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- [ Written by Lee Chang-bok, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Hanji Development Center ]
- In 1966, an old, yellow paper scroll sheathed in a silk wrapper was found inside Seokgasa Pagoda at the Bulguksa Temple, Gyeongju. Although in tatters, the yellowish paper scroll, which was estimated to have been made around 751 AD, had preserved the paper despite the passage of over a thousand years. This was the Mugu Jeonggwang Dae Darani Gyeong ("The Great Dharani Sutra of Immaculate and Pure Light"), the oldest known wooden slab print in the world printed on hanji. At that time, the Baekmantap Darani Gyeong (One Million Copies of the Dharani Sutra), printed in Japan around 770 AD, was known as the oldest wooden slab print. The paper scroll found in Korea is regarded to have been printed 20 years prior to the Baekmantap Darani Gyeong, and is recorded as a very important record in the world history of paper-related cultures. The Jikji Simgyeong (Selected Sermons of Buddhist Sages and Seon Masters), printed in 1377 with the world's first metal types, is under the possession of the French National Library. It is preserved in good condition, despite being somewhat older than Gutenberg’s 42-line Bible (printed in 1460), which is off-limits to the public due to the poor condition of the paper.
- In Asia, the excellent durability of hanji is expressed in the phrase, “Jicheonnyeon Gyeonobaek (Hanji lasts for a 1,000 years, while silk [which is much more expensive] lasts for only 500).”
- The secret of hanji’s excellent durability lies in its unique production technique. Alkaline solution is used when boiling mulberry bark, which is the raw material of hanji. During this process, hanji acquires a weak alkaline content (i.e. about pH 9.5), which prevents oxidation (i.e. discoloration) of the paper. The sunlight bleaching technique helps the paper maintain its unique luster and durability without impairing the fibroid material. The process of repeatedly beating the raw material before it completely dries makes it more durable and last longer. Even today, hanji is used in a wide variety of applications, i.e. as a material for handcrafts, household goods, clothing, and accessories as well as something to write on thanks to its durability, good ventilation, heat insulation and flexibility.
- In the past, Korean households had something to do after harvest in the fall. They collected cosmos, chrysanthemums and wild flowers, dried them carefully, and used them when placing new hanji on sliding doors and windows. The old hanji was removed and mixed with water to make dough for a dry tea container. A large sheet of hanji attached to a sliding door reveals many things about the everyday wisdom of earlier generations. A finger-thick peep hole made in the hanji of doors and windows was used to listen to news of neighbors and to communicate with others often in a closer relationship than one’s relatives. Furthermore, one can hear what is going on outside a room through the thin layer of hanji. The paper serves as a good heat insulation material, adjusts the inside temperature and humidity, and ventilates the air in a closed room. That is to say, hanji also performed air-conditioning, heating and air cleaning functions.
- People in neighboring countries - including China - valued hanji for its durability, exquisiteness and usefulness as a material for writing on. Hanji was used in various ways in the everyday life of Koreans of the past as well as materials for traditional craft products.
Hanji for sliding doors and windows were excellent in heat insulation, ventilation, blocking visible rays and humidity control. And people chose the thickness of the paper according to the climate of the particular area in which they lived, i.e. thicker hanji for those living in cold areas and thinner for hot areas.
- Hanji was also used to make lamp shades. Tung oil-soaked hanji was used for this purpose, chiefly to keep oil lamp light from flickering or dying, and to adjust the intensity of illumination (with its thickness).
As such, hanji was a constant companion in the lives of our Korean ancestors. A newborn baby was laid on a floor covered with jangpan (laminated hanji colored yellow). ‘Jangpan’ is made by multi-layering hanji and covering it with perilla oil. In the past, when glass had not yet been invented and wooden wares were uncommon, Koreans used hanji in virtually every aspect of their everyday life. In rites of homage to deceased ancestors, they used to burn hanji to call upon their ancestors’ spirits. It is customary to lay a sheet of hanji under the body of the deceased.
- Hanji has long been used as something to write on. Thus, it has played an important role in the recording and distribution of information. Koreans’ love of hanji led to the development of an array of paper-made items, including calligraphic works, paintings, books, folding screens, hand-held fans and many others showing aesthetic and artistic characteristics. Such functions of hanji were applied to the everyday lives of our ancestors, bringing about development of necessary goods such as jangpanji and wallpapers.
- As noted in the foregoing, hanji was once an indispensable part of Koreans’ everyday life. It was used throughout their lifetime to enrich their spiritual life as something to record new knowledge and philosophy, while making their everyday life more convenient as a material suited to a variety of applications. After death, it was also used as a material in the performance of various religious rites. Thus, the hanji culture of Koreans was lustrous.
- The wide use of hanji in our everyday life is attributable to its durability, solidity and soft texture, among other features. That is why it has been the favorite material of Korean artists and calligraphers. Hanji is both convenient to use and an environmental-friendly material. According to one study, hanji used as wallpaper eliminates household odors, including the smell of cigarette smoke, absorbs humidity, and helps to mitigate children’s atopic dermatitis.
Owing to its characteristics of heat insulation and durability, it was used to make winter uniforms for soldiers stationed on the country’s northern borders. More recently, washable or dry-cleanable clothes and interior products made of hanji fabrics were introduced in the market. In these ways and many others, Koreans have used hanji to succeed their ancestor’s traditions and to create a broad variety of household goods utilizing the characteristics of hanji so as to enrich their modern lives.
