National Intangible Cultural Heritage, Republic of Korea Duseokjang refers to the skill of making metal accessories, including hinges, used in wood furniture or buildings, or to an artisan with such a skill. Nickel silver is used to make more luxurious metal accessories. Brass accessories are used for drawer chests, chests, wardrobes, windows, etc. Patterns used are: “亞” shaped letters and the shapes of butterfly, bat, fish, and crane. Brass accessories were specially made to the order of a chief carpenter.

Ondol, literally "warm stones," refers to an underfloor heating system unique to Korea. It has its roots in a primitive form of heating based on a hearth and flues dating back to the Bronze Age and the Proto-Three Kingdoms period. Since early examples of ondol can be found across the Korean Peninsula at sites dating to between the third century BCE and the first century CE, it is estimated that the practice of making and using underfloor heating facilities has been transmitted on the Korean Peninsula for more than 2,000 years. Unlike Western-style indoor fireplaces, the ondol system does not directly emit exhaust through the chimney. The smoke from a firepit first flows through flues made underneath the floor of a room, keeping the room warm for long periods without producing indoor smoke. As the quintessential element of traditional Korean housing culture, the ondol system informs on how Koreans have traditionally heated their houses. It illustrates their knowledge and use of the natural environment and their everyday lives. Ondol is also an important element in house building, interior design, and furniture design. Ondol rooms have long been established as one of the most important elements in Korean popular culture. While the unheated wooden-floored spaces within a traditional Korean house is an architectural response to the summer heat, the ondol rooms are preparations for harsh winter weather. Ondol is a unique Korean housing technology clearly distinguished from the underfloor heating systems found in China and Manchuria. Despite great advancements in heating technology and recent radical changes in housing and lifestyles, underfloor heating continues to thrive the present. Ondol has been designated as National Intangible Cultural Heritage for its sociocultural value as an indispensable element of Korean housing culture and popular culture, and also for its evidential significance to the creativity and wisdom Korean people exerted in their efforts to adapt to the local climate. * As the ondol system is part of Korean housing customs long shared widely across the nation, no particular holders or holder groups have been recognized for this element.

Ratten or Phdao is a vine with a strong trunk, and thorns on the bark, stems, and leaves. There are many types of rattan, water rattan, Krek rattan, Chveang rattan, Arex rattan, Dambong rattan, Preah rattan…etc. Whereas Liana is also a type of vine like rattan, but the stem is smaller. Both types of plants grow in the wild and can be used for many purposes such as to make a string or Knouch, or they can also be used as a weaving material. In addition, rattan can be made into various furniture such as tables, cabinets, chairs, sofas, and so on. Liana can be used to weave tables, chairs, sofas, chairs, rugs, baskets, and other home decor items. Although some rattan and liana production time is done over a long period of time like bamboo weaving, the method of using rattan and liana as materials are not as difficult as bamboo, as there is no need to split and paste them into small pieces, just cut from the forest and you can use it as you wish. Rattan and liana accessories are still popular among Cambodians because they are lighter, more durable, and cheaper compared to wooden objects. Making traditional rattan and liana products is a lucrative job in addition to farming. But some take it as the main business as well.

Craftsmanship of the Mongol Ger is a traditional enterprise involving the labour of a household or group, with men carving the wood and both women and men engaged in painting, sewing and stitching, and felt-making. Wooden frames comprise the crown, roof poles, wall lattices, door, two pillars and furniture produced by separate carpenters specialized for each. Traditional craftsmanship of Mongol ger is indeed reflects the nomadic culture, national identity which stands for the name card of Mongols to the world. Traditional craftsmanship is taught to the younger generations, principally through mentoring by a senior craftsperson. Dismantling and reassembling the Ger are always family operations, with children learning by watching their elders. Cutting and preparing sheep’s wool, making felt, stitching canvas and preparing woodwork are usually communal endeavours. As a traditional dwelling, the Mongol Ger plays an important social and cultural role for nomadic families and its makers are highly respected.

