limited.  Please go to our tea blog to learn more about this special tea offering and its price.  Contact us if you are interested in this tea.

 1. Note: Some artisan tea producers follow the lunar calendar. 

Go To First Park Jong Il Post

A Quick Note: Tea Tour Korea is Coming- May 2013

This is the first of a series of posts leading to Tea Tour Korea 2013.  It will also be one of the last tea tours we personally host so we want to make this tea tour as culturally rich as possible.  To that end, Tea Tour Korea 2013 will be a 'complete' tea tour with exceptional perhaps unparalleled tea and teaware experiences.  It will include:  1. Visits to selected Korean artisan tea producers,  2. Visits to selected Korean teaware artists,  3. The History of Korean Tea,  4. Meeting Important figures in the contemporary Korean Tea world,  5.  Participating in Korean Tea Ceremonies, 6. Witnessing tea being produced, 7.  Producing our own teas and  8. Investigating artists who make Tea related items     

Tea Tour Korea 2013 will be a non-profit tour hosted by us at Morning Crane Tea and Morning Earth Korea. 

Anyone can take you to Korea and introduce you to some people who make tea by hand and some ceramic artists who make teaware.  We have been told that no one else can give you the depth of a Korean tea experiences Tea Tour Korea 2013 will provide.  We will select from hundreds of possible choices the best tea producers, the best teaware artists, introduce you to some of the most significant figures in contemporary Korean Tea, take you into tea factories and have artisan tea producers teach you how to make various teas.  It is not just nokcha anymore.  You will meet personally with tea artisans who make jakseol, hwangcha, balhyocha, hongcha and ttokcha (possibly even matcha).  In addition, you can't leave Korea without experiencing some of their herbal teas.    

Will we have a temple stay?  Yes!  Will we visit Jejudo? Yes!  Will we go to historic sites? Yes!  Will we visit teashops in Seoul? Yes!  Will we visit onggi potters? Yes!  This list would in itself be a great tour to Korea but with the exception of Jejudo, they are add-ons to Tea Tour Korea 2013.  

We are waiting for the date of the Mungyeong Teabowl Festival to be announced to confirm our Tea Tour Korea 2013 dates.  That festival may be the most exciting teabowl festival in Asia.  Tea Tour Korea 2013 will be open to no more than 8 guests and we have some waiting on that list now -  including some who were with us in 2011.  Why would they return?  They have told us Tea Tour Korea 2011 was the most comprehensive tea tour they have ever experienced and while some of our visits will be the same, Tea Tour Korea 2013 will expand on the 2011 tour and will be even more comprehensive. 

Have you read Madeleine's post? Are you interested in joining us or learning more?  Contact us.  

Are you looking for illustrations?  Please wait for the follow up posts.  Those posts will not be found here but will be on the blog Tea Tour Korea 2013.  Follow that blog to learn more as Tea Tour Korea 2013 becomes a reality.

Tom's Moldy Pu-erh: What Would You Do?

For a number of years I have been interested in tea and teaware.  I enjoy a wide variety of teas including pu-erh.  There is a particular large 'black oil' pu-erh made by a Korean master in Yunnan but sold in Korea that I particularly enjoy.  But what little expertise I have regarding teas is limited to Korean teas.  That limited knowledge didn't seem to bother my friend Tom.  Tom had been to China and became interested in pu-erh tea.  Tom lives in Georgia in a fairly damp climate.  He is often plagued with mold in his home. Recently he called me to ask what he should do with the mold he is getting on his pu-erh.  I guess he thought I could help.  I told him I couldn't be of much help on this subject.  I called a friend who knows teas quite well but he too couldn't help because he knows how to prevent the mold and has never had to deal with it.  So I'm hoping some of you readers can help.

As you can see the mold is gray not the yellow mold that I'm told can be toxic.  I have also heard that one can simply brush it off with a dry toothbrush.

But 'common sense' tells me there is more to this situation than simply 'brushing it off".  Wouldn't that affect the taste of the tea?   In addition that won't solve his general moldy tea problem.  I suggested that Tom buy a dehumidifier for his house  and that If he does 'brush off' the tea that he should also blow it off with his air-gun to get rid of any mold pores that will remain on the tea after the brushing.  But basically, I'm wondering if he shouldn't just throw the tea away and take precautions to prevent it in the future.  Of course there is the other big issue for Tom.  He bought the tea while in China and really hates to throw it away.  What would you do?

