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 Home >> Who's Being Talked About? >> Artisan
Bows of Korea, an ancient tradition - An Interview with a Gukgung Craftsman, Kwon, Young Doek
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Buddhist art has flourished in Korea for over 1600 years. Today, young artists, such as Lee Cheol-Seung, continue to fi...
An Interview with Sue-Jung Cho, the Chairman of Sue-Jung Hanji Painting Association
Let people in the world know about Korea's antique style painting, Hanji Painting. Hanji is a traditional Korean paper m...

Skilled Experts and Passionate Souls


The dictionary defines a 'craftsman' as a person who practices a craft with hand.   During The Joseon Period skillful people made things for use in government offices and palaces.   They were called craftsmen.

Korean ancestors called a person who had and practiced an expert technique ¡®Jang-i¡¯.   Jang-is had pride and incredible fondness for their vocations.   

Jang-is poured their souls into their work. Even though their expert skill was important, they also considered a good mentality to be equally essential. When interviewing possible students, teachers evaluated their spirituality before their skill. They were so proud of their work that any actions against professionalism were not tolerated.   

Craftsmen often give up other privileges to focus on their work.   There are many examples of this throughout history. Craftsman like Jang Sung Up who gave up his high position in government office.   The family of Sim Su Gwan has been making Joseon ceramics for 13 generations, even when they were forced to move to Japan during the war. True craftsmen don¡¯t compromise to anything the world throws at them.

This dedication suggests that true craftsman place importance upon inner, instead of worldly, values.



 
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