A hand-sculpted porcelain incense and palo santo burner 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. 363, is wheel-thrown and hand-sculpted in white porcelain with a pale celadon glaze — wide-bodied, four-legged, and unmistakably alive. Two asymmetric eyes, a broad snout, and a gaping grin lined with platinum-fired teeth. Three horns catch the light differently depending on the angle. It stands just under 6 inches tall, open-mouthed and ready — a palo santo stick or incense rests between the teeth, smoke rising from its grin. The open mouth is not decorative. It is the function.
Fired at 2,282°F with oxidation, then re-fired at 1,472°F for the platinum glaze. 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.
- Form and function as one object: the open mouth holds a palo santo stick or incense between the teeth; smoke exits through the same opening. The burner works because of what it is, not despite it.
- 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.
- White porcelain fired twice: oxidation firing at 2,282°F for the body and glaze; platinum firing at 1,472°F for the horns and teeth. The result is dense, resonant, and entirely hand-finished.
- 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: 135 x 105 x 150 (h) mm / approx. 5.3" x 4.1" x 5.9" high
- Weight: 590g
- Method: wheel throwing, hand sculpting, pierced decoration
- Kiln: oxidation firing at 2,282°F; platinum glaze firing at 1,472°F
- 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.
