A hand-sculpted porcelain incense burner and lamp from Dogabi — a South Korean ceramic studio whose entire output is built around a single figure: the dokkaebi, or Korean goblin. In Korean folklore, the dokkaebi is not a villain. It is a guardian — a protector of the home, a bringer of abundance, a creature that lives in the space between the frightening and the familiar.
This piece, No. 241, is wheel-thrown and hand-sculpted in white porcelain, with a bright reddish-amber glaze pooling across the upper portion of the head — crown, horns, and brow — while the lower face stays bone-white, as if a cloak of warm color has been draped over the top. Two wide round eyes with British 23.5K gold pupils stare out beneath heavy painted brows. A broad snout sits above a wide, almost cartoonish grin lined with a full row of gold teeth, slightly uneven and immediately alive. Two small gold-tipped horns rise from the crown.
The upper section is designed with hollow ventilation parts in the lid: the scent of incense diffuses subtly through the top as well as the mouth, so the whole head breathes. Includes a holder and lid. Fired at 2,282°F with oxidation glaze firing, then re-fired at 1,472°F for the gold. Each piece is one of a kind; no two Dogabi are identical.
WHY IT'S SPECIAL
- Every piece is unique: wheel-thrown and hand-sculpted individually by ceramic artist Hyung Jun Kim — no two are the same face, the same glaze, the same expression.
- Includes a holder and lid: the upper section has hollow ventilation that allows smoke to diffuse through the lid as well as the mouth. The whole head releases scent.
- British 23.5K gold pupils, horns, and teeth: re-fired at 1,472°F — the gold reads warm and lit against the white body.
- Two-tone glaze: reddish-amber across the crown and brow, bone-white below. The contrast gives the face a graphic, almost illustrated quality.
- Dogabi looks more mysterious and energetic when a light glows and smoke rises by itself, creating a special atmosphere in the room.
- Dokkaebi mythology: an old Korean word for goblin — traditionally a guardian of the home and a symbol of abundance, not a monster. The fearsome face is protective.
- Collectible from the first: the studio numbers each piece, and past Dogabi sold through Takamichi Beauty Room have not returned.
DETAILS
- Material: white porcelain
- Size: 110 x 110 x 120 (h) mm / 4.3" x 4.3" x 4.7" high
- Weight: 500g
- Method: wheel throwing, hand sculpting, pierced decoration
- Kiln: oxidation firing at 2,282°F, glaze; 1,472°F for gold (British 23.5K)
- Includes holder and lid with hollow ventilation
- Holds palo santo sticks and incense
- One of a kind; each piece varies
- Made in South Korea by THR Ceramic Studio
THE BRAND
Dogabi is the ceramic line of THR Ceramic Studio, founded in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea in 2003 by ceramic artist Hyung Jun Kim. The studio's work spans functional objects and one-of-a-kind sculpture, but the Dogabi series is its most singular obsession: every piece is a new version of the same figure — the dokkaebi of Korean folklore, reimagined in porcelain each time. The dokkaebi has been part of Korean imagination for centuries, appearing as guardian, trickster, monster, and protector depending on who is telling the story. Kim's versions are all of these at once. Each is numbered, each is different, and none come back once they're gone. In October 2025, Takamichi Beauty Room hosted an exhibition with the artist, covered by T Magazine.
