In Geography Monograph of King Sejong(『世宗實錄地理志』), there are 139 places of ceramic factories(磁器所) in the eight provinces(八道) and the number, the location, and the grade of the ceramic factories. Therefore, the record is a very important text of understanding situation for production of ceramics in the early of the Joseon Dynasty. As the investigation processed by regional groups, studies of ceramic factories have determined the features of the ceramics classified by the grade, so far. However, the study of how the standard of the grade as high, middle, and low quality is selected has been insufficient, until now.
There is a purpose in this thesis which are to study the grade standard of the ceramic factory in Geography Monograph of King Sejong according to compare and analyze ceramics with reference to literature record for a grade standard of high, middle, and low-quality ceramic factory with focusing on quality and used place of ceramic.
As a result of finding the meaning of ‘poom(品)’ in some literature records, the meaning of the letter is quality in the records of ceramic, paper, iron, sulfur, tax of farmland, and so forth.
An object of the study is the grayish-blue-powdered celadon discovered at the 20 ceramic factories in Gyeongsang-do in Geography Monograph of King Sejong: the two high-quality ceramic factories, the seven middle-quality ceramic factories, and the eleven low-quality ceramic factories. And some points, model of ceramic, technique of pattern ornament, pattern, clay, glaze color, inscription, the instrument used in kiln, and so far, are examined by the objects. The clay and glaze color are related to the quality of the ceramic among the different points of the Grayish-blue-powdered celadon’s quality. In the case of the clay, the first, high-quality ceramics do not have stoma and is elaborated. The second, middle-quality ceramics have a little grain of sand but is detailed. The last, low-quality ceramics are not elaborated for a lot of stoma and grain of sand. In the case glaze color, high and middle-quality ceramics are greenish gray, but low-quality ceramics are yellowish brown. The reason of the difference of the quality is that the low-quality ceramics are worse condition than the middle-quality ceramics are though comparison with the Grayish-blue-powdered celadon from middle and low-quality ceramic factories in Chungchong-do. Therefore, the grade standard of the ceramic factory in Geography Monograph of King Sejong is considered by the quality of the ceramic.
There could be divided a royal family and a government office for a used place of ceramic with reference to the Grayish-blue-powdered celadon and the White porcelain from literature record and Geography Monograph of King Sejong. So, it is bound to that the White porcelain for the royal family are from Gwangju(廣州), Goryeong(高靈), and Sangju(尙州) as a high-quality ceramic factory. The reasons are that the White porcelain from the high-quality ceramic factory are patternless, intaglio, and inlaid work porcelain without a inscription of a government office. The time of the using the White porcelain in royal family is from 1433(15years of King Sejong) to 1447(29years of King Sejong), however, the time of production of the White porcelain in the high-quality ceramic factories such as Gwangju(廣州), Goryeong(高靈), and Sangju(尙州) is from 1425 to 1460s.
The case of the ceramics in used the governmen office is checked by the Grayish-blue-powdered celadon with inscription. The Grayish-blue -powdered celadon with Neseom inscription(內贍銘) is from the middle and low-quality factories in Jeonla-do. Yebin-si(禮賓寺銘) and Neja-si inscriptions(內資寺銘) are from the middle-quality ceramic factories in chungcheong-do. Jangheung-go(長興庫) and Insu-bu inscriptions(仁壽府) with name of province are from in the middle and low-quality ceramic factories in Gyeongsang-do. As a result, Each middle and low-quality factories in the eight provinces payed tributes such as the Grayish-bl ue-powdered celadon and the White porcelain to each the government office. Therefore, the other grade standard of the ceramic is considered by used places of ceramics.