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artisan
ICH Elements 33
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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. About 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. Like 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. These 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 -
Chiljang (Lacquerware Making)
National Intangible Cultural Heritage, Republic of Korea The term chiljang refers to the craftsman who creates lacquerware by applying lacquer -- or the refined sap of lacquer trees (Rhus verniciflua) -- to various objects. The first trace of lacquer use dates back to the third century BCE, but the earliest relics of lacquerware date back to the first century BCE. Lacquerware began to develop into an art form during the Nangnang (Lelang) Period and progressed further in the Silla Kingdom. In the Goryeo Dynasty, lacquered works were decorated with mother-of-pearl inlay, creating a new art form called najeon chilgi. In the Joseon Dynasty, lacquerware became more common, and many works were produced. The state compiled data on the distribution of lacquer trees nationwide and collected the sap from these trees. Lacquer craftsmen working in the capital and in the provinces were affiliated with their local government offices. The raw lacquer from the trees had to be refined before it could be used, and lacquer craftsmen would do the refining themselves. The refining process removes impurities and creates a fine particle liquid. Creating lacquer works is a long, laborious process. The item to be lacquered, called soji, had to be made of materials that are easy to work with and to paint, including wood, bamboo, cloth, paper, clay, and metal. First the object is smoothed down, and then the lacquer is built up in many coats, requiring lacquering, smoothing, and drying over and over again. Basically, the process is divided into three steps: chochil (first lacquering), jungchil (middle lacquering), and sangchil (final lacquering). After the final coat, the object is vigorously polished.
South Korea -
Hanjijang (Korean Paper Making)
National Intangible Cultural Heritage, Republic of Korea Hanjijang refers to a craftsman skilled in the art of making traditional paper, hanji, from the bark of mulberry (Broussonetia kazinoki) trees and mulberry paste. Making hanji requires great skill and extensive experience. The mulberry bark has to be collected, steamed, boiled, dried, peeled, boiled again, beaten, mixed, strained, and dried; 99 processes are said to be required to get the paper in one’s hands, so the final process was also called baekji, meaning “one hundred paper.” Korean hanji was so famous back in the Goryeo Dynasty that the Chinese called the best-quality paper Goryeoji (literally meaning “Goryeo Paper”). Sun Mu from the Song Dynasty of China lavished Goryeo paper with praises in his book Jilin leishi (Things on Korea), saying that it was white and glossy and lovely. In the Joseon Dynasty, from the time of King Taejong, the state began to oversee paper production, establishing the office called Jojiseo (Paper Manufactory). In modern times, however, the change in architectural styles and housing environment and the import of paper have led to the virtual disappearance of traditional hanji. Today, because of high production costs, hanji is made with pulp imported from Southeast Asia rather than mulberry bark. To keep the art of hanji alive and pass it on to the next generation, the Cultural Heritage Administration has designated hanji making an Important Intangible Cultural Heritage.
South Korea -
Yeomsaekjang (Natural Dyeing)
National Intangible Cultural Heritage, Republic of Korea Yeomsaekjang refers to a craftsman who dyes cloth with natural pigments. Specifically, the art of dyeing, which has been designated as Important Intangible Cultural Heritage, involves dyeing with indigo. In the Joseon Dynasty, dyeing was a highly specialized skill such that a dyeing specialist was attached to the royal court. Natural dyes used for coloring cloth are plant, mineral, or animal matter, used as is or slightly processed. There are all kinds of dyes, but the indigo bush (Persicaria tinctoria) was the most difficult to use; the complicated dyeing process also required a high level of skill. With modernization as well as the introduction of chemical dyes, traditional dyeing has all but vanished. Thanks to a handful of dedicated craftsmen who have worked to revive the art since the 1970s, however, the art has been kept alive.
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 -
Dza-zo or Phreng Chome-ley
Traditional pottery art in Bhutan is known in Dzongkha as Dza-zo and the artisans are Dza-khem; in Kurtoep dialect they’re known as Phreng, art, and Phreng cho-khan, artisans. Dza-zo traditional form of pottery falls within the scope of recognized traditional Bhutanese arts and crafts. Today, traditional artisans in Gangzur village in Gangzur village block, Lhuentse district continue to make Bhutanese pottery. The nearby village of Maenjabi in Maenbi block formerly practiced the art, but over the past twenty years lost its artisans to age and migration for work.\n\nArchaeological evidence shows that ceramics have been important from the time of early settlement in Bhutan. Earthen pots were used as household items in the absence of utensils made of copper, bronze, and iron as we know them today. With the visit of Guru Rinpoche to Bhutan in the 8th century, handicrafts were introduced to Bhutan, including Dza-zo pottery, which was then propagated by Drubchen Thangthong Gyalpo (1361-1485) and Rigzin Pema Lingpa (1450-1521) in the 14th and 15th centuries. The tradition of handicrafts reached its peak in the 17th century when Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel (1594-1651) took personal interest in arts such as Lhadri painting, patra engraving, tshem-zo embroidery, chag-zo blacksmithing, and troe-zo silversmithing. He reinforced the practice of these artisanal skills including pottery. \n\nTraditional pottery was first practiced in the villages of Rinpung in Paro, Wangbarma in Thimphu, Shar Goenkha in Wangdi and Gangzur in Lhuntse district. From these places, the skills and knowledge have been passed down from generation to generation until today.
Bhutan
Open Archive 3
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Making Basket Boat in Hoi An, Vietnam
The photos and videos were taken on 19-23 November, 2019. Hội An(會安, translates as "peaceful meeting place") is a city on Vietnam’s central coast known for its well-preserved Ancient Town, and noted as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999. During the business trip, we visited the workshop of basket boat making artisan.
Viet Nam -
Traditional Weaving of Vietnam
These photos were taken on 19-23 November, 2019. Hội An(會安, translates as "peaceful meeting place") is a city on Vietnam’s central coast known for its well-preserved Ancient Town, and noted as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999. During the business trip, we visited the workshop of basket boat making artisan and he also had a skills for traditional weaving with his own loom.
Viet Nam -
Nubijang (Quilting)
Nubi is a method of sewing in order to put cotton, fur or mulberry paper between the outer fabric and the lining of cloth, or of broad pricking without putting anything between the outer fabric and lining to strengthen the cloth or to make it warmer. Nubijang refers to this skill or to an artisan with such a skill. The method became a common practice following the introduction of cotton growing. Some monks wore the same robe for tens of years, repairing it with this method. Nubi techniques developed to a point where even ordinary people came to adopt them. Among the things needed for the work of nubi are thread that matches as closely as possible that used on the clothes or bedding, needles, scissors, a heating iron, a push stick, a measuring stick, and a thimble. Regular straight lines are chiefly used for the nubi work on clothes or bedding, but a mixture of straight and curved lines are also used to make a pattern when working on wrapping cloth or pouches. The country’s traditional manual nubi sewing is said to be an artwork similar to embroidery, but it is gradually disappearing, as the work takes time and does not bring much economic benefit. (reference: www.heritage.go.kr)
South Korea