Demystifying the Iconic Moon Jar of Korea

Moon jar, Dalhangari in Korean, is not only an iconic Korean utilitarian item but also a deeper expression of being Korean

- DEBASHREE DUTTA

Daving a thing for Korean culture, I seek out different subjects and stories—to learn and understand more—while also sharing through my stories what I've picked up and taken away. Just recently, I bumped into this YouTube video, Making a Moon Jar by the Asian Art Museum, featuring Korean ceramicist Lee Dong-sik recreating a moon jar from the Joseon dynasty. In watching and listening to him through the making process, I realized that the moon jar, Dalhangari in Korean, is not only an iconic Korean utilitarian item but also a deeper expression of being Korean.

Back in the Joseon period, moon jars became popular in the latter part of the 17th century until sometime in the 18th. The video above has artist Lee showing his method of making an 18th-century moon jar, which he says “was a unique experience for me, a return to the beginning.” Back when he was studying ceramics, he recalls picking up a piece of a moon jar from a kiln site and carefully examining it. “I was captivated by the white porcelain of the Joseon dynasty and have worked with it for about twenty years.”