Hanji (Korean Traditional Paper): Breathable Paper Endures a Thousand Years

Hanji (Korean traditional paper) is also known as baekji. The “baek” in baekji can mean either “white,” since hanji is naturally white, or “hundred” to reflect the idea that making a single sheet of paper requires the touch of its maker ninety-nine times but is only completed with the user’s final, hundredth touch. The origin of paper has long been traced to the so-called “paper of Marquis Cai,” a paper made from rags by the Chinese official Cai Lun in the year 105 during the Later Han Dynasty. However, the recent excavation of a large quantity of paper from archaeological sites dating to the Former Han Dynasty in China suggests that paper was actually being produced 200 years before the birth of Cai Lun.

The excavated paper sheets are hemp paper made from rags. The exact date when paper-making technology was introduced to Korea is unknown due to the lack of related records. Although scholars have suggested various theories, it is generally believed that the technology arrived sometime between the second and sixth centuries. It appears that papermaking became widespread on the Korean Peninsula by at least the early seventh century (during the Three Kingdoms period). Paper made from mulberry fiber became referred to as ‘Korean paper’ during the Unified Silla period. It was known as gyerimji (paper of Gyerim, an old name for Silla). During the Goryeo Dynasty, a period of significant development for Korean paper, numerous books were published, and many large-scale printing projects were undertaken, including the publication of the Eighty Thousand Tripitaka and Supplement to the Tripitaka. The paper produced in Korea during this time was described as “fine parchment of Goryeo” in China for its durability. The fact that paper was included among the items requested by the Yuan Dynasty further demonstrates its quality.

When Korean paper-making technology reached its peak during the early Joseon period, the development of movable-type printing brought a significant increase in the demand for paper, leading paper production to become an important industry in Korea. However, the repeated foreign invasions of the late Joseon period and the breakdown of the three levies system undermined the foundation of the state-run paper industry. Accordingly, the official paper supply came to rely mostly on temples until the end of the Joseon Dynasty. Later, paper made using Western machinery was imported from Japan, leading to a distinction between the traditional Korean paper referred to as hanji and machine-made paper, which was called yangji (Western paper). 

Types of Hanji

Classification Based on Intended Use

Ganji: Paper used when writing letters

Wollyeokji: Paper used to make calendars

Gabuiji: Paper stuffed inside the winter clothes of soldiers instead of cotton

Inji: Paper used when producing revenue stamps

Gyemokji: Paper used when writing a list of documents presented to the king

Ipmoji: Oiled paper used to make a rain cover worn over a gat (wide-brimmed hat)

Gongsaji: Paper used by government offices to record affairs 

Jamunji: Paper used for diplomatic documents exchanged with China

Gwangyoji: Paper used to write edicts or orders from the state or government offices

Janggyeongji: Paper used to print Buddhist scriptures

Gungjeonji: Paper used to record divination readings for presentation to the king

Jangpanji: Paper applied to floors

Gwonseonji: Paper pouch used to solicit donations to temples

Jeojuji: Paper used to make paper money

Dogwangji: White paper applied to the walls of a tomb during a burial

Jokboji: Paper used to make a genealogy book

Dobaeji: Paper plastered on walls

Juji: Paper on which a royal secretary wrote down the king’s commands

Myeonji: Five-colored paper used to cover the name of the deceased written on a spirit tablet

Jubonji: Paper used for documents presented to the king

Bangoji: Used paper that is no longer serviceable 

Juyuji: Paper used to make umbrellas

Banjeolji: Haf-sized paper used for paintings and calligraphic works 

Jideungji: Paper applied to lamps

Baejeopji: Paper attached to the rear of a painting and calligraphy paper

Changjakji: Paper received instead of a commission on rice collected as tax during the Joseon Dynasty

Bongmulji: Paper used to wrap items offered by local regions to the central court

Changhoji: Paper applied to doors

Bongtuji: Paper used to make envelopes

Chaekji: Paper used to publish books

Bubondanji: Paper used to make a duplicate copy of a document

Cheomji: Paper attached to a book to mark something

Sarokji: Paper made by dipping a bamboo-screened frame covered with silk into a mixture of pulp fibers to eliminate traces of the bamboo screen

Cheopji: Paper used for an accordion-format book or its envelope

Sangsoji: Paper used to write proposals or petitions to the king

Chukmunji: Paper used to write prayers during rituals

Seogyeji: Paper used for a contract

Choji: Paper used to create a draft for a writing

Seobonji: Paper used to practice calligraphy

Chodoji: Paper first applied under wallpaper

Seonjaji: Paper used to make fans

Pomokji: Paper made by dipping a bamboo-screened frame covered with a cloth into a mixture of pulp fibers to eliminate traces of the bamboo screen

Sehwaji: Paper used to paint images to ward off the evil in New Year

Pyojeonji: Paper used to write diplomatic documents to Chinese emperors, empresses, imperial crown princes, and imperial crown princesses

