ALL
artisan
ICH Elements 33
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Tshar-zo: Bamboo Craft
Tshar-zo, the age-old tradition of working with bamboo and cane is a popular art, spread and practiced throughout Bhutan. The availability of numerous species of bamboo and cane has enabled the Bhutanese to master the skill of weaving these raw materials into a variety of articles for various uses. Throughout Bhutan, the use of bamboo and cane products has always complemented the use of wooden items, forming an integral part of the lifestyle and economy of the people. Bhutanese farmers weave a variety of functional bamboo and cane articles used for a variety of domestic, agricultural and commercial purposes. Bamboo (Neomicrocalamus andropogonifolius), is locally named Ringshu in Dzongkha and as Yula in Khengkha. Cane (Calamus acanthospathus) is locally known as Munzi in Sharchopkha, and as krath or gren in Khengkha. These are the two common species used in the production of a variety of articles. Bamboo and cane strips are used in their natural colour or dyed into yellow, black, red, green, maroon and brown, to weave colourful articles with geometric designs.
Bhutan -
Yeomjang (Bamboo Blind Making)
National Intangible Cultural Heritage, Republic of Korea Yeomjang is the term for a craftsman who makes blinds out of various materials such as reeds and hemp stalks, especially bamboo. Blinds were necessary for life in Korean traditional houses called hanok. They were used in summer to block the strong sunlight and keep the people inside cool; they also served to prevent people from looking inside. They were made in various sizes, ranging from small ones to block palanquin doors and large ones to cover doorways. Bamboo blinds in particular took a lot of time and effort to make, so much so that the hands were said to have had to accomplish 10,000 steps. In Korea, blinds had been used since the Three Kingdoms Period; with the gradual disappearance of hanok, however, they had fallen out of use, with demand rapidly declining from the 1970s. As a result, there are few people left who make them. Today, blinds are made only in a few places such as Damyang in Jeollanam-do Province and Tongyeong in Gyeongsangnam-do Province.
South Korea -
Bulhwajang (Buddhist Painting)
National Intangible Cultural Heritage, Republic of Korea Bulhwajang refers to the art of Buddhist painting or an artist who is skilled in such art. Buddhist paintings are considered objects of worship along with pagodas and Buddhist statues. Based on their forms, Buddhist paintings can be categorized as taenghwa (hanging paintings), gyeonghwa (sutra paintings), and byeokhwa (mural paintings). In particular, taenghwa are hung behind the Buddhist altar after holding a number of religious ceremonies. These hanging paintings, found at traditional temples, are the major form of Buddhist painting in Korea; the monks in charge of producing the paintings go by several names such as geumeo, hwaseung, hwasa, or hwawon. The art of Buddhist painting was formerly handed down by the holders of Dancheongjang (Ornamental Painting). Considering the differences in technique and function, however, it has now been separated from the ornamental painting to form its own category. Therefore, Buddhist painting and ornamental painting are being taught and handed down as two separate categories. The colorful ornamental paintwork at Buddhist temples and palace buildings is clearly different from Buddhist painting in purpose and expression. While it is used to decorate the walls and structural members of wooden buildings with geometric patterns and drawings, Buddhist painting refers mainly to the production of paintings, expressing Buddhist doctrine in an easy-to-understand manner.
South Korea -
Gungjung Chaehwa (Royal Silk Flower Making)
National Intangible Cultural Heritage, Republic of Korea Gungjung Chaehwa, Royal silk flower making, is the art of making flowers with silk or ramie fabric preserved in the royal court of Joseon for the decoration or celebration of various royal and state events such as banquets and ceremonial rituals. The art, which has been registered on the list of Important Intangible Cultural Heritages in recognition of its close connection with the traditions of the Joseon royal court, uses various silk flowers as symbols of peace, longevity, or health.
South Korea
ICH Materials 8
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Tshar-zo (Bamboo Craft)
Tshar-zo, the age-old tradition of working with bamboo and cane is a popular art, spread and practiced throughout Bhutan. The availability of numerous species of bamboo and cane has enabled the Bhutanese to master the skill of weaving these raw materials into a variety of articles for various uses. Throughout Bhutan, the use of bamboo and cane products has always complemented the use of wooden items, forming an integral part of the lifestyle and economy of the people. \n\nBhutanese farmers weave a variety of functional bamboo and cane articles used for a variety of domestic, agricultural and commercial purposes. Bamboo (Neomicrocalamus andropogonifolius), is locally named Ringshu in Dzongkha and as Yula in Khengkha. Cane (Calamus acanthospathus) is locally known as Munzi in Sharchopkha, and as krath or gren in Khengkha. These are the two common species used in the production of a variety of articles. Bamboo and cane strips are used in their natural colour or dyed into yellow, black, red, green, maroon and brown, to weave colourful articles with geometric designs.
Bhutan -
Shag-zo (Wood Turning)
Wood turned utensils and dishes were present in Bhutan since ancient times. Communities from different parts of Bhutan have a similar type of craft as cups and plates are necessary for all household meals. However, the labour-intensive wood turned lacquer wares from Yangtse earned a considerable reputation in the kingdom. \n\nAbout a century-old traditional woodturning art (Shag-zo) in Yangtse is still a vibrant and popular means of family business and occupation. The present young artisans in Yangtse who are in their 20s and early 30s are the fifth-generation descendants of Lobazang from Kham in Tibet. \n\nLike other crafts of Bhutan, Shagzo demands a long process. The extracted wood knots and burls have to be dried; soaked in water; roughly shaped (first turned); roughly turned bowls are boiled; dried again; final turned bowls are smoothened with sandpapers and dried leaves of Trema politoria (locally known as Sog sogpa-shing). After colouring them yellow or red, it becomes ready for the next step – lacquering. Lacquering is another time-consuming process. Traditionally, lacquerers mostly use an urushiol-based lacquer common in East Asia derived primarily from toxic wax trees known as Sey Shing in Yangtse. \n\nThese wooden bowls are an integral part of both the Bhutanese and Tibetan lifestyles and this explains the high demand for these products in Tibet. In the medieval period, people from Yangtse and Bumdeling traded wooden plates (not Dhapas) and bowls (cups) to Assam (India) and Go-phors (wooden bowl with lid), Lha-phor (bowl with lid used by monks), Dra-phor (bigger than other Phobs originally used by Tibetan Drapas), and Bay-phor (used by Tibetans, and has a deeper interior than Bhutanese hobs) to people of Tibet. Other than products historically exported to Assam and Tibet, Shagzopas make varieties of wood-turned products.
Bhutan