Mongolia 2013

Wood carving is widespread in Kazakhstan as a traditional craft. The yurt’s frame is entirely made of wood, including the shanyrakh (cylindrical top part), uykh (poles that are embedded in the shanyrakh and fixed to keregeh, or greedwall) and sykhyrlauikh (doors). The internal furniture is made of wood as well. including abdireh or sandykh (chests), tosekaghash or keruet (bed), besyk (cradle), assadal (buffet), kebezheh (kitchen cabinet) and dastarkhan (low table). Kitchenware is partly made of wood, including kubyi (butter making jar), tegeneh (cups for kumis, fermented mare’s milk), ozhau (ladle), tostaghan (bowls), saptiyayak (water dippers), astau (bastau, a large plate for boiled meat) and tabakh (plate). As well, special wooden stands (zhukh ayakh) are carved for protection against humidity. Wood carving is also used for production of musical instruments, souvenirs and horse-saddles (yer). Wood carving is widespread in Kazakhstan as a traditional craft. The yurt’s frame is entirely made of wood, including the shanyrakh (cylindrical top part), uykh (poles that are embedded in the shanyrakh and fixed to keregeh, or greedwall) and sykhyrlauikh (doors). The internal furniture is made of wood as well. including abdireh or sandykh (chests), tosekaghash or keruet (bed), besyk (cradle), assadal (buffet), kebezheh (kitchen cabinet) and dastarkhan (low table). Kitchenware is partly made of wood, including kubyi (butter making jar), tegeneh (cups for kumis, fermented mare’s milk), ozhau (ladle), tostaghan (bowls), saptiyayak (water dippers), astau (bastau, a large plate for boiled meat) and tabakh (plate). As well, special wooden stands (zhukh ayakh) are carved for protection against humidity. Wood carving is also used for production of musical instruments, souvenirs and horse-saddles (yer). In forest-rich Eastern and Northern Kazakhstan, hardwood trees are used for carving, including red birch, maple, black or red alder, ash, nut tree, and oak. In Southern Kazakhstan, trees like elm, nut tree, pear, acacia, elaeagnus (djygyda), plane tree (chinara) are used for carving. As well, tree roots and knots are used. In South-East of Kazakhstan, elm, apple, nut tree, and buckthorn are usually used by woodcarvers. Table and chair legs, and some yurt parts are usually carved from pine, aspen or poplar. Other hardwood used for carving includes mulberry tree, and in softwood, juniper. Every wood carved product is decorated with ornament. Pattern and design of wood carved objects are also based on the balance of foreground and background, vertical symmetry, importance of central piece and border pattern. Traditional woodcarving includes several techniques and cuts, such as contour, relief and three-sided hollow carving. Relief carving is used for decorating chests, cabinets, doors, beds and kitchenware. Painted relief carving is used for decorating yurt doors and buildings of worship. Three-sided hollow craving is used for making geometric patterns. Cutout is mostly used for floral ornaments. To make dishes water resistant, they are soaked with boiled animal fat. Carved objects can be combined with paintings. Usually the background is unpainted, while the foreground is painted red, blue, green and yellow. Objects can also be decorated with inlaid bones, silver and other metals. Metallic details can be decorated with precious and semi-precious stones.

