Najeonchilgi, the Art of Inlaying Light in Darkness

The art of decorating objects by applying various pieces of mother-of-pearl to their surfaces is known as najeonchilgi, or lacquerware inlaid with mother-of-pearl, and artisans who make this type of craft are called najeonjang. Traces of the Korean people’s use of otchil (lacquer) have been found in artifacts all the way back to the Bronze Age, and it is believed that it was around the late Silla period to early Goryeo dynasty that mother-of-pearl decorations were added to lacquerware. The most important materials for making najeonchilgi are sumac sap and mother-of-pearl, of course. Abalone, conch, and pearl shells are mainly used for mother-of-pearl, and shells from the southern coast and the coast of Jejudo Island are known to be of the finest quality, which is why Tongyeong, Gyeongsangnam-do Province is renowned as a producer of najeonchilgi. The process of making najeonchilgi involves making a base with wood, smoothing out the surface, applying chiljuk to fill the gaps in the base, and performing grinding, lacquering, and polishing to finish. There are two ways to make patterns with mother-of-pearl: kkeuneumjil, where the mother-of-pearl is cut into thin pieces, like threads, to create linear or diagonal geometric patterns, and jureumil, where the mother-of-pearl is rubbed with a fretsaw or file to create plum blossom, bamboo, and turtle designs and so on. During the Goryeo and Joseon periods, botanical patterns such as peonies, chrysanthemums, and lotuses were commonly used, and during the mid-Joseon dynasty, images of flowers, two cranes, grapes, and the Four Gracious Plants (plum, orchid, chrysanthemum and bamboo) were particularly popular.

Najeonjang Lee Hyeong-man

Lee Hyeong-man was born on December 7, 1946 in Yeonhwa-ri, Sanyang-myeon, Tongyeong-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do Province, the home of najeonchilgi, to Mr. Lee Sang-jin and Ms. Lee Jang-ak. It was actually an accident that fortuitously led him to learn about najeonchilgi. When he graduated from Sanyang Elementary School and was preparing for the middle school entrance exam, he suffered a fracture in his right arm in an accident. As a result, he was unable to enter middle school, and instead entered the National Gyeongsangnam-do Technical Training Center established in Chungmu (which has since been incorporated into Tongyeong City) in March 1960 and graded from the 3-year program on March 12, 1963. 

The director of the training center was Ilsa Kim Bong-ryong (1902-1994), who became a great teacher under whom Lee Hyeong-man encountered najeonchilgi for the first time and received related training for the rest of his life. At the age of 16, Kim Bong-ryong joined Sanghachilbang affiliated with the Tongyeong County Office and met the master of najeonchilgi, Park Jeong-soo, after which he made najeonchilgi crafts for 76 years until his death on September 2, 1994 at the age of 92. He was officially recognized as a najeonchilgijang, which is designated national intangible cultural heritage, on June 29, 1966. Lee Hyeong-man was recognized by Kim Bong-ryong for his najeonchilgi skills and was an honor student at the Technical Training Center. Then, he was fortunate enough to meet a number of excellent teachers from whom he learned the theory and design of najeonchilgi crafts, as well as how to select materials, use and apply otchil, and make a base, thereby building a strong foundation for the craft. On June 29, 1966, his teacher, Kim Bong-ryong, was recognized as a najeonchilgijang (which has since been incorporated into najeonjang), designated as a national intangible cultural heritage, and Lee Hyeong-man was officially registered as a student of Kim Bong-ryong. While working at the workshop during the day and studying at school at night, Lee prepared for competitions whenever he could, and on September 16, 1966, he submitted his work for the first time to the fifth Hansan Cup Commemorative Festival Craft Exhibition and won the highest prize, the Gyeongsangnam-do Governor’s Award.

During this time, Lee Hyeong-man studied under the tutelage of Im Seong-chun and Muwidang Jang Il-sun, two of the most skilled otchil artisans of their time. After getting married in 1975, he faced difficulty earning enough money to support his family, so he left his teacher, Kim Bong-ryong, and ran a workshop in Busan. Unfortunately, he was forced to declare bankruptcy in just three years as a result of his customers becoming insolvent. Afterwards, he went to Wonju where his former teacher was and began a new life as an artisan. This also became an opportunity for him to refine his own concept of najeonchilgi. In 1988, he held his first solo exhibition at Insadong Geumrimadang and gained recognition for his outstanding skills. Then, in 1991, he was officially acknowledged as a najeonchilgijang skill transfer teacher’s assistant (currently called a traditional skill transfer educator). After the passing of his teacher, he was designated as a bearer of the skills of najeonjang, a national intangible cultural heritage, on December 10, 1996 and has since been devoting himself to teaching the craft and engaging in creative activities. In 2006, he was hired as the first visiting professor of lacquer art at Pai Chi University College of Fine Arts in Daejeon and dedicated himself to transmitting najeonchilgi and training the future artisans of the craft. He is currently teaching najeonchilgi at the Korean School of Traditional Crafts and Architecture run by the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation.

Works

- Filing Box in Dangcho Pattern, 36×26×6 cm

It can be used as a document filing box or jewelry box. Jureumjil is performed in dangcho patterns, followed by applying otchil, or lacquer work, with the pyeongtal technique, cutting thin solid lines, performing inlaying with noksaekchil (green) lacquering, and finishing with a proportional amount of juchil and heukchil lacquering.

- Jewelry Box with Dangcho Pattern, 42x29x16 cm