Here is a closer look.

Here is an even closer look.

So, what would you do?
     

The World of Korean Ceramics: Available Book

 

This is a very quick post on the availability of the book The World of Korean Ceramics.  

I recently was able to make arrangements with the surviving author of this book Dr. Alan Covell for us to handle sales of the remaining copies of this out of print book.  Several of you have contacted me about this book but it was not yet available.  Now it is available, please contact me again if you are still interested.  I will accept orders in the order I receive them after this post. 

The book will be signed by Dr. Covell.   The price is $35.00.  The original price of this book at the time of its publication was $39.50.  I realize that this is slightly higher than some used copies.  However a blog based on the content of this book is being developed and will be available only to those who have obtained the book from this source.  All proceeds from the sale of this book will go toward our work promoting ceramics particularly Korean.  We are interested only in those who truly want to possess this book for personal research.

Contents:

 1. The Prehistoric World

 2. The Horserider-Shamanist World

 3. The Buddhist World

 4. The Confucian World

 5.  The Japanese World

One my wonder why Japan.  This is part of Korea's influence on Japanese pottery including Chanoyu, Japanese gains in the "Pottery War" and more

 6.  The Modern World

  

 Each section provides very interesting and rare information.

Appendices

Included are chronological tables, kiln Illustrations and maps of Koryo kilns, partial list of musuems and major Korean collections, bibliography, and maps of porcelain and buncheong (punch'ong) kiln sites.  

The book is richly illustrated.

This is just one of the many pages of illustration found in this book.  All of these Korean chawan are in Japanese museums. In case you are interested, the text below these chawan reads:

No one individual could take *Hideyoshi, who first was hospitable to the Portuguese traders and Jesuit missionaries, as his predecessor Nobunaga had been, by 1587 came to see that they presented a rival power, a rival loyalty, and he demanded absolute obedience from his subjects.  Kyushu had been difficult to conquer, and was not under such strong control because of its distance from his center of power (Kyoto-Osaka).  By sending troops only from the maritime provinces of Kyushu and western Japan, Hideoshi revealed his wariness of these strongly Christian areas.

Dr. Jon Covell now deceased was a learned scholar of both Japanese and Korean.  She was the first person to earn her doctorate in Japanese studies and lived in the Daitoku-Ji Japan for 10 years doing extensive research.  Daitoku-Ji temple houses many famous chawan.  Then she also lived in Korea for 10 years doing extensive research there as well.  That is where we first met.  Her son Dr. Alan Covell is a leading authority on Korean Shamanism and scholar on many aspects of Korean and Japanese culture. 

Again if you are interested in getting a copy of this book signed by Dr. Alan Covell, please contact me and include your shipping address and phone number.  I'll email you a PDF invoice and explain payment arrangements.

 


 

Jung Ki Bong's Travel Tea Set

   Jung Ki Bong is a third generation celadon artist from Haenam, South Korea, not far from the famous city of Gangjin.  Some consider him to be one of Korea's best celadon artists for his mastery in carving and inlay.  The walls of his showroom are lined with many well deserved awards and he receives several million KRW for this work.

 

 

a Jung Ki Bong Double Walled Jar 

A close-up view

Jung Ki Bong is so respected that the Gangjin International Celadon Festival invites him to present the celadon carving workshop for the International ceramic artists who visit that festival each year.  Here he is demonstrating for the American artist Bryan Van Benschloten.

Jung Ki Bong (center) with Bryan

   Jung Ki Bong, whose wife is a tea master, also makes great very reasonably priced teaware including a really exciting lotus travel tea set. 

 Another View

   The lotus flower, the symbol of enlightenment in Buddhism, is a perfect choice on which to base this beautiful teaset.  

   Additional images of teasets by Jung Ki Bong and other artists will be posted on our teaware blog in the near future.   Become a follower of that blog to be informed when they are available to see and for purchase.  Contact us if you would like to be on the  purchase waiting list.

   Turning to Korean tea.  Throughout Korea the "pick" has begun.  It has been a great growing season for tea, especially compared to 2011, and we are eagerly anticipating the results.  