Soji: Paper burned when praying to a god

Pyoji: Paper used for book covers

Sijeonji: Paper used to write Chinese poetry

Piji: Low-quality paper made from mulberry bark 

Sichukji: Handscroll paper used to write poems

Hwabonji: Paper used to write calligraphic model scripts

Siji: Paper used during state examinations

Hwaseonji: Paper used for painting or calligraphy

Eoramji: Paper used as a ground for paintings or calligraphy for the king’s viewing

Hwaji: Paper used to light cigarettes

Yeomji: Paper used to write Buddhist scriptures

Hwanji: Recycled paper

Yeomseupji: Paper used to wash the body of the deceased, dress it in a shroud, and wrap it with a cloth

Honseoji: Paper used to write a wedding contract

Usanji: Paper used to make an umbrella

Jang Yong-hun and a Family That Has Been Sustaining the Hanji Tradition for 100 Years

Jang Yong-hun, an intangible cultural heritage holder for hanji (Korean traditional paper) making, was born in Jangseong, Jeollanam-do Province. He began making hanji when he was seventeen years old, around the time of the Korean War. His family’s hanji-making tradition began with his grandfather Jang Gyeong-sun. Jang Yong-hun was a third-generation hanji-making artisan, following in the footsteps of his grandfather who started producing it a century ago by collecting high-quality mulberry wood during the agricultural off-season in winter. His father, Jang Se-gwon, also made hanji for a living. Today, Jang Seong-u, Jang Yong-hun’s son, is continuing the tradition as the fourth generation.

Jang Yong-hun’s father did not want his son to pursue hanji making. Despite his father’s opposition, he could not give up the craft he loved. After quietly noting his son’s skill and dedication, Jang’s father eventually allowed him to take up the path of a hanji artisan. After the Korean War, a project to restore official documents increased the demand for hanji, which in turn boosted the Jang family’s income. However, in the 1970s, the widespread distribution of Western-style paper caused a steep decline in demand for hanji and led to a slump in the industry. Many hanji artisans abandoned the craft, but Jang Yong-hun chose to continue.

After long struggles with economic hardship, Jang Yong-hun moved to Gapyeong in Gyeonggi-do Province—a region rich in high-quality mulberry trees—and established a workshop with the little money he had. He insisted on producing eumyangji, a type of paper with two layers. Since crafting a single sheet of this type of hanji took twice as long as others, his paper was more expensive and buyers were scarce. To make matters worse, his workshop flooded a few years later, ruining his stock of paper and mulberry materials. Jang lost everything in a flash, but his love of papermaking was too strong to give up. After repairing the flood damage, he rented a piece of land owned by the military, set up a new workshop there, and devoted himself once again to producing paper. His sons eventually joined him in the craft. Despite the many difficulties they faced, Jang and his sons poured their hearts into creating paper, and their perseverance finally bore fruit.

Calligraphers and painters from Korea and abroad eventually began seeking out Jang’s paper, and he even held exhibitions showcasing his work. In 1998, Sakamoto Naoaki, a Japanese paper artist, visited Jang’s workshop in search of eumyangji, which could no longer be found in Japan. In 2005, Sakamoto organized an exhibition in Seoul that featured works created with eumyangji produced at Jang’s workshop, Jangjibang. 

Jang Yong-hun had no regrets over the hardships he endured. His love for paper inspired him to devote his life to making it. He was grateful to the many people who continued to rediscover and appreciate hanji. He was a master not only of eumyangji, but also of a delicate type of paper used in the restoration process. The production of extremely thin sheets of paper for repairing damaged areas of old works requires exceptional skill. About a decade ago, Jang suffered from an unexplained year-long headache and lost both his hearing and memory. Even then, one thing he did not forget was how to make paper.

Now operating the Jangjibang (meaning a workshop where the Jang family makes paper), Jang Seong-u, the eldest son of Jang Yong-hun, has been producing paper for more than twenty years. Through great effort, he has mastered the creation of the type of high-end hanji favored by painters in Korea and abroad. He has successfully branded the paper produced by the Jangjibang, exporting it to the U.S. and Japan. Jang Yong-hun’s special lifelong connection with another hanji artisan named Hong Chun-su eventually led to an exhibition featuring the works of the two craftsmen. Jang Yong-hun passed away in 2016 at the age of seventy-nine.

Artworks

1_Book (eumyangji) / W. 45 × L. 60 cm

2_Natural Hue (eumjangji), Natural Hue (colored paper) / (each) L. 90 × W. 64 cm

Production Process

Hanji is made from the bark of paper mulberry bushes. After the rice harvest is complete, one-year-old mulberry branches are gathered from October through the following February. The bark is peeled off, boiled for six to seven hours, and then soaked in water. After the outer bark is removed, the inner bark is boiled again for eight to nine hours in a lye solution made by mixing clean water with the ashes of beanstalks, buckwheat, cotton, and chili pepper stalks. This process softens the fibers, which are then cleaned by removing impurities, pounded to a fine pulp, and mixed with clean water. Mucilage extracted from hibiscus roots is added to this mixture to give the paper a glossy finish and enhance its durability. An artisan makes the paper by dipping a wooden frame with a bamboo screen in a vat filled with the mixture and swaying it around. To impart strength and elasticity, the dried paper sheets are layered and then beaten.