Parzo is the art of carving on wood, stone and slate. This art is evident throughout the country displayed magnificently on wooden structures of fortresses, palaces, stupas, temples, traditional houses and even on furniture. The following section describes some forms of carving. a. Woodcarving: Wood has been one of the most widely used resources in the country. Some of the masks worn by dancers during the festivals, the altars in the shrine room of any house, containers like bowls and cups, sheaths and handles of knives and swords, xylographic blocks are all carved out of wood. b. Choesham, Decorative Items and Furniture: Every house has a choesham (altar) entirely made of wood. Generally the altars will have carvings like choetsi and other designs such as dragons, flowers, eight lucky signs and mythological animals, on the main structure in accordance with the desires of the owner. On the upper part of the structure called gu-chag the altar will have the designs called pema, norbu, bagam, boh and ngangpa. Cabinets, chogdroms, divans, decorative floral items, religious motifs like dragons, tashi tagye and various legendary animals are carved out of wood. The three sides of chogdrom (traditional portable table) are carved with dragons, flowers or other legendary animals. Dramnyen, the traditional Bhutanese guitar is carved from wood in an intricate dragon design. The fingerboard is usually decorated with colourful traditional symbols. The hollowed sound box is covered with goatskin, and attached with either silk or nylon strings. c. Masks: The Bhutanese make various shapes and sizes of masks from semi-hardwood, usually blue pine to depict the face of gods, animals and mythological figures. These carved wooden masks are used in the sacred and religious dances. Carved wooden masks are also popular as decorations in houses, dzongs, temples and monasteries. d. Xylography: Before the invention of wood carving tradition in Bhutan, all religious texts and official documents were primarily written by hand. With the introduction of woodblock carving and printing technique by Terton Pema Lingpa (1450-1521), religious texts and images have been carved on woodblocks, thereby reproducing numerous copies, by printing on paper and textiles. Each and every temple and monastery in Bhutan hold a copy of the Buddhist cannons (the teachings) and commentaries on the teachings. Many of the texts from the cannon have been carved on wood, and reproduced by printing on paper. Woodblock carving is usually carried out on dried birch wood. To make a wooden block for carving, the woodblock is adequately oiled to make it soft and smooth for carving. The wooden block surface is then planed smooth on which the written text is glued. Once the paper has dried, it is removed from the block leaving the image of the scripts on the woodblock. The mirror image of the texts that need to be printed is left on the surface while those parts not required are removed with gouges or chisels. The texts are then carved with the help of chisels. Images and other patras (intricate designs) are carved only on to one side of the wooden block, whereas religious texts are carved on both sides of the woodblock. The carved woodblock is then coated with ink, and a sheet of paper is placed over the inked blocks. The paper is then rubbed and pressed with a roller to get the text printed. It is then left to dry either in shed or sun. Four different kinds of tools are used for xylography such as zhogthig, yatag, segchung. Round letters are carved using the tip of the mindrug with its sharp crescent shape tip. The tip of the yatag with its more relaxed crescent shape is used to carve the sub-bending yatag script. Similar to the typical Bhutanese knife; the tip of segchung is slightly slanted and carves the rest of the letters of the scripts. Zhogthig, with its wider and large tip is used to carve the lines in the space on the edge of the text that maintain the outer margin. e. Stone Carving: In Bhutan, carving on stones is not as diverse or common as wood carving but it existed in Bhutan. One comes across huge water driven grinding stone mills, hollowed-out stones used for pounding and husking grains, troughs for feeding animals, images of deities, gods and religious figures carved onto large rocks. In Bhutan, stones were also carved to make stone pots and utensils, but today these have become rare because of modern alternatives. f. Slate Carving: Slate carving is another form of art that is being practiced in Bhutan. Slate, called as do nag, is found in abundance in Bhutan, and the artisan is known as donag lopen. Portraits depicting deities and religious figures, inscriptions of mantras and religious scripts are carved onto slates, and adorned onto the exterior walls of temples, monasteries, dzongs and choetens. Apart from carving on wood, stone and slate, the Bhutanese people also carve images of gods and deities on rhino horns and ivory.

National Intangible Cultural Heritage, Republic of Korea Somokjang refers to the skill of making wooden doors/windows, wooden vessels or wooden furniture like wardrobes, chests, dressing tables or desks, or to an artisan with such a skill. The name Somokjang was first used during the Goryeo Period (877 – 1394). Until the early Joseon Period (1392 – 1910), wooden furniture was chiefly made for the people of the royal court and the noble class, but toward the late Joseon Period, it came to be used widely even by commoners. Wood furniture-making artisans use traditional woodworking techniques, striving to preserve the natural beauty of the wood with its patterns.