Rice-polishing Jar

Hwakdok is a tool used for grinding grains, and is also called hwakdol. It is made of a rock hollowed out into a mortar shape. This stone mortar was used to crush a small quantity of grains or seasonings such as red peppers and salt, for quantities too small to be ground in a bigger mortar. There were two types of this stone mortar – one made by hollowing out natural stone, and one made by firing a large, round pottery bowl with a coarse inside. The former type used a fist-sized stone called podok to grind the contents in the mortar. The latter type was used with a small tool resembling an hourglass with a coarse surface on both ends to grind the contents.