.jpg) Kim Park-young, designated Important Intangible Cultural Properties No. 47, draws a bow 145 meters away from a target in Sungmujung, an archery field located in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province. / Korea Times photos by Shim Hyun-chul |
By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter
Kim Park-young, the nation's only bowyer master, runs his hands over a bow more than 3,500 times to ``inspire some life into it.''
The 78-year-old practitioner pulls out a bow and arrow from his creations at his workshop in Sungmujung, an archery field located in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province.
Kim shows off his still-energetic prowess by drawing a bow 145 meters away from a target on the field.
Kim is known as a traditional bow maker with a mission to keep the craft alive against overwhelming modern archery production methods.
Kim calls the traditional bow a ``live bow'' as it is made from all natural materials _ both animals and plants.
``The Korean traditional bows are made from natural materials. So it is good for the human body unlike the modern bows made from artificial materials,'' he said in an interview with The Korea Times.
``Our traditional bows, only one-meter high, excel both in function and artistry. It has a longer shot range of up to 145 meters and it has a round shape to make it more elastic,'' Kim said.
Japanese folk bows are usually two meters high and have a 30-meter shooting distance, while Western-style bows now used in international sports games have a 70-meter shooting range.
``It's because our bows are very elastic as they are made from various materials to help them bend easily for shooting. They are small in size to carry but have a long shooting range,'' Kim said.
Bows are made from materials such as bamboo, mulberry tree, water buffalo horn and cow muscles. Using horns and muscles makes it possible to shoot arrows to a long distance.
The grip and both ends of the bow are made of black oak and mulberry. In order to maintain resilience, manufacturers insert bamboo in the center parts and attach cow horn and muscle with fish glue. But as fish glue tends to have poor adhesive strength in humid and hot weather, they don't make bows in the summer. Manufacturing tools used in production include a saw, plane, mallet, file, knife, gimlet, flat pliers, wooden comb and iron comb.
``At first, it looks simple. But to make a bow, we masters must prepare and make it over a course of one year,'' Kim said.
Kim said that in summer he trims materials such as wood pieces and water buffalo horn.
Around September, he attaches materials together with fish glue, not once but many times for each item. After a month of dehydration during the spring, he strings a bow and forms it into a balanced shape.
``It is a long and laborious job. Nobody knows the sweat and time spent on a single bow,'' he said.
Kim is a second generation designated bow and arrow making master since the nation first designated the late Kim Jang-hwan, the first master in bow making in 1971.
Kim said that the four masters of making bows and arrows of the first generation have all passed away. Now Kim is the only master with this skilled craftsmanship appreciated by the nation.
He was designated as Important Intangible Cultural Properties No. 47 for bow making in 1996. He now works along with his son, Yun-gyeong, at his small workshop.
It is widely known that Koreans have the best craftsmanship for bow making in the world.
In the past, Chinese people called Koreans ``Dongi,'' which means a nation of people who live in the East and make and shoot arrows well. In the wall paintings of Goguryeo, the bows are similar to ``gukgung'' or ``gakgung'' now in use. Gakgung means a bow made from animals' horns.
Goryeo people attached importance to arrow shooting and bowman-ship, which was one of the required courses for the military service examination in the early Joseon era. Kim said that archery was one of the hobbies enjoyed by the noble classes.
But as firelocks were imported after the Japanese invasion of Korea in 1592, bows and arrows lost their popularity as weapons. Through changes over time, gukgung (or gakgung) is once again widespread.
Kim produces on average 50-60 bows a year along with his son, who joined his father's business seven years ago when Kim's apprentice was killed in a traffic accident.
Kim naturally came to learn how to make bows as he was born in Yecheon, North Gyeongsang Province, a traditional home of bow and arrow making.
He went to Bucheon in 1964 to learn his craft from the late master Kim Jang-hwan.
But recently it has been difficult to find apprentices to teach the traditional techniques, unlike other traditional genres such as traditional performers.
Yun-gyeong said that the awareness of traditional craftsmen still remains very low, particularly for crafts such as bow making.
``I think bow craftsmanship is closer to a technique rather than art because it is supposed to meet the expectation for a high standard of functions. Even though the bows look beautiful, if they don't work well, they are useless,'' Yun-gyeong said.
``Unlike other traditional fields, it is an urgent matter for the government and people to protect these traditional skills and artisanship which is on the verge of disappearance as masters are too old to maintain the techniques forever,'' Yun-gyeong said. Kim said that he receives only one million won from the government to teach the apprentices.
The 78-year-old master said that modified bows and arrows with modern artificial materials are increasingly replacing the traditional folk bows.
``It is convenient to shoot the arrows with the modified bows and it's cheap and easy to deal with,'' he said.
But he has never turned to making the modern bows although it is more lucrative than making traditional ones.
``Our bows absorb the shock waves after shooting. It doesn't hurt the shoulders. But when we use the modern bows, the shooting makes the shoulders hurt because the bows are too stiff and hard, not resilient,'' he said.
``The traditional bows are `alive,' not just a `dead' subject. So the shooters should cautiously deal with the bows, like an animated entity,'' Kim said.
He said it's his job to stick to the past that goes back to the Three Kingdoms when archery was purportedly widely used.
``I love the traditional bows in their beautiful shapes and functions. I started the job because I am crazily in love with it. Nobody stops passionate people from wanting to do things themselves,'' he said.
``I couldn't force my son to follow my suit because it is a very difficult path. But I am very pleased that my son has voluntarily decided to follow the same path as me,'' he said.
A bow maker is called ``gungjang,'' while an arrow maker is called ``sijang.'' Ryu Yeong-ki was designated as an important intangible cultural asset as an arrow master.
Anybody interested in learning how to make a traditional bow can call (031) 613-6159.
chungay@koreatimes.co.kr
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