Hoeyoung-gun, Hamgyeongbuk-do, Korea, borders Maejima, Jilin Province, China, across the Tumen River, and its capital is Hoeyoung. The pottery industry in this area probably dates back to the Kim dynasty, and at first, the pottery was the same as the lower-grade wares from the Kim and Yuan miscellaneous kilns, and later learned from the Ru kilns. Among the excavated shards, there is a piece exactly the same as Ru ware. The glaze color is difficult to distinguish, although the body is of course different.
Because of its location, this pottery has left the main stream of Korea and has the style of northern China. Until this century, the kilns have continued to produce a variety of traditional ceramics, but the current status of the kilns is unknown under North Korean rule. The pottery includes jars, large bowls, plates with high bases, bowls in the shape of a baby’s head, and one-armed vessels, and is generally large in size. The clay is thick, coarse, and rat- or reddish, and the glaze is yellowish brown with sea squirt or black, and in most cases it is applied to the waist or to the edge of the base, with medium penetration. Some pieces closely resemble Korean karatsu and mottled karatsu. (“Shina Koso Ceramics,” Chawan, 43)
