
350 Years Old Technique of Making Hapjukseon | Korean Master Fan Maker
Hapjukseon is a traditional Korean hand-held fan made of thin bamboo strips. Although they appear simple, folding fans require between 140 and 150 manual steps.
In this video, we discover the 350-year-old Korean traditional hapjukseon making process performed by master craftsman Kim Dong-sik. His family has been practicing the craft for about 140 years. He is the fourth generation of hapjukseon artisans.
Traditional paper fan making is generally quite hard, intricate, and painstaking. It takes about a week to create one single Hapjukseon, combined with sophisticated hand-carving techniques. When he was just 14 years old, master Kim started learning how to make hapjukseon from his maternal grandpa Rah Hak-cheon, who used to make folding fans for King Gojong in the late Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910).
Hapjukseon is