Barrel-shaped Jar

Janggun is a jar used to contain liquid such as water, liquor, soy sauce, and urine. It resembles a long pottery jar lying on its side. One end is flat, while the other end assumes a dome shape. On top, there is a narrow mouth. Small pottery jars of this type are used to contain water or liquor, while large jars are filled with urine and carried using an A-frame carrier. The latter type is called ojum janggun (ojum means urine in Korean), ojum chumari, somae janggun, or simply janggun. These jars are not uniform in size. Large jars are 30 cm in diameter and 60 cm in length, with a capacity of around 5.5 ℓ of urine, while small ones hold around 1.8 ℓ of liquid. Wooden jars of this type are made by gathering and interlocking wooden pieces into a barrel shape. These jars have a slightly bulbous belly, while both ends of the body are somewhat narrower than the belly. The mouth is in the middle of the top, as with ash-glazed pottery janggun jars. Bamboo strips are wrapped around the body to secure the wooden pieces, and hardwood is carved to be placed on the mouth. Wooden jars are used to carry not only urine but also manure. Wooden jars are as resilient as pottery jars, and were used to carry water in construction sites. However, wooden jars face the disadvantage of shrinking and splintering in disuse, and require regular reassembly.