Subtle beauty
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Eom Ik-pyeong demonstrates the jade crafting process using various tools in Bukchon Hanok Village, Seoul. / Korea Times photos by Choi Won-suk
Artisan pursues simplicity in jade
By Chung Ah-young
Eom Ik-pyeong spent three years doing nothing but cutting and sawing raw jade when he started to learn jade craft at age 16 from his teacher Hong Jong-ho in Sangdo-dong, Seoul. Hong, however, didn’t teach him the core skills of jade craft, and one day, his teacher suddenly sold his workshop to another owner who wasn’t interested in producing works in jade. Even though he hadn’t fully learned advanced techniques, Eom couldn’t just quit because, having quit middle school due to financial problems, it was his means of making a living.
Then at age 19, the young and ambitious artist, along with a handful of other artisans who had worked under Hong, decided to start their own businesses. He opened his studio in a rustic hut in his village of Sangdo-dong. “My first workshop was humble and small. But I bet everything on the jade industry back then,” Eom said in an interview with The Korea Times.
Eom’s ambitious plan seemed to be successful when for his debut he made a white jade incense burner that required advanced techniques, something challenging for him. After that, his workshop attracted numerous customers. But it didn’t last long.
Upon finishing military service in 1980 and returning, other craftsmen didn’t join him. After working alone for several years, his career hit another snag when his workshop and house burned down in 1998. “I lost everything then. But I couldn’t give up again because I had wagered everything on jade craft,” he said.
Korean jade art in simplicity
Now Eom has worked as a jade artisan for more than 40 years. He said he worked with jade because it has always fascinated him. “When we see various subtle shades of jades, we are drawn by the mystique of the jewelry. So many artisans cannot escape its charm, continuing in the job for decades,” he said.
Over time, equipment and machines have been developed to help artisans fashion jade in an easier way. Traditional jade craft, however, entails selecting raw jade, and sawing, grinding, drilling and polishing it. Jade is cut through repeated abrasion with a plaited silk thread saw or a wire applied with an abrasive substance.
It takes a long time to saw jade as it is not simply cut once but over a period of time through abrasion. For example, making a tiny hole in jade takes about five hours using traditional drilling methods, he explained.
“I invented my tools when I first started this craft because there was a lack of implements and machines. Making the proper tools was one of the most difficult tasks. But now everything is convenient,” he said.
Eom said a growing number of craftsmen are using machines when they cut and carve jade. But he also said even if the machines more easily produce more accurate shaping, the resulting products can never be the same as handcrafted ones.
“Handcrafting cannot be mimicked by machines. Handcrafting takes a prolonged amount of time, but it brings different results,” he said.
When he was a novice, Eom tried to display his flamboyant skills as much as possible. His early works feature very ornate decorative carvings. But time working in the craft changed all that. According to Eom now, “I soon realized that the core of jade craft lies in simplicity.”
Eom said it is hard for craftsmen to escape their eagerness to showcase their technique as much as possible when they create something. He, however, believes that this is a mistake. According to him, “To achieve the ultimate beauty, we should let go of such false pride as much as possible. Jade craft is the art of making the best use of the beautiful raw gemstone’s own quality rather than showing off decorative techniques. We should find beauty in simplicity.”
Various traditional accessories such as “norigae” or tassel pendants, “jangdo” or the silver knife, rings and “binyeo” or a long ornamental hairpin, were made from jade. Korean jade craft is known for its simplicity compared to the Chinese style.
Jade was once regarded as one of the most precious gemstones for jewelry in Korea and the crafting of it is believed to date back to the Stone Age, having peaked during the Three Kingdoms (57 BC to AD 668)and the Goryeo Kingdom (918-1392). The craft has been much influenced by China, which still boasts of high-quality and extravagant jade artwork. Eom said China currently has a large number of jade artisans because it is still beloved in Chinese.
But in Korea, jade has lost its popularity as other gems and metals have replaced it. Its manufacturing process is manual. “Even though its popularity is declining, we artisans want to pour out our energy and effort to create pieces anyway. But modern people don’t appreciate the results. They complain about the price without taking labor into consideration,” he said.
Although people admire the elegance of jade craftwork, artisans who fashion it still live a humble, tough life. “People regard jade jewelry as luxury items. But jade artisans are hungry and struggle to make a living,” Eom said.
The master said jade craft will disappear someday as the raw material will be depleted in the near future. The majority of jade, renowned for its high quality with pure white tints from ancient times and, quarried from a mine in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, has been recently been exported to China as local demand is on the decline. “The quality of the jade determines the quality of the jade craftwork, but it will be a matter of time for jade to become exhausted,” he said.
Eom said his jade rings and other accessories have been used by actors in television epic drama series such as “Dong Yi,” “Jumong” and “Queen Seondeok.”
As the Korean dramas have been aired in other countries, an increasing number of foreign tourists are showing interest in Korean jade artwork. When “Dong Yi” was aired in Japan in 2011, Japanese tourists visited his workshop in Bukchon Hanok Village, Seoul.
Who is Eom Ik-pyeong?
Born in 1959 in Nonsan, South Chungcheong Province, Eom quit middle school because of financial difficulty and moved to Seoul at 11. He began working at a jade craft workshop at 16 and opened his own workshop at 19.
In 1992 he won an award from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism at the Korean Traditional Craft Art Competition with a set of stationery items that featured simplicity without decorative carving.
In 1998 his jade box adorned with the auspicious character “su” symbolizing longevity and “dangcho” or the oriental imaginary flower won an award from the Prime Minister at the Korean Traditional Craft Art Competition. Since then, he has received numerous awards in various traditional craft events.
In 2006 Eom was designated as the Seoul Intangible Cultural Property No. 37. He currently operates his studio in Bukchon Hanok Village, Seoul.
What is jade craft?
Jade craft is one of the oldest art forms in human history, and is believed to date back to the Stone Age in Korea, peaking during the Three Kingdoms and during the Goryeo Kingdom (918-1392), was once regarded as one of the most precious gemstones for jewelry here. Historical relics of diverse jade accessories such as pendants, hairpins and belts have been excavated from the Three Kingdoms period.
Traditional jade craft encompasses selecting raw jade and sawing, grinding, drilling and polishing it, using various equipment, such as a spinning wheel, a saw and a polishing machine. Jade is cut through repeated abrasion with a saw made of plaited silk threads or a wire applied with an abrasive substance.