All About Horsehair Craftsmanship
By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter
Traditional craftsmen wove fine horsehair into pieces of art from headgear to the bows of stringed instruments for its natural beauty and durability to withstand the elements.
Although the use of horsehair has waned to the point of almost being forgotten over time, its craftsmanship still holds both practical and artistic beauties that can be appreciated even today.
The Korea Racing Association's Equine Museum is holding a special exhibition that displays 55 artworks made of horsehair by four master artisans who were designated as Important Intangible Cultural Properties.
In the past, horsehair was used for making "gat," or traditional formal hats; "tanggeon," or a horsehair skullcap; musical instruments; sieves; and brushes.
In the exhibition, masterpieces from "gat" master Kang Sun-ja, brush maker Kim Jong-choon, sieve maker Paik Gyeong-hyeon and stringed instrument maker Cho Dae-seok are presenting their work.
"Gat" is a type of Korean traditional hat worn by men along with hanbok (Korean traditional clothing) during the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910). It is made from horsehair, with a bamboo frame, and is partly transparent and black in color. Not only "gat" but also other types of headgear were also made from horsehair. Kang followed in her mother's footsteps on Jeju Island, which is known as a place for breeding horses.
A brush maker is an expert of writing (painting) brushes which are, along with ink, paper and ink stones, essential for writing and painting. A brush must uniformly hold ink without splitting its ends. It must also be durable, elastic and pliable. Horsehair was mainly used to make brushes. Brush maker Kim began making them at the age of 10 and has continued his efforts until the present.
Paik is a veteran artisan specialized in making traditional Korean sieves. A sieve is a tool consisting of wood or metal frame with a net fixed to it, and used to separate solids from a liquid, or larger solids from smaller ones, or vice versa. The materials used for making the net are diverse according to the purpose of the sieve, from horsehair and silk to wire and bamboo. Almost all traditional Korean sieves are round although the size and height differs according to regions. Those used in the capital area are known to have been smaller than those made and used in the rest of the country.
Cho has manufactured stringed instruments such as "ajaeng" and "haegeum" using horsehair. Some players prefer to use an actual horsehair bow rather than a stick, believing the sound to be softer.
The exhibition titled "The Most Beautiful Tail in the World," features the beauty of traditional artwork made of horsehair that vary from brown, grey, black and white in color with a shiny, polished and rich touch.
Horsehair is known to be strong and durable. The traditional masters have created their works mixing traditional skills and modern designs to help the craftsmanship survive the test of time.
At the exhibition hall, there is a calligraphic work saying "Mami," which means a horse's tail written with a horsehair brush by Yu Byeong-ri along with a poem about the horse.
The exhibition shows the videos of interviews with artisans about their lifelong stories and their working process.
The Korea Racing Authority first opened the KRA Equine Museum in line with the opening of the Seoul Olympics in 1988, and has opened horse culture relics and materials to the public. The museum is continuing its efforts to properly establish an equine civilization and it has conducted academic studies on horse riding culture, published a series of studies on horse culture, and has introduced the restoration and demonstration of horseback military arts.
The exhibition will continue through May 30 at the gallery of the Horse Race Park in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province. For more information, call (02) 509-1283.