The Goddess of Fire

Goddess of Fire is a 2013 South Korean television series starring Moon Geun-young, Lee Sang-yoon, Kim Bum, Park Gun-hyung, Seo Hyun-jin, Jun Kwang-ryul, Jeong Bo-seok, Byun Hee-bong, Han Go-eun, and Lee Kwang-soo. It airs on MBC on Mondays and Tuesdays at 21:55 for 32 episodes beginning July 1, 2013. The historical drama depicts the life and love of Yoo Jung, who is based on real-life 16th century historical figure Baek Pa-sun, renowned as the first female potter and porcelain artist in the Joseon Dynasty. Baek’s glazing skills were so prized, she was appointed as a china maker for the royal family. But her fame also attracted the attention of foreign invaders, and during the Japanese invasion in 1592, she was among the Korean artisans captured and forcibly taken to Japan and made to continue their craft there. Under Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s orders to enrich Japanese arts and culture, Baek helped the advancement of many new types of pottery that would be claimed as Japanese works of art. She became well-respected in Japan, and there exists a shrine in the city of Arita dedicated to her.