[스크랩] The Korean Paper Trail: Hanji (영문판 기사입니다.)

출처 : http://www.pomnada.com/hanji.html

 

 

The Korean Paper Trail: Hanji

 

"Hanji" is paper made of mulberry bark and is one of Korea's finest products, dating back to the Three Kingdoms period around 130 A.D. "Han" refers to the Korean people and "ji" means paper. The name is revealing of the history and life of Korea it holds within its stretched and bleached fibers.

Over the past few thousand years there has been no diminishment in the production and quality of the paper or its many uses, although its value has fast been eclipsed by modern paper production. Today, in Pungsan, near the Hahoe Folk Village in North Gyeongsang Province, and Jeonju city, factories work against a bear market to continue this ancient and relevant craft. In these factories and showrooms visitors are invited to participate in the craft of paper and its tactile hold on Korea's culture.

Little is known about the history of hanji, but without it little would be known about much of the history of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910 A.D.). From its introduction in the late Silla Kingdom around 751 A.D. and from its first factory in 1415, hanji documents and paintings recorded who was who at a time when communication was highly limited. Their high resilience both in use and over time have kept documents intact today that would otherwise have deteriorated beyond recognition.

The presence of mulberry trees in Korea was noted as early as 105 A.D., about the time of the first major paper production in the Chinese empire. Mulberry trees grow fast, and provide the most flexible and rugged bark for paper making, even compared to today's chemically treated pulp and paper mills. In one year, a tree can grow large enough to be harvested for its bark and wood (which will be put to separate use). Although rice, bamboo, pine and willow were all used for paper production in China, hanji is exclusively made from mulberry bark.

Mulberry bark allows for the production of neutral paper (low acidity) of medium thickness. Its fibers are not woven too thickly, giving the paper good ventilation. Each fiber is long and thin, which gives it flexibility and dexterity, as well as high resilience to weather and moisture. These qualities have made it one of the longest-lasting paper products in the world, lasting longer than a millennia.

Two items in particular gives this claim credibility. At Bulguk Temple in Gyeongju, a parchment was found dating to 750-755 A.D. It was a detail of a Buddhist sutra associated with monks of the Hwaeom Buddhist sect, and is now National Treasure No. 196, and hangs in the National Museum in Seoul. An even older example written in 670 A.D. by the same sect of Buddhists was later found. This is National Treasure No. 1,040, and is also on display. A close look at these reveals little discoloration of the paper, few molds and fungi and to a trained eye, are still quite readable.

In the millennia after these items were made, thousands of documents and artworks made of hanji have been collected and archived thanks to the strength of the paper it is printed on. King Sejong, the fourth monarch of the Joseon Dynasty, famous for his interest in language, was likewise interested in paper. He set up the first paper factory in 1415 and hanji took off as a craft, leaving vast documentation of the lives of people in Joseon Korea. The great philosopher Toegye, the great poets and painters all used hanji, enjoying the flexibility of the paper for calligraphic work. Most people papered their walls and windows with hanji because of its breathable but sturdy texture. Hanji was also used for packaging and money, but is no longer used for the latter. With the wide range of uses that Koreans found for mulberry paper, it became known as "Korean paper."

Yet despite its legacy, hanji was made by ordinary people, mainly in cottage industries around Korea. The skills to make paper were not secret, but widely disseminated. This is probably because the work is painstaking, detailed, and entirely manual, today and 500 years ago.

The Pungsan Hanji Factory near Andong and Hahoe Village is a great place to see and touch the paper, and to see the delicacy and skill of its practitioners. Visitors follow the production of paper from tree to products, and are given a chance to produce their own piece of paper, which is stamped and addressed for them. It is a marvel to see how natural the process is, using no synthetic chemicals except for dyes (natural dyed products are also available).

Finally, in the warehouse you can see all the varieties of paper ready for sale. School groups can have lessons in hanji craft from a local expert.

The factory moved to this tourist area from North Chungcheong province in 1998 as the market for Korean paper shrank against cheaper imported products from China and Russia. They reopened along the road to Hahoe Village with tourism as a new potential market. In their first year they entertained 150,000 visitors. By the third year, more than 400,000 visitors were arriving annually to see and practice paper making, buy crafts and learn craft traditions. Browse through the guest book and you are sure to find celebrities and dignitaries comments and autographs; the factory interests people from all over the world.

Jeonju City in North Jeolla Province is the traditional home of hanji where it was famous for paper in the Joseon Dynasty. In those days it produced 40 percent of all the paper in Korea, but since the market has shrunk it compares closely to the factory in Pungsan. Here too, the legacy of hanji stands out in a tourist area known as the Hanok Village. Here you can see perhaps the finest of all hanji products on display, make a small sheet of hanji and go to a paper museum at PanAsia Paper Inc., a factory outside of town.

Each of these places puts hanji in its place as a highlight of Korean civilization. The Pungsan Hanji factory is open from 9 a.m.to 5 p.m. year round, and information is available at www.andonghanji.com. Information on Jeonju Hanji can be found at www.Jeonju.go.kr.

 

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