최병훈명장 코리아타임즈 2015년 3월 보도내용

[대한민국명장]

'Injang': a square inch of art

Master seal maker Choi Byung-hun shows his seals and demonstrates the seal making

process in his studio in Suyu-dong, northern Seoul. Choi was named a Master Artisan in Seals

by the Ministry of Employment and Labor in 2001. / Korea Times photos by Shim Hyun-chul

Craftsman turns seals into artwork

By Chung Ah-young

A square inch of space might be too small a canvas for ordinary people, but for master seal maker Choi Byung-hun, it can be a huge one on which he can create anything.

He carves a person's name on a seal made from any material, usually ivory, stone, metal or wood. However, he said a seal or "injang" is not simply a carving of a name but also a reflection of someone's life and personality.

"A seal is a signature unique to one person. Thus, it should reflect their life and personality," Choi said in an interview with The Korea Times.

The artisan explained that a seal is engraved with the name but can also include a picture if a customer wants.

He said a seal, one of the few remaining oldest human craftworks through which people can leave a trace or communicate with others, is still being used today in Korea, along with China and Japan.

When creating a seal for someone, usually the letters of their name are written on paper in "hangeul" (the Korean alphabet) or Chinese characters and each is rendered in a different style for artistic composition.

"I always exchange ideas on how to design the seal with the customer. It's not simple work. I repeatedly change the design until both of us are satisfied with the resulting product," he said.

He started learning calligraphy and Chinese classics from his father when he was six years old, having dropped out of school owing to financial difficulties. With his skillful calligraphy and abundant knowledge of Chinese characters, he worked as a scribe at a school for about five years until he served in the military. However, he lost his job after a copy machine was introduced.

Choi, who has been carving seals and stamps for about 40 years, said that carving a new one is always a challenge. He said a seal has a clear purpose — it is used for legal verification in official documents and thus shouldn't be counterfeited by others.

"Some make fake seals that look similar to the original ones, but if they are enlarged 500 times or more, huge differences from the original are revealed owing to differences in the materials and the carvers' styles," he said.

Choi said a seal is a kind of a supplementary item that compensates for the flaws of signatures. "People's signatures aren't exactly the same every time. Thus, the seal provides another point of verification. It has always been a reliable identification tool," he said.

From being functional to being artistic

Seals are used less frequently now than in the past, but they are still an important tradition that are handed down from generation to generation, Choi said.

"Our ancestors began using signatures starting in the Goryeo Kingdom (918-1392), but they used signatures and seals for different purposes," he said.

Choi said a seal is merely a tool, but once it makes an impression, it creates something irrevocable.

Throughout history, the seal was used by artists and scholars as an official stamp or a signature on paintings and calligraphic works, respectively. Official stamps had similar forms, but personal stamps were diverse in shape and material.

During the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910), Confucian scholars made their own seals from wood or stone, leaving the material's natural shapes intact.

"Their shapes were very natural, freestyle and simple. During the Joseon era when calligraphy and paintings flourished, scholars widely used their personal seals, which were unique in shape," he said.

But from the 1800s, Korean traditional seals were influenced by Chinese styles, which were flamboyant in technique and decoration.

"I follow Joseon's styles, which keep the materials' natural shapes intact. Sometimes, a rotten part of a twig or a broken tree struck by lightning is a good material for a seal. The more unique the raw materials' shapes are, the more unique the seals that are created," he said.

The artisan explained that trees with few growth rings are the most appropriate. For example, the Korean box tree or "hoeyangmok" has an ideal texture for carving small letters.

Wood is the trickiest material for him because engraving on wood requires an expertise in handling the grain, otherwise, the seal will crack.

"Making a seal is not just carving a name. It is also creating artistic beauty. Even when making a tiny seal, I have to spend a couple of days to shape it into something I really want."

Choi said even though he has dedicated 40 years of his life to the tradition of making seals, the public's awareness of the craft remained low until he was recognized as a Master Artisan in Seals by the Ministry of Employment and Labor.

Since he began working in this area in 1968, he has made a significant contribution by preserving traditional skills and developing his own style.

"A seal is functional but at the same time artistic. The square-shaped characters in the Asian culture can be easily carved on a small seal, unlike letters in Western culture, which are written horizontally," he said.

In East Asian countries such as China, Korea and Japan, seals instead of signatures are widely used for identifying a person or for government documents, such as in financial and business transactions and communication.

The craftsman said seals vary in size and shape and every line on it has a meaning. "Even though the seal is only a square inch, it tells everything about you," he said.

Who is Choi Byung-hun?

Born in Jangsu County, North Jeolla Province, Choi started learning calligraphy and Chinese classics from his father when he was six years old, having dropped out of elementary school owing to financial difficulties. Equipped with advanced calligraphic skills and a wide knowledge of Chinese characters, he worked as a scribe for a school in his youth. He began carving personal and state seals from 1968.

He was chosen as the "new intellectual" on seal carving in 1999. Choi was named a Master Artisan in Seals by the Ministry of Employment and Labor in 2001.

He creates artistic seals that are unique in design and patterns. He currently runs his research and creation studio in Suyu-dong, northern Seoul.

What is 'injang'?

"Injang" refers to personal and official seals in Korea. The origin of the seals goes back to "jeongak"in the Neolithic age, referring to a carving a person makes on trees and stone walls to leave a trace or to communicate with others.

During the Joseon Kingdom, seals were widely used by artists to leave their signatures on their paintings and calligraphy.

Wood, stones, metals and ivory are great materials for making a seal. During the Joseon Kingdom, Confucian scholars made their own seals from wood or stone, retaining the material's natural and unique style. From the 1800s, however, traditional Korean seals were influenced by Chinese styles, which were flamboyant in technique and decoration.

In East Asian countries such as China, Korea and Japan, seals instead of signatures are widely used for identifying a person or for government documents, such as in financial and business transactions, and communication.

chungay@koreatimes.co.kr,