'Hapjukseon': breeze with bamboo and 'hanji'

Kim Dong-sik shows how to make traditional folding fans or “hapjukseon” in his workshop in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province. Kim is a fourth-generation hapjukseon maker. His family has been practicing the craft for about 140 years. / Korea Times photos by Shim Hyun-chul

Artisan brings state recognition to traditional fan making

By Chung Ah-young

JEONJU, North Jeolla Province — Kim Dong-sik’s rough hands work swiftly to split and trim bamboo strips as part of the complicated process of creating traditional folding fans or “hapjukseon.”

His skillful use of his decades-old tools is the result of a lifelong dedication to reviving the fading tradition of making folding fans.

Designated as Intangible Cultural Property No. 10 for North Jeolla Province in 2007, Kim is a fourth-generation hapjukseon maker. His family has been practicing the craft for about 140 years.

He was recently told that he will be named an Important Intangible Cultural Property for a new category — “seonjajang” or traditional fan making — by the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA).

On May 27, while making the fans, he got a call from the CHA informing him that he had just passed the evaluation to be a state-designated master of seonjajang. The CHA will make a final designation announcement in October.

He didn’t hide his excitement when he got the call. The designation made him proud of his lifelong dedication to the tradition.

“I am already a province-designated artisan, but I want to achieve something more. That’s why I applied for the state-recognized human treasure program. The process was really demanding and complicated, but I am very proud of it (the designation),” Kim said in an interview with The Korea Times.

He explained that as the tradition of fan making is based in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, where a small number of artisans are trying hard to revive the craft, it has been recognized only by the provincial government.

“I thought this tradition should be more widely recognized. So, even if it was hard, I wanted to try it. I prepared for a few years and persuaded the CHA to approve the craft as an Important Intangible Cultural Property,” he said.

The government officially designates intangible cultural heritage for preservation according to the 1962 Cultural Property Protection Law. The CHA classifies cultural heritage into three categories — state, city and province heritages.

“I hope that I can do many things to promote this craft to the wider public outside Jeonju. That’s the main reason I applied to become a state-designated living treasure,” he said.

Although the folding fans look simple, the process for making them requires more than 140 to 150 manual steps using natural materials. The state’s recognition is a testament to his commitment to this time-honored craft. He uses only traditional equipment and tools — including a work desk, hammers, knives and stones — handed down by his maternal grandfather Rah Hak-cheon, who was a court artisan during the late Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910).

“Perhaps my use of authentic tools and methods has helped me produce high-quality fans, even though many people don’t know much about them. The fans look simple, but the process is tremendously complicated,” he said.

Although cheaper fans produced in China have been threatening traditional Korean fans in recent years, he said they cannot match hapjukseon in terms of durability and beauty.

“It is not just a seasonal item. It can be handed down from generation to generation. It is widely believed to last up to 1,000 years because it is made of high-quality hanji (traditional Korean paper made from mulberry trees), which is known for its durability,” he said.

Versatile item

These days, it is rare to see people cool themselves off with traditional fans, preferring to use electric fans and air conditioners. But in ancient times, hapjukseon were must-have summer items, given as gifts to the elderly and later painted on by artists.

“It was not only used to cool off but also as a stylish accessory among the upper class,” Kim said.

Singers of traditional narrative songs or “pansori” usually hold and wave their fans during their performances, while tightrope walkers use their fans to maintain their balance. In the Joseon Kingdom, “seonbi” or scholars snappily folded and unfolded their fans at their poetry readings to create rhythm.

The fans’ surface was decorated with poems, calligraphy or paintings of a landscape or the four gracious plants — plum, orchid, chrysanthemum and bamboo. The fans were equivalent to masterful works of art.

In the conservative Confucian society, women also used the fans to shield their faces to avoid getting recognized.

“Unlike rigid ones, folding fans were used for many purposes, including as accessories. The were mainly used by the upper class and the royal court. Thus, they are indicative of high society and traditional Korean beauty,” he said.

Who is Kim Dong-sik?

Kim Dong-sik was born in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province in 1943. He began making “hapjukseon” or traditional folding fans in 1956, following in the footsteps of his maternal grandfather, Rah Hak-cheon, who created fans for the royal court in the late Joseon Kingdom.

He opened his own workshop in 1965, separating from his relatives. He was designated as Intangible Cultural Property No. 10 for North Jeolla Province in 2007.

He has recently been told that he will be named an Important Intangible Cultural Property for a new category — “seonjajang” or traditional fan making — by the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA). The CHA will announce the final designation in October.

What is 'hapjukseon'?

“Hapjukseon” literally means a fan with a frame made of two thin bamboo strips. To make the fan, an artisan splits the bamboo into thin strips, which they use to create the framework for “hanji” (traditional Korean paper made from mulberry trees). To close the fan, the surface of the hanji is folded between each bamboo rib. This type of fan is believed to have been invented during the Goryeo Kingdom (918-1392).

In ancient times, the craft was divided into six steps performed by different people, but today, one artisan performs the entire process.

In those times, the exchange of such fans as gifts was a customary practice among the elderly and the elite, especially on Dano (the fifth day of the fifth lunar month), which means the start of the summer season.

During that season, fan makers were busy making fans for the king and his officials.

The craft has thrived in Jeonju, which is renowned for producing high-quality hanji. Hanji, along with bamboo, is a basic component for making the fan. Jeonju has produced a variety of luxurious and high-quality fans.