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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=597305118-19112004>Inspired by the
discussion of Mangbusok, I thought that I'd put a similar query before the
forum. Does anyone know anything about Sun-imgum, or King Sun
(Seun)? When I was interviewing traditional onggi potters in
Cholla-namdo in the 1980s, the latter occasionally referred to a story about an
ancient king who, during a period of exile, had to take up pottery-making for a
living. When he went out to the market to sell his jars, his command "tok
sara, tok sara" (or onggi sara) elicited no takers. Only when the queen
gently suggested that he call out "tok saseyo, tok saseyo" was he able
to sell his ware. My informants took away from this story two
lessons: First, that their station in society couldn't be so low if King
Sun himself made onggi. And, second, that even the king couldn't get away
with talking down to his subjects. (I might mention that there are some
cynical variations on the story; but this is the one I heard most
often.) </SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=597305118-19112004></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=597305118-19112004>I thought, perhaps,
that this story might have a Chinese antecedent (e.g., Mencius), especially
since Sun-imgum was sometimes represented as a Chinese king. So far,
though, I haven't been able to find a connection. I'm trying to
finish a long-term book project on the history of the onggi industry which in
some areas has a connection with the history of Catholicism in Korea and in
other areas does not. This story figures in my discussion of the
non-Catholic potter community. </SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=597305118-19112004></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=597305118-19112004>Thanks in advance
for any insights anyone can offer.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=597305118-19112004></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=597305118-19112004>Robert H.
Sayers</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=597305118-19112004>Arlington,
VA </SPAN></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>