Ceramics of Baekje

Do you see the workers putting firewood into the kiln and the artisans drying the pottery? There are people busy firing ceramics here in this scene.

This time, we will learn about the ceramic and roof tile-making specialist.

The Kingdom of Baekje granted the government position and title of "Masters" to artisans. This position was similar to a leader of a craftsmen’s guild, and was the 8th or 9th most senior in the Baekje government. As such, the Masters were treated with great respect.

The “Masters” system developed as a means of quality control. The manufacturing activities required to produce each product were distributed amongst workers, as you can see from this exhibit.

It was the Master’s responsibility to manage the artisans, controlling the quality of the end-products, and managing productivity.

Baekje dispatched some of these Masters to Japan to propagate their advanced ceramics techniques. Even today, roof tiles adorned with Baekje’s patterns are found at temple sites in Japan.