Meet Cho Song-hyun, an artist/craftsman who creates incredible examples of Moon Jars.
If you are reading this and not familiar with what Moon Jars, then it is my honour to introduce you to them! A moon jar is a thing of great beauty. A simple description would be to describe the Moon jar as a form of traditional Korean white porcelain from the Joseon dynasty. They are uniquely Korean and have a certain charm about them. As the name suggests, the moon jar symbolizes the full moon shining in the sky, but the phrase is one that has great meaning: symbolising femininity, vitality, and yin, as well as wealth, fortune, and good fortune. Cho shared with me that to send a Moon Jar as a gift is to “wish [them] good luck”. The traditional colour for these beautiful works of art is white. This is, Cho describes, because “during the Joseon Dynasty, a social atmosphere was created to love white porcelain. Even in modern times, it is most common to make moon jars white because that is how they were made and loved at that time. It is a wonderful object that can be enjoyed regardless of time and culture.”
A moon jar is created by working with a foot-powered spinning wheel and finished in a firewood-burning kiln. The tradition of creating a moon jar, with its “full moon-like, clean and unbalanced shape”, is something that has not changed since the time when Joseon potters created them. Talking of the allure the moon jar holds, Cho shared that he thinks they are so loved “because of their beauty,” but also because they are a creation “where perfection and imperfection coexist.” In particular, Cho feels that moon jars are attractive due to their smoothness and simplicity. Instead of adding various decorations or showing off the splendour, “I feel the beautiful characteristics of the moon jar that showed everything like a bare face in the simplest appearance.”
Cho shared with me that in his personal opinion, moon jars are the “best art you can do with a spinning wheel” but it is no easy thing to create one. Cho informed me that it is very hard to keep the shape round and smooth. Talking of some of the challenges he has faced in perfecting this skill, Cho said that as part of the process he realised he “wanted to grow [in skill] by relentlessly challenging perfection, and was deeply interested in continuing the style of traditional ceramics from before. When I have time, I always go to museums and carefully observe old Korean ceramics, and I often go through old bookstore streets to buy dusty ceramic materials.”
Cho’s journey to becoming the craftsman that he is today first started in high school when he had his first exposure to pottery and working with the spinning wheel. Cho quickly realised that he had a certain level of aptitude when it came to working with the spinning wheel, so he focused on this. He has visited and learned from the pottery masters based in Incheon, where he learned a lot about spinning techniques. Cho spent a considerable amount of time practicing techniques and entered Myongji University when he was in his 30’s, where he majored in Ceramics. “Since I started pottery in my adolescence,” Cho said, “I think I followed the flow of life rather than thinking too seriously when making a decision.”
It takes at least 10 years to get used to spinning a wheel to the point of making a moon jar, Cho informed me. Looking back on the process involved in walking the path of a craftsman, Cho shared that “now I think about it, I had to be patient and immersed for a long time alone. I think the spinning wheel work I had to do by myself from start to finish suited my tendency. Because I have the characteristic of hearing impairment, I think I may have felt more secure in the ceramic work of grinding and grappling alone, even if it is lonely and tiring, rather than a job that requires a lot of communication with the outside world.”
Cho creates his incredible moon jars from what he describes as a “small studio in Seoul” and whilst at times the size makes it difficult to work, he feels “grateful to the studio because I started Sosoyo in a studio located in a quiet village.” Cho describes his dream project as a “combination of modern interpretation and studying the lines and forms of traditional moon jars and implementing traditional techniques. We are trying to make and introduce experimental works without harming the original beauty of the moon jar, and try to make a line of works that many members of the public can easily meet and own the moon jar, which was too expensive and high threshold.”
Cho’s specialism is to make his own unique interpretations of moon jars. He creates delightful travel-sized mini moon jars, which are lovingly decorated with gold leaf. He has also recently shared news of an exhibition where he is displaying black coloured moon jars – which look incredible. “I will,” he said, “continue to add new ideas and focus a lot on honing my skills.” Improving and growing as an artist is something that is important to Cho, who participates in the National Skills Competition every year. “I think”, he continued, “the way I should go about that is to continue to refine the spinning technology to make the large-sized Daeho complete.” His unique style is one Cho has developed by “practicing with intent to find the perfect proportions and lines of my own work, but in the end, I think the lines and styles of the moon pots have sprung up on their own in the many repetitions that produce thousands of moon jars.”
The most interesting thing about Moon Jars is that they are made in two parts and then brought together to make a whole piece. This is a subtle part because it “is not explained in words or set by rules”. But, there is an easy-to-understand rule called ‘updaji’. Sharing with me a little bit about what that entails, Cho said that updaji is a unique way of working in a bowl shape in half to form a jar and connecting the two parts together. In order to do this, the difficulty is much higher and the probability of failure is higher.
I wondered about some of the biggest challenges Cho faces when creating moon jars. He replied that there are many. Firstly, it is difficult to make beautiful lines. It is also difficult to work with large sizes. Using the spinning wheel is something that consumes a lot of physical strength, as well as requiring skill: “Even when a Daeho [this is the name for a large moon jar] is made, the probability of success is very low because most of them are ruined when baked in the kiln.”
Through his work, Cho hopes to show a variety of work so that many people can meet, touch and keep (!) the moon jar. The best reaction to his creation to date was being told that the moon jar he created was the most beautiful and delicate the viewer had seen – something which made him feel both honoured and glad.
Cho’s advice to artists just starting out: I know it’s not always easy to major in pottery and achieve steady results as a potter. It was difficult for me to make a living by making pottery, and I had to find a way to do other things at the same time. Still, I think we live in an era where it is necessary to promote and brand yourself, and there are many ways for individuals to do that. I hope we can find ways to make full use of social media and reach the public by taking small steps together.
You can follow Cho on Instagram here.
