Hwagakjang (Ox Horn Inlaying)

Hwagak refers to a thin, translucent sheet made by grinding down ox horn, and a craftsman who makes handicrafts using this material is called a hwagakjang. Because the material was rare and the process demanding, hwagak crafts were never produced in large quantities, and were mainly used for the tastes and treasured possessions of the special aristocratic class. It is not known exactly when hwagak craft began. In Goryeo-period mother-of-pearl lacquerware such as sutra chests (gyeongham) and prayer-bead boxes (yeomjuhap), tortoiseshell (daemo) finished with the bokchae technique, in which colour is applied on the reverse and shows through, was used alongside mother-of-pearl inlay, and this technique continued into the mother-of-pearl lacquerware of the early and middle Joseon period; but from the mid-Joseon period onward, hwagak crafts decorated solely with hwagak developed. Hwagak craft is the technique of shaving highly translucent ox horn into sheets as thin as paper, painting and colouring various patterns in the brilliant five colours of dancheong pigment on the reverse, then attaching these sheets to the surface of a wooden framework (baekgol) used for various vessels, and finishing the remaining surfaces of the baekgol's interior and frame, wherever hwagak is not applied, with lacquer. Hwagak handicrafts include furniture such as chests, wardrobes, four-sided side tables and document chests, as well as small gift boxes, mirror stands, brush holders, gunpowder cases, sewing rulers, sutra tables (gyeongsang), inkstone tables (yeonsang), sewing boxes, fans, and brush cases. Hwagak craft is a practical craft outstanding in the decorative quality of its colour and pattern, and is highly distinctive among Korea's traditional crafts, especially among woodcrafts.

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Where it is

Region

Location not stated, Incheon

Designation

National Intangible Heritage · 국가무형유산