Introduction

Native crafts are one of the most prominent features of traditional Korean culture.

The study of Korean craftwork sheds much light on the nation's cultural heritage. In this sense, "crafts" signify much more than lacquered boxes or pottery bowls, for craftwork is closely associated with the character of a people and thus reflects the dreams and aspirations of both producers and consumers. In Korea, there is a well-developed crafts tradition. Indeed, some foreign admirers of Korea, including Germany's Eckardt and Japan's Yanagi Muneyoshi, have went so far as to describe Korea as the "land of crafts." Looking at crafts in order to understand the Korean artistic sensibilities these foreign scholars concluded that the distinguishing feature of the Korean aesthetic was to be found in its natural beauty. This can be attributed to the general Korean character which has traditionally felt a close affinity to nature and thus prized natural beauty which was, as far as possible, devoid of human contrivance.

Korean crafts can be broadly classified according to medium as follows: metal crafts, wood crafts, ceramics, glass, dyed and woven goods and miscellaneous craft work. Since structurally weak materials such as cloth, leather and paper deteriorate rapidly, there are few old examples remaining, except for lacquerware and wood crafts. Thus, it must be kept in mind that the modern research's focus on metal crafts and pottery has no bearing on the comparative importance or function of these particular crafts in the past.