Akgijang, an Artisan Who Helps Produce Beautiful Sounds

An akgijang is an artisan who makes traditional Korean musical instruments. Wind instruments, stringed instruments, and percussion instruments can be seen in the murals of Goguryeo tombs, so it is believed that there have been craftsmen specializing in making musical instruments since the Three Kingdoms period. Akgijang are distinguishable from general craftsmen in that they design and make musical instruments using the main materials of traditional musical instruments, including but not limited to wood, leather, silk, bamboo, iron, stone, and earth, while ensuring that each instrument they make produces their distinct sounds accurately and beautifully. Their legacy has been carried out since the people of Korea started making and using musical instruments, and the related techniques have been passed down at the national level, but unfortunately, there are not many historical records that can shed light on their existence and the transfer of skills. There are few records from before the Goryeo dynasty about akgijang, and by the Joseon dynasty, the names pungmuljang, gojang, and jaengjang, which distinguish them from other artisans, begin to appear in the document Gyeongguk Daejeon. It is known that during the Joseon dynasty, an independent organization called the Musical Instrument Manufacturing Agency was established in the royal court to make and use musical instruments needed by the state. Among Korea’s national musical instruments, the gayageum and geomungo, which are stringed instruments, are played by plucking the strings with the fingers or a stick, with the instrument resting on the lap. The method of producing sound by strumming threads over a long square wooden resonator was common in Northeast Asia in ancient times. As these types of stringed instruments evolved over time, they took on their own distinctive forms in Korea, as the gayageum and geomungo, which were different from those of China such as the guqin and zheng. The geomungo is said to have been created by Wang San-ak of Goguryeo, and the gayageum by King Gasil of Gaya in the 6th century. However, there are many records and artifacts suggesting that there were similar stringed instruments in Korea even before the creation of the geomungo and the gayageum. It is common for stringed instruments to be made of paulownia wood for the soundbox and chestnut and pine wood for the base, while carved jujube, ebony, and juniper wood were used for decoration. Paulownia wood is characterized by excellent acoustic vibrations and the fact that it does not crack even when dry and does not become infested by moths. 

Akgijang Go Heung-gon

Akgijang Go Heung-gon was born on January 26, 1951 in Jeonju, Korea. As a child, he lived in the house in front of that of Kim Gwang-ju (1906-1984), the first person to be recognized as an akgijang skill bearer, and often visited Kim. Sometimes Go would steal wood from Kim to make sleds, though he didn’t realize at the time that the wood was expensive. Kim Gwang-ju, who did not have a son, was very fond of Go Heung-gon, who naturally became exposed to the process of making geomungo, gayageum, ajaeng, etc. during his frequent visits to his elderly neighbor’s home. As a young boy, Go was fascinated by the idea of weaving silk threads on wood to make a musical instrument that produced beautiful sounds. 

After graduating from high school, Go followed his uncle around to learn construction trades. By then, Kim Gwang-ju, had moved to Seoul and set up a workshop in Samcheong-dong where he made musical instruments, and Kim suggested to Go’s parents to send their son to Seoul. In May 1970, just a year after graduating from high school, Go began to be taught the skills of instrument making under Kim’s wings. Three years after joining the workshop, in May 1972, he enlisted in the army, and after being discharged opened a workshop in Sungin-dong, Jongno-gu. Kim Gwang-ju came to his former student's workshop to provide him with further instructions until he passed away in April 1984. Even after his teacher's death, Go Heung-gon continued to devote himself to making musical instruments. He did not stop at making the sanjo gayageum, the techniques of which he had learned from his teacher, but worked at mastering the art of making jeongak gayageum and won the Prime Minister’s Prize the 10th Traditional Crafts Competition in 1985. He also recreated the pungnyu gayageum by referring to the Shiragigoto records from in Japan dating from the Unified Silla period.

Works

- Sanjo Gayageum 20×144×16 cm / Produced in 2010 

- Pungryu Geomungo 20×144×16 cm / Produced in 1985 

- Pungryu Geomungo 20×144×16 cm / Produced in 1985 

- 25-string Gayageum 20×144×16 cm / Produced in 2010 

- Jeongak Ajaeng 27×161×16 cm

Joseon paulownia wood that is at least 30 years old is dug into, and it is naturally dried for about 5 to 10 years. Then, it is shaped into a soundbox with the thickness determined based on the characteristics and strength unique to the wood variety. Silk threads are twisted according to the specified thickness, wrapped around a pine club, and steamed with water vapor to create strong and tough strings.

- Geumnihwa Sanjo Haegeum_8x10x78 cm

- Small size, 35×35 cm

Typically used in Jeryeak, or ritual music, it is known to produce crystal clear sounds. It is tricky to make into an instrument that produces the right pitch by digging deep into the wood. 

- Pungnyu Gayageum (Sillageum) 30×162 cm

Twelve silk strings are tied to a long paulownia wood resonator, and they are plucked with the fingers to produce mesmerizing sounds. 

- Yanggeum 92x24x11 cm