Our traditional brassware is made of brass, which is a mixture of 78% copper and 22% tin, melted at a high temperature of 1200-1300℃. The history of brassware in Korea has been representative of high-quality tableware culture, along with ceramics, throughout the Bronze Age, Three Kingdoms Period, and Joseon Dynasty. In particular, Ansung brassware has received the highest praise throughout the country, as evidenced by the idiom "Ansungmatchum" (a perfect fit).

Brassware is a material that changes color to purple when exposed to pollutants such as carbon monoxide, toxic substances, or foreign substances harmful to the human body. This characteristic indicates that it is a material that serves as a benchmark for sterilization and cleanliness. In the past, it was said that when someone who used brassware became ill, the surface of the bowl in contact with their body would react and change color. It was also said that brassware was used to disinfect and exterminate insects (leeches) for prevention. Copper, the main ingredient, has sterilizing, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory effects and can help to fight cancer, stimulate the brain, prevent aging, and aid in weight loss.

Brassware has been used in Korea since the Bronze Age, and we can get a glimpse of the brassware manufacturing technology of that era from various bronze artifacts unearthed today. Korea's Bronze Age culture seems to have been influenced by the northern "Ordos-Liaoning region" bronze culture, which was related to the Siberian "Minusinsk-Scythian" bronze culture. In the early Bronze Age, they made pipa-shaped bronze swords (琵琶形銅劍) and rough-patterned mirrors (粗文鏡). In the late Bronze Age, they independently cast fine-shaped bronze swords (細形銅劍) and achieved their heyday, creating a variety of tools, including fine-patterned mirrors (細文鏡), bells, and ritual vessels.

After the Iron Age, bronze coexisted with iron for a while but gradually disappeared. It started to develop again from the Three Kingdoms Period. In the case of Baekje, it is recorded in the 『Nihon Shoki』 (日本書紀) that they transmitted smelting and crafting techniques to Japan. The gilt-bronze large basin (大鉢) unearthed from the head of the queen's tomb of King Muryeong (525) is a bowl made of bronze. Also, according to records in the 『Samguk Sagi』 (三国史記), it is known that Silla had an institution called Cheolyujeon (鐵鍮田) that managed iron and brass before King Gyeongdeok (742-765). This shows that the Three Kingdoms Period and Unified Silla Period were a time of revolutionary development in terms of metal materials and technology. The outstanding manufacturing technology of that time can be inferred from many Buddhist art pieces, such as the Baekryulsa Yaksa Buddha statue, the Sangwonsa Bronze Bell (725), and the Seongdeok Dae Wang Shinjong (771).

During the Goryeo Dynasty, they produced "Goryeo Copper," which had a beautiful color, and traded it with China. Their manufacturing technology also advanced, producing Buddha statues and various Buddhist implements, household utensils, movable type, and even firearms in the later period. Royal family members and the aristocracy used thin, tough bronze tableware made using the bangja (방짜) technique.

From the beginning of the Joseon Dynasty, the government actively promoted mining. According to the 『Gyeongguk Daejeon』 (經國大典), the government appointed eight brass craftsmen (鍮匠) as central artisans, known as Gyeonggongjang (京工匠), in the Ministry of Works (工曹) and four in the Royal Wardrobe (尙衣院). It is also recorded that a considerable number of outer brass craftsmen (外工匠) were assigned to local government offices to make brassware for their needs. Due to the Confucian policy of suppressing Buddhism, the Joseon Dynasty did not have many gold products with Buddhist connotations. However, they produced many everyday items and folk crafts with a simple and modest feel, such as tobacco pouches, braziers, incense burners, and tableware sets. Although ceramics were used as mass-produced tableware, brassware continued to be used as tableware by the upper class, following the Goryeo Dynasty, and was also used as everyday items in middle-class households and above. It was produced in various locations throughout the country and formed a market.

In the late 19th century, almost all the brassware owned by households was confiscated under the pretext of "brassware requisition" by Japan. After the liberation in 1945, brassware became popular again. However, after the Korean War, people started to prefer stainless steel utensils instead of brassware, which easily discolored from charcoal gas, as charcoal briquettes were used for heating. As a result, brassware gradually disappeared. However, brassware has recently been gaining attention as various experiments have revealed its ability to kill O-157 bacteria and detect pesticide residues. Currently, it is used to make tableware, musical instruments, ceremonial implements, and various other household items.

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