   Morning Crane Tea will be offering a number of new teas from several great Korean tea producers.   We want to bring you some really unusual and very special offerings.  Some of these new teas will be available wholesale but most will only be available through us retail and in very limited quantities.  Because our goal is simply to help expose you to some great Korean teas we will making no profit on some of the teas we will be offering.  To be among the first to learn what will be available please email us to be placed on that list.  Also watch the new blog develop at Tea at Morning Crane Tea.  Follow that blog to learn about our new teas as they become available.

Goldfish Tea's Korean Tea Night

This is a quick post to alert you to a special event coming up in Royal Oak, MI at the Goldfish Teashop Thursday March 22.  

Jim and Janice Gurling, owners of the shop, will celebrate the coming of spring with a special Korean tea tasting and teaware event.  Goldfish is now carrying Dong Cheong Tea's Sejak, Jungjak and Daejak semi-wild Korean green teas to add to their Chinese teas.  The Korean teaware is by Park Jong Il accompanied by a small selection of my chatchan and chawan.  They have asked us to speak on Korean Tea, Tea Culture and Teaware.  This is the first time Korean teas and Korean teawares have been introduced in this way in Michigan.  I realize most of you don't live nearby but now you know another source for Korean teas and teaware and also know we do provide presentations on the subject.  Perhaps you have friends in the area and would be willing to tell them about this event.  If so, thanks for doing that.

click image to enlarge

(Just another quick note.  I know we are supposed to spell teaware 'tea ware'.  But why are teabowl and teaware spelled 'tea bowl' and 'tea ware' when teacup and teashop and teaspoon are not separated?  They say the English language is changed by the way we use it.  I'm spelling teaware and teabowl this way.  Please join me and if you know anyone on the 'dictionary committee' let them know they should change these words.  Thanks - pet tea peeve no. 1)

David Louveau a Chawan

A couple of weeks ago my friend David Louveau, who is a ceramic artist in La Borne, France, sent me an image of one of his teabowls shortly after it was formed.  Then just the other day we spoke over Skype and he sent me some more images so I thought I would share these two.  
I first met David when we both participated in the Mungyeong Teabowl Festival.  He was representing France I represented the United States.  Mungyeong is located in the heart of the Korean mountains just where the magnificent Baekdu-Daegan mountain range bends to travel south to the tea mountains of Jirisan.  I'll write more about Mungyeong and its great festival later.  This short post is to briefly introduce David and his exciting work.

 Greenware cup David Louveau

David's clay is sandy causing the clay to pull as he quickly forms his work on the wheel.  He likes the naturalness of the clay allowing it and the wheel to speak to the form as much as he does.  His bowls are not large often doubling in their use between infused and powdered tea.  I call this type of form a 'dragon' form.  Although this direction in style is not unique to David he has mastered it and brings to it his own voice.  The results after firing in his equally amazing anagama are exhilarating.

Fired cup David Louveau

I will return to the work of David Louveau in a future post both here and on our teaware blog.  Get in line to obtain one of his pieces.

The Park Jong Il Teacup Sale

There is something compelling about tea that goes beyond the ordinary.  Each morning I sit with a Korean teacup, small, no handle, subtle in color and form, fitting my hand and gently conveying the warmth of tea.  It is most often filled with Korean green tea – picked early in the spring – warm to both the hand and heart.  Those moments take me away from the blur of daily life to peace and clarity.  For me, that is “tea”.

One of My Park Jong Il Morning Tea Cups

Often that cup is one made by Park Jong Il.  When I drink from one of his cups, I am reminded of his studio that we watched being built from raw clay and trees hewn nearby.  It reminds me of the view from his mountaintop home – down across the valley.  The cup reminds me of the firing of his kiln and the wood fly ash touching the cup as it reaches its mature temperature.  It reminds me of his wonderful family - his wife Shin In-Suk and daughter Park Seo-Ryeon.  It must be very difficult living so far from a city.  It must be fantastic living so far from a city.

Drinking from his cup also reminds me of a memorable Korean Tea ceremony held especially for one of our tours just outside his studio.  It was wonderful witnessing the full range of Park Jong Il’s tea ware being used as they should be.

