National Intangible Cultural Heritage, Republic of Korea Jogakjang refers to the skill of metal engraving or to the artisan who does it. Unearthed artifacts lead us to guess that metal engraving was first attempted during the Bronze Age. Diverse engraving techniques were used during the Three Kingdoms Period (57 BC – 668 AD), and they made noticeable developments during the Goryeo Period (877 – 1394). During the Joseon Period (1392 – 1910), metal handicrafts started to develop as an independent sector. Techniques used in metal engraving include depressed engraving, bratticing, relief engraving, 3D engraving, and inlaying. Materials used are gold, silver, iron, lead, zinc, and tin. Silver is the most commonly used. Favorite designs used are scenery, flowers, birds, clouds, dragons and vines. Esthetic quality or propitiousness became the criteria for selection of the patterns of metal engraving in the later Joseon Period and thereafter.

National Intangible Cultural Heritage, Republic of Korea Ipsajang refers to the skill of inlaying ornamental silver or gold string into a groove made on a metal surface, or to an artisan with such a skill. Objects made with this skill were among the relics unearthed from the sites of Lerang dating from the 1st or 2nd Century BC and from Silla (circa 57 BC – 935) tombs. There are two ways of making this ornamentation. One was a method which started during the Goryeo Period (877 – 1394) of inlaying ornamental silver or gold string into a groove made with a chisel on a metal surface. The other, which started toward the mid-Joseon Period (1392 – 1910), was to make a figure on a metal surface using a chisel, and fit thin silver/gold pieces into the space by striking with a hammer. The patterns thus made were chiefly apricot, orchid, chrysanthemum, bamboo, crane, deer, bat, tiger, and pine.