A Compass Inscribed with the Order of the Universe

A yundo, which is also known as jinamban, jinamcheol, and paecheol, is a type of compass with a magnetic needle that was used to check pungsujiri, or geomancy, by travelers for directions. The principle of this needle was already applied in the Han dynasty of China and was used for divination. It is unclear when yundo came into use for the first time in Korea. It is believed that it may have been created during the Three Kingdoms period, during the advancement of the discipline of astronomy, which was important for the making of yundo. For example, the doctoral system of Silla included a doctor of astronomy, and Baekje had a department in charge of astronomy called Ilgwanbu. Even sasindo, or paintings of animals in the four cardinal directions, of Goguryeo’s tomb murals reveal that the concept of Ying-Yang and the Five Elements was widespread at the time. Also, the calendar and Zhouyi (Changes of the Zhou) from China were introduced to Korea, and professors and their assistants taught Zhouyi in Silla. From the time when the Chinese calendar and astronomy were being actively studied, it is inferred that yundo was already in use around this time. 

Later, with the advancement of pungsujiri, or geomancy, and the docham philosophy driven by the monk Dosun in late Unified Silla period, yundo became an important tool for viewing the earth, and it seems likely that it was widely used until the Goryeo period. Yundo, which was not found in any previous records, can be seen in the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty. In the 33rd year of King Seonjo’s reign (1600), Yi Mun-tong from the Ming dynasty, who was an expert in geography, presented something called a nagyeong, which looked like the Korean yundo. From these records we can see that yundo had been used in Korea even before then, and that China had something similar called a nagyeong. 

In the seventh year of King Yeongjo’s reign (1731), a man named Heo Won invented jinamcheol, which was very precise since it used the shadow of the sun to determine the north and south directions. In the 18th year of Kim Yeongjo’s reign (1742), cheonmundo, or an astronomical map, obtained from China by Gwansanggam and the five-tier yundo, both of which were useful for astronomy and geography, were requested to be copied, and the request was granted. The fact that Gwansanggam made a yundo is consistent with the fact that the yundo had elements of astrology to tell the future based on constellations and zodiac signs as well as the subdivisions of the seasons. Notably,  yundo, once thought to be exclusively part of the domain of geomancy, became widely used during the Joseon dynasty for various other purposes; it was used by sailors and travelers to orient themselves and by astronomers and ordinary people to determine the exact north and south directions for their handheld sundials. It even became customary to attach a simple yundo to almost every handheld sundial. The noblemen had two- or three-tier yundo in a simple design attached to the tips of their handheld fans. Seonchu, a small compass indicating only 12 or 24 bearings, was the most practical and stylish, and with its exquisite carvings, it was developed into a portable compass unique to Joseon.

Therefore, yundo was an everyday scientific tool that was useful for not only those who were hired to seek propitious sites for graves, etc. but also for ordinary people. However, after the liberation of Korea from Japanese colonial rule, the disciplines related to the yundo were relegated to superstition and suffered a decline under the influence of Western culture and yundo itself was forgotten. Today, it is kept alive by few masters and those who want it to be passed down as a family heirloom.

Yundojang Kim Jong-dae 

It is said that Naksan Village in Sallim-ri, Seongnae-myeon, Gochang-gun, Jeollabuk-do Province began making yundo more than 300 years ago. During the Joseon dynasty, this region was part of Heungdeok-hyeon, and the yundo made here were called Heungdeok Paecheol. Known for its excellent accuracy and robustness, it is the only traditional compass that has survived to this day. Kim Jong-dae’s family began making yundo when Kim Gwon-sam learn the trade from Mr. Han, known as Han Unjang, who was a yundo maker in the village. Kim Gwon-sam had four sons, and he passed down the trade to his second son, Kim Jeong-ui, who was dexterous and well-versed in Chinese classics. Kim Jeong-ui began working at the age of 20 and produced ordinary pyeongcheol as well as seonchu and mingyeongcheol, which required elaborate carving techniques, until his death at the age of 65. Kim Jeong-ui passed down his skills to his youngest brother’s son, Kim Jong-dae. Although Kim Jeong-ui had a son, he decided that he didn’t have a talent for it and instead entrusted the work to his nephew, who was very skillful with his hands. 

Kim Jong-dae was born in 1934 in Naksan Village in Sallim-ri, Seongnae-myeon, Gochang-gun, Jeollabuk-do Province, the second son of Kim Yeong-geun, but he grew up as an only son because his older brother died young. As a child, Kim Jong-dae watched his uncle make yundo from across the alley, and he developed a dexterous hand from an early age. After serving in the military, he succeeded the yundo business from his uncle, whose dying wish was for him to maintain the business in the family, even if it was not profitable. That was in 1963, when he was 31 years old, and he inherited all the tools needed to make yundo. Although he had the tools that had been passed down from generation to generation in his family, he was unable to start working on his own because he hadn’t received any specific training from his uncle. He had never been made an apprentice, so he only had a rough idea of how to make yundo from what he had seen and heard as a child. His cousin, the son of the elder uncle, had been assisting Kim Jeong-ui, so his cousin took over and made yundo instead. Kim Jong-dae thus learned from his cousin whenever he could, while worked for Nonghyup for 12 years. After resigning from Nonghyup, he worked with his cousin for about two years, learning the details of making yundo. His cousin learned the trade from the time Kim Jeong-ui began working while helping him, but was too old to take over the business. Kim Jong-dae began going to the seodang, or village school, to learn Chinese characters because it was necessary for making yundo, and he would ask his cousin whatever he didn't know. It wasn’t until he was over 40 that he was able to confidently complete the entire process of making yundo on his own.

Kim Jong-dae has never left Naksan Village in his life. As the only son, he had to care for his parents, and because of the implicit promise that yundo must be made in Naksan Village, he quit his job at Nonghyup to focus on making yundo. Kim Jong-dae, a master of making the “traditional compass” with meticulous fingers, has no desire to make a fortune from making yundo. He is simply trying to keep the family legacy alive by following in the footsteps of his grandfather and uncle. In 2020, Kim Jong-dae was awarded the Bogwan Order of Cultural Merit. He is an honorary holder due to his old age, and his eldest son, Kim Hee-su, was recognized as a bearer of the National Intangible Cultural Heritage, Yundo, in December 2021.

- Works

Yundo Pyeongcheol (Carvings of Sipjangsaeng, or the Ten Symbols of Longevity) 26×26×8 cm, Myeongyeongcheol 5×6×2 cm, Seonchu 5×5×2 cm