Over 45 Years of Experience 'Najeonjang' Masters Recognized as Holders

Recognition of Park Jaesung, Jang Chulyoung, and Choi Sanghoon by the Cultural Heritage Administration

On the 1st, the Cultural Heritage Administration announced that Park Jaesung, Jang Chulyoung, and Choi Sanghoon have been recognized as holders of the national intangible cultural heritage 'Najeonjang'. Najeon (螺鈿) is a craft that involves thinly processing shells such as abalone and clams, then attaching them onto wooden furniture or objects and coating them with lacquer. Najeonjang completes Najeon lacquerware by cutting mother-of-pearl pieces into patterns and attaching them onto a lacquer base applied by a lacquer craftsman on objects made by a white lacquer craftsman. Although it faced the risk of extinction after the fall of the Joseon Dynasty, it was designated as a national intangible cultural heritage on June 29, 1966, and has been protected since.

'Najanjang' holder Park Jae-sung

Mr. Park began working on Najeon lacquerware in 1967 at the encouragement of his family and has honed his skills for 55 years. His craftsmanship is so excellent that he was selected as the top artisan in Gyeongnam in 2008. Mr. Jang learned the techniques from the late Song Jooan and Song Bangwoong starting in 1977. After 45 years of refining his skills, he became a certified Najeonjang practitioner in 1998. Mr. Choi entered the field in 1966 and learned techniques from the late Min Jongtae, a holder in Seoul. All three masters are holders of the geumeumjil technique. Geumeumjil involves cutting mother-of-pearl into fine thread-like strips and attaching them onto white lacquer to create geometric patterns. Park Sunyoung, an officer in the Intangible Cultural Heritage Division of the Cultural Heritage Administration, said, "We expect this to revitalize the transmission of Najeonjang, which previously had only one holder of the geumeumjil technique." Geumeumjil is a technique where mother-of-pearl is rubbed with a saw and file to create various patterns before being attached to white lacquer.