A hand-sculpted ceramic planter 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. 116, is wheel-thrown in traditional Korean stoneware clay with a white porcelain overlay — the body reading as warm terracotta red, earthy, matte, and unmistakably rooted. Deep burgundy glaze pools around the eyes like heavy-lidded shadow. A single exposed row of upper teeth, finished in a gold metallic luster, gives the face its quirky, stoic expression. Two small curved horns, also in gold luster, rise from either side of the head. Below the mouth, vertical carved lines flow downward like a stylized beard — a graphic detail that gives the whole piece the presence of a wise, watchful old face.
Functions as a planter with a drainage hole at the base. A guardian for the plant it holds — and for the room it lives in.
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.
- Traditional Korean stoneware clay with white porcelain overlay: warm, earthy, matte — the body reads as terracotta rather than porcelain, grounded and rooted.
- Carved vertical beard: a graphic detail that gives the piece its quiet dignity. The lines flow from below the mouth down the body like calligraphic brushwork.
- Gold metallic luster accents at the horns, eyes, and teeth: catches light beautifully. (Note: this piece uses gold metallic luster, not 23.5K gold as featured in other Dogabi works.)
- Functional as a planter: drainage hole at the base makes it a working home for a small houseplant, succulent, or herb.
- Dokkaebi mythology: an old Korean word for goblin — traditionally a guardian of the home and a symbol of abundance, not a monster. A protective face for the plant it holds.
- Collectible from the first: the studio numbers each piece, and past Dogabi sold through Takamichi Beauty Room have not returned.
DETAILS
- Material: traditional Korean stoneware clay, white porcelain overlay
- Size: 200 x 170 x 200 (h) mm / 7.9" x 6.7" x 7.9" high
- Opening diameter: 120 mm / 4.7"
- Weight: 1,220g
- Method: wheel throwing, hand sculpting
- Kiln: oxidation firing at 2,192°F, glaze
- Metallic luster accents at horns, eyes, and teeth (not 23.5K gold)
- Drainage hole at base
- 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.
