Baekdong Yeonjukjang (Nickel-Copper Pipe Making)

Yeonjuk generally refers to a tobacco pipe. A tobacco pipe made of baekdong (nickel silver) is called a baekdong yeonjuk, and both the skill of making such pipes and the craftsperson who possesses that skill are called baekdong yeonjukjang. It is said that the making of tobacco pipes began after tobacco was introduced from Japan following the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598); perhaps for this reason, Dongnae, which was the centre of trade with Japan, has traditionally been the region most famous for producing them. A tobacco pipe consists of three parts: the mulburi, the mouthpiece held between the lips to inhale the smoke; the daekkobari, the bowl in which the tobacco is placed and burned; and the seoldae, the thin bamboo stem connecting the two. As the daekkobari is exposed to heat and is structurally prone to damage, it is made of metals such as copper, brass or baekdong. Porcelain examples can occasionally be found, but these are extremely rare. The mulburi mouthpiece is not restricted to metal, and a relatively wide range of materials — including jade, ivory and horn — was freely used. The names differ according to the decoration: an undecorated baekdong yeonjuk is called minjuk, while one with attractive patterns is called byeoljuk or kkotdae. Depending on the materials used, byeoljuk is further called eunmuljuk or odongjuk. The process of making a baekdong yeonjuk begins with producing the baekdong alloy itself, combining copper, nickel and zinc in the ratio of 58%, 37% and 5% respectively; the higher the nickel content, the whiter the resulting alloy. The alloyed metal is hammered into very thin sheets, decorated with patterns, and every part is soldered together — work as delicate as gold or silver metalworking. Among Korean tobacco pipes, the blue-decorated yeonjuk of Dongnae and pipes engraved with gold and silver, as well as those produced in Gyeongju, Gimcheon, Yeonghae, Ulsan and Yecheon, are well known, and the craft continues to be handed down today in Namwon in Jeollabuk-do and Anseong in Gyeonggi-do.

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Where it is

Region

Location not stated, Jeonbuk

Designation

National Intangible Heritage · 국가무형유산