Soban: more than small tables

Park Jong-deok looks at “soban” or a small table in his workshop in Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province. / Korea Times photos by Choi Won-suk

Artisan combines functionality with decorative art

By Chung Ah-young

JINCHEON, North Chungcheong Province — When Park Jong-deok was a teen, he saw a persimmon tree that was uprooted after being hit by lightening. He then decided to create a piece of sculpture from its roots.

Back then, in 1968, his sculpture was considered fresh and new. In 1971, although he was still an amateur, he was asked to hold a solo exhibition featuring this type of sculpture using tree roots by Kyungpook National University’s student’s union.

“I naturally became a carpenter through this sculpture. I just liked and excelled at woodworking. People around me also liked my woodwork and encouraged me to pursue this job,” Park said in an interview with The Korea Times.

Park carves the legs of “soban” or traditional tables.

He was also influenced by his grandfather, who was a carpenter. As Park has been in the job for more than 40 years, he thought that he finally needed to specialize in a certain kind of woodwork. He chose to focus on making “soban,” or small tables that are a cross between a tray and a table, which reflect the traditional Korean lifestyle.

“I was attracted to the unique designs of traditional tables in each region, especially the design of the tables’ legs,” he said.

Soban were everyday items that reflected the Korean sedentary culture. Everyone, from those from the lower class to those from the upper class, used tables made from trees grown in their neighborhood and whose designs reflect the region’s characteristics and lifestyle. The tables’ names differ according to the shapes of their legs, such the shape of as a dog’s paw or a tiger’s paw, and their regions, such as Tongyeong in South Gyeongsang Province, Naju in North Jeolla Province and Haeju in Hwanghae Province in North Korea.

“Soban’s beauty lie in their legs, which are often curved. The shapes reflect the characteristics of the local community. Also, the beauty of the legs are determined by the artisan’s carving skills,” he said.

Soban have been used in any room in the house, from the bedroom and living room, to the dining room and study room. The tables are made from gingko, paulownia or pine wood, depending on the purpose or region.

Park said making a soban requires a comprehensive range of skills, from framing to sculpting. The tables include inscriptions of letters or traditional auspicious patterns.

The artisan emphasized that like other types of woodworking, making soban starts with understanding the nature of wood. Without doing so, artisans cannot make the tables.

“Soban should be shaped such that the legs are balanced and the top even. Such composition can be achieved by understanding the wood,” he said.

When making a table or any other wooden item, the artisan must make sure that the wood does not get deformed. “Wood tends to become deformed because of weather conditions. It’s my know-how to make a product given this factor,” he said.

He assembles soban not by nailing the parts but by simply joining them together. Soban are sometimes coated with lacquer or “otchil,” but Park prefers to leave soban as they are.

“I don’t want to add any other materials on a finished table because it has its own natural beauty,” he said.

Soban from Gangwon Province have rough and simple trestles and few carvings, as the wood from the region is hard, which is not good for sculpting. Meanwhile, soban from the Chungcheong Provinces, where his workshop is located, have legs resembling a dog’s paw that are cupped inside.

The tables from Tongyeong in South Gyeongsang Province have flamboyant designs using pieces of mother-of-pearl produced in the region.

“When artisans made soban in ancient times, they had one goal in mind — the products had to be functional,” he said.

But the artisan said among the different types of woodworking, making soban is the most complicated, but soban are sold at prices lower than the labor cost as fewer people are using them today.

Despite the low profitability of making soban, however, he intends to keep this job because he believes someone should preserve this tradition.

Park said if people see soban as products that are made for profit, such products will soon disappear. But if people treasure them as part of their tradition, they will survive, even in this modern era, he said.

He doesn’t use a couch or a bed to rest because he feels comfortable living a sedentary life. “I was born into this culture. I am comfortable when I just sit and lie on the floor,” he said.

The artisan said artifacts tell us how users lived. “Judging from the shapes of the legs of the tables, we can assume where the users lived and how they lived. We can even determine the natural environment from which the tables’ materials were obtained,” he said.

Meeting of the old and new

Korean people’s lifestyles have long changed from a sitting lifestyle to a standing one. Thus, today, soban don’t have the same function as they did in the past, which is for serving food.

But Park argued that soban can be reborn as decorative objects in this modern era. “Although we don’t eat on this small table anymore, its ornamental exterior can make it a piece of artwork on which a flower vase or other decorative items can be placed,” he said.

He explained that traditional furniture can be turned into sculptures. People don’t buy furniture solely for functionality but more for their beauty. In pursuit of beauty, Park seeks to make soban that could serve as decorative objects in order to cater to modern needs and tastes.

“Artisans living in this time should make objects for this time. So, the next generation will remember why we made this product. All craftworks are created for a reason,” he said.

Park has attempted to create wooden furniture, as drawers and wardrobes, combining modern tastes and traditional woodwork.

“I hope modern people would care about traditional products a little more because they hold the key to keeping this tradition alive. This can be achieved through a small movement for using traditional items instead of modern ones,” he said.

Who is Park Jong-deok?

Park was born in 1952 in Sangju, North Gyeongsang Province. He started to pursue woodworking around 1971 when he debuted with his sculpture made from an abandoned tree root.

He has specialized in making “soban” or traditional small tables for decades. He has been dedicated to creating traditional wooden items, such as drawers, wardrobes and soban, and to helping raise the status of traditional artisans.

Some 10 years ago, he led the project to establish Jincheon Craft Village with help of Jincheon County Office.

He was named a Korea Traditional Skills Transmitter in Soban by the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Human Resources Development Service of Korea in 2003. He became the president of the Korea Traditional Skills Transmitters’ Association in 2008.

He currently runs his workshop in Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province.

What is 'soban'?

“Soban” refers to traditional Korean small tables that are a cross between a tray and a table. The tables were everyday items used by everyone, from those in the lower class to those in the upper class. They are ideal for use in small spaces and are made from gingko, paulownia, pine or other types of wood grown in the artisans’ neighborhoods.

Soban reflect the Korean sedentary lifestyle, and their designs convey the region’s characteristics and needs. In addition, their names differ according to the shapes of their legs, such as the shape of a dog’s paw or a tiger’s paw, and their regions, such as Tongyeong in South Gyeongsang Province, Naju in North Jeolla Province and Haeju in Hwanghae Province in North Korea.

Soban’s legs feature unique designs with various patterns. “Oedari soban” have frame-type support, while “samgakban” have three legs. “Jukjeolban” have legs resembling jointed bamboo stalks. “Gaedari soban” refer to tables with legs in the shape of a dog’s paw, while “hojokban” refer to ones with legs resembling a tiger’s paw.