Gaya Jar

Earthenware
6th century

The Gaya confederacy (AD 42–532), located in the south of the Korean peninsula in what is now Gimhae, was a major center of iron production and had active trade with Japan. They possessed advanced iron-making technology, and the accompanying high-temperature firing techniques led to the production of very sturdy pottery.

This earthenware jar has a wide mouth and round ears with holes attached at the shoulders, and features a generally round body in a bluish-gray color. It has a round bottom, so it was likely used on a high stand, and ropes or similar materials were probably used as handles, threaded through the ears on both sides.

From the shoulder down to the bottom, one can see densely engraved herringbone-like patterns, which were created by tapping with a patterned board during the making process. The tanal (타날, "striking") technique involves shaping the vessel by repeatedly hitting it with a patterned board, turning the shoulder once, tapping the body, and then turning and tapping the bottom. Additionally, under the ears on the inside of the jar, one can find what is known as a a "finger impression," a concave spot which is a trace of where the potter added clay and pressed it with his fingers to shape and secure the inside of the jar.