A monumental hand-sculpted ceramic jar 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. 24, is named "Huin-bau" (흰바우) — Korean for "white boulder" — and lives at the top of the Dogabi scale, both in size and in ambition. Part of the artist's Jar series, it stands over 12 inches tall and weighs more than 7 pounds. Wheel-thrown and hand-sculpted from a proprietary clay body developed in THR Studio, the glazed white surface is finished with intricately carved dokkaebi motifs: a detailed forehead pattern, central eyes rendered with blue underglaze and gold-fired pupils, and sharp teeth gilded in British 23.5K liquid gold. Two bold side horns are finished in a matte black glaze — a graphic counterpoint to the gold work. On the back, the carved patterns continue around the body, and the natural warmth of the terracotta clay shows through at the rim and base.
Previously exhibited at the Mokpo Ceramic Livingware Museum in South Korea. Now available at Takamichi Beauty Room.
Fired at 2,282°F with oxidation glaze firing, then re-fired at 1,472°F for the gold. One of a kind.
WHY IT'S SPECIAL
- Part of Dogabi's Jar series — the artist's largest, most ambitious format: a monumental hand-sculpted vessel that reads as serious sculpture rather than functional object.
- Previously exhibited at the Mokpo Ceramic Livingware Museum, South Korea: a piece with museum provenance before it reaches your home.
- Proprietary clay body developed in THR Studio: Kim formulates his own clay for the Jar series — a material you'll find nowhere else.
- Named "Huin-bau" (흰바우), Korean for "white boulder": the name honors the piece's weight, scale, and stone-like presence.
- British 23.5K liquid gold accents at eyes and teeth, with matte black horns: a graphic palette that distinguishes the Jar series from the smaller Dogabi pieces.
- Intricately carved dokkaebi motifs that flow around the full form: forehead patterns and surface detail wrap seamlessly from front to back.
- Collector-grade: this is a signature piece from one of South Korea's most singular ceramic practices, and the kind of object that becomes a centerpiece anywhere it lands.
- Dokkaebi mythology: an old Korean word for goblin — traditionally a guardian of the home and a symbol of abundance, not a monster. A protective presence at scale.
DETAILS
- Material: ceramic — clay body developed in THR Studio
- Size: 280 x 180 x 320 (h) mm / 11" x 7.1" x 12.6" high
- Opening diameter: 100 mm / 3.9"
- Weight: 3,155g / 6.95 lbs
- Method: wheel throwing, hand sculpting
- Kiln: oxidation firing at 2,282°F, glaze; 1,472°F for gold
- British 23.5K liquid gold accents at eyes and teeth; matte black horns
- One of a kind
- Previously exhibited at Mokpo Ceramic Livingware Museum, South Korea
- 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 and clay 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.