A Korean Tea Ceremony Using Park Jong Il's Teaware

  

It is for these reasons that Morning Crane Tea was formed.  Simply to bring you a little closer to the wonderful tea ware artists like Park Jong Il and fine organic Korean teas to fill those special teapots and cups.

I hesitated posting any sale on this particular blog.  This blog is an information blog, a place to introduce artists and sometimes a little tea.  But, this blog also has more followers and more ‘hits’ than any of my other blogs with the possible exception of Dawan Chawan Chassabal - that will never see a sale.  So in an attempt to make Morning Crane Tea more visible we are posting these two sales.  The first on tea, the second on tea ware.  In the future any sales will be on our Morning Crane Tea Ware blog that will get more interesting throughout the year and a new tea blog dedicated to the teas we offer.  That blog will be coming after the spring tea harvest.  We will have more teas to offer and by then our technical difficulties may be solved allowing us to work on our web sites again.  Please publicly join our Tea Ware blog as we will introduce new tea ware artists there, each with a limited quantity sale.  Bear in mind we are primarily a wholesale distributor not a regular on-line retail teashop.  If you have a legitimate retail store and are interested in handling any of our teas or tea ware contact us.

I have had to separate Park Jong Il’s offerings into two parts:  Teapots and Teacups.

So that you too may be able to sit some mornings with a Park Jong Il cup - warming both your heart and hand, I would like to introduce his current cup offerings.

Park Jong Il’s cups sell for as much as $30 in the West and deservedly so.

Park Jong Il's 'Chatchan'

To contact us to reserve your cup or cup set, click on the number associated with your choice.  Click on the photos to enlarge them for a better view .

 

1 Porcelain Cup Set: $45.00 SOLD

I really like the purity of porcelain against tea.  For many years I made Dagi Sets 다기 or tea sets with cups, mine with un-matching forms.  I had studied with a Japanese porcelain cultural treasure, an amazing experience, but one in which he had me make every cup exactly alike – two hundred a day.  While I value greatly those skills, I came to believe in cups like chawan - as individual servants of tea.  I suppose it is the Korean in me.  In any case when you have a variety of cup forms you usually don’t have to say, “Which cup is mine?”

How do I look at 'matching tea sets'?  They are like ones waiters or waitresses, dressed the same, but each with their own individual personality.  

These cups measure approx. 1.75" H by 2.25 D and 1.50 H by 2.75" D.  A great pair.

2 Stoneware 3 Cup Set:  $70.00 SOLD

This wonderful stoneware 3 cup set is perfect for any collection.  Neutral in color they will complement any tea.  They are  a set but upon closer inspection their individuality emerges.  Their form, one of my favorite forms, mimics many Korean chawan.  Subtle and beautiful. 

These cups are larger, measuring between  1.8" and 2" H and 3.25" and 3.5" D.  A beautiful set, flashed by the fire, the photo does not do them justice.

3 Single Stoneware Cup: $22.50 SOLD

This is a very ‘warm’ cup and one that will fit your hand beautifully as you savor your morning or evening tea.  It too mimics many Korean chawan.  I am enamored with tea ware that shows the process of the production of the piece.  The single drip is charming.  The cup - warm and inviting.

This cup measures  1.75" H and 3" D.  One of my favorites.

4 A ‘Gqey-yl’ Cup Set:  $67.50 SOLD

A rare buncheong ‘gqey yl’ or brushed slip set from Mr. Park.  Each cup stands as an individual and together reminding me of many historical moments in Korean ceramic history.  I’m currently preparing a post on an older buncheong chawan.  Watch for it on one of my other blogs.  Buncheong decorating processes are among my favorite processes.  These are made beautifully.  If you don’t have a buncheong ‘gqey yl’ set in your collection.  Here is your opportunity.

These cups measure between 1.3" and 1.6" H and 2.48 and 2.75 D.   One of my favorite groups.

5 A ‘Tum-bung-mun’ Individual Cup: $22.50 SOLD

This beautifully calming cup is decorated with another buncheong decorating process called ‘tum bung mun’ in Korean.  In this case the cup is dipped into white slip before the bisque firing then glazed partially with a clear glaze and fired in his wood kiln.  It is made beautifully.  If you don’t have a buncheong ‘tum bung mun’ cup in you collection.  Here is your opportunity.
This cup measures 2" H and 3.12" D.

6 A ‘Gqey-yl’ Individual Cup:  $22.50 SOLD

This cups is similar to the cups in ‘4’ above but larger.  Warm in color it will fit your hand beautifully.  It is wonderfully made with superb 'flashing' on the clay body.  If you don’t have a buncheong ‘gqey yl’ cup in you collection.  Here is a great opportunity.
This cup measures 2" H and 3.25" D.  You will enjoy this cup.

7 A ‘Tum-bung-mun’ Individual Cup: $25.00 SOLD

Like 5 above, this beautiful cup is decorated with the buncheong decorating process called ‘tum bung mun’ in Korean.  In this case the cup is dipped into white slip before the bisque firing then glazed partially with a clear glaze and fired in his wood kiln.  But this cup has an added feature that, like the cup in my collection that opened this post, illustrates a rare kiln phenomenon - reduction-oxidation spotting.  This occurs when during the firing the cup captures both the reduction gray and oxidation white in random patterns.  Thank you ‘orumgama’.  If you don’t have a buncheong ‘tum bung mun’ cup with these rare spots in you collection, here is your opportunity.  It is made beautifully and is one of my favorites.  Perhaps I should have put it up for bids.
This cup measures 2" H and 3.2" D. 

To view a selection of Park Jong Il's teapots click here.
 

Do we have a 'Tea Special' for those who purchase a Park Jong Il cup at these sale prices?  We do!  It is $2.00 off any of the sale prices on our tea seen at the now ended tea sale. 

Do we have special 'public blog follower' prices for these cups?  Of course, but you will have to contact me to find out what they are.

Go To Next Park Jong Il Post

Morning Crane Teapot Sale - Park Jong Il

It seems appropriate to begin our first ever tea ware sale with the work of Park Jong Il whose work I have reviewed most often on this site.  Two years ago, January 2010, I introduced Park Jong Il with a post on his Tea Gallery and showroom that he had built with trees hewn nearby and raw clay also from his environment.  That was followed by how he handled water and his ch'at gi or teapots.  Then I wrote about his chatchan or teacups and chawan.  I completed that series of posts with Park's kiln and a post on his family.  I suspect that I will not present another artist in the same depth that I have presented Park Jong Il - but you never know.  In any case, it is obviously appropriate to begin our first Morning Crane Tea blog sale with the work of Park Jong Il.

 Park Jong Il Serving Tea

With this sale we are offering Park Jong Il's ch'at gi - teapots and chatchan - teacups.  We have both teapots and teacups in stock here in the USA.  If you are interested in any other work he does, that can also be arranged.  Contact us for details.  Since Morning Crane Tea is primarily a wholesale distributor,  we are hoping that legitimate tea retail stores will contact us for wholesale prices of Park Jong Il's work.     

All prices for this sale are discounted below retail outlets of Park Jong Il's work available from Western sources.  If you are serious, we can make inquiries about Park Jong Il's  other significant work such as his "boat and ocean" (the name he gives to the work he devised to handle water) and his chawan.  However, this sale is limited to no more than 10 teapots of the two styles you see displayed below plus selected teacups.  So if you are interested, contact us now to reserve the teapot or cups you want.   

Once the tea sale is finished we will have tea ware available at regular retail prices.

About the Teapots

 

Click on Images to Enlarge

We have available basically two types of Park Jong Il's teapots.  Those made with an iron rich clay body and those made with a porcelain clay body.  Both are fired to what we in the West call 'stoneware' temperatures.  In keeping with old Korean tradition, neither is glazed on the inside.  The porcelain teapots are glazed on the outside and are meant primarily for green tea.   The dark clay body is unglazed and obtains its surface color from the reduction wood firing and fly ash 'kissing' the surface of the pot.  Both come with different knob styles.  Plain knobs as you see above and figurative knobs as you see below.

By Western standards, these teapots are small.  The  darker teapots average 4" in height including the knob and 3.25" in diameter across the thickest part of the body.  The  porcelain teapots are 3.75" in height including the knob and about 3" in diameter across the thickest part of the body.  They are perfect for Korean style brewing.

We'll look at the teapots with selected cups first and then look at the individual teacups. All tea cups are approximately 3" in diameter and 2" tall unless otherwise noted.  Now lets look at what we have available.   Click the name of the item to contact us to reserve that teapot. You must supply your name email address and the number of the item(s).

Dark Clay Natural Wood fired Teapots and Cups

Click on Images to Enlarge 

  

 Teapot 1A - R and L Sides  $160.00 SOLD

Like all of Park Jong Il's teapots this iron rich wood fired teapot has all the characteristics of an exceptional Korean style teapot.  Each of his teapot forms,  including bodies, handles, spouts and lids, are beautifully balanced throughout and their surfaces, particularly on the dark clay, reflect the fire beautifully.  These iron rich teapots are also robust and when  presented to the whims of the fire emerge naturally kissed by the flame and flying wood ash.  You can feel how the fire touched each of these teapots differently. 

Since this is a sale, I have to discuss prices.  With the sale price of $160, you save $20.00 off the Western retail price of $180.00.  In addition, for a limited time, we will include a free 50g bag of Dong Cheon's Daejak green tea with each purchase.  Add $5.00 more for Jungak, $10.00 more for Sejak or Dan-cha.   But that is not all.

Suggested cups for 1A SOLD

Park Jong Il's iron rich teapots do not come with matching teacups.  Park Jong Il explains that while the teapot is unglazed, the teacups must be glazed for sanitary health reasons.  It is a philosophy of practicality in tune with nature. 

Since this sale is to introduce tea ware we have to have some "best offer".  Park Jong Il's teapots sell in the West for $180.00 retail and his teacups for $30 each or $270.00 for a teapot and three teacups.  Koreans use 3 or 5 teacups in a set  and have many teapots each for their various kinds of tea.  Our sale price is $160.00 for the teapot and usually $20.00 for each of the cups.  However, if you purchase both the teapot and the three cups suggested with the set, the total price is only $195.00 a savings of $75.00 off the retail price and $25.00 off the sale price. Plus you get the free Daejak tea, a $10.00 sale price value, or the Jungjak for $5.00 more or Sejak or Dan-cha for $10.00 more.  Please keep this offer in mind for all of the teapots offered with this sale.  All teapots are priced the same so if there is one you are interested in, reserve it now.

Click on Images to Enlarge

Teapot 2A - R and L Sides  $160.00 SOLD

Suggested cups for 2A SOLD

Click on Images to Enlarge 

Teapot 3A - R and L Sides  $160.00  SOLD

 

 Suggested cups for 3A  SOLD

Click on Images to Enlarge

Teapot 4A - R and L Sides  $160.00 SOLD

Suggested cups for 4A SOLD

Click on Images to Enlarge

Teapot 5A - R and L Sides  $160.00 SOLD

 Suggested cups for 5A SOLD

Porcelain Wood Fired Teapots and Cups

In Korea, many people believe porcelain to be the "gem of the ceramic arts".  Park Jong Il's porcelain teapots are truly 'gems'.  Porcelain reflects the purity of nature.  White porcelain reflects a quiet dignity and a refined sense of order.  Somehow, Park Jong Il's white porcelain teapots also reflect a sense of naturalness, calm and peace.  At a time when many Western teapot artists are searching for flamboyant teapots, even neglecting the purpose of the the pot and forgetting about tea, this Eastern artist remembers the importance of Tea.

Unlike the old question, "Which came first the chicken or the egg", there is no doubt that tea came before the teapot and Park Jong Il's teapots are made to serve both tea and Tea.

Let's look at his porcelain teapot offerings.

 Click on Images to Enlarge

Teapot 6A - R and L Sides  SOLD

Suggested cups for 6A SOLD

Click on Images to Enlarge

Teapot 7A - R and L Sides  $160.00 SOLD

Suggested cups for 7A SOLD

Click on Images to Enlarge

Teapot 8A - R and L Sides SOLD

 Suggested cups for 8A SOLD

Click on Images to Enlarge

Teapot 9A - R and L Sides  SOLD

 Suggested cups for 9A SOLD

Click on Images to Enlarge

 Teapot 10A - R and L Sides SOLD

Suggested cups for 10A SOLD

Park Jong Il's special teacups are posted on the next post.

Current followers of this blog may activate a very special discount option by contacting me.  If you are not a current public 'follower' or known follower of our blogs, now is the time to join us for information on Korean and international tea ware artists and tea. 

 Go To Park Jong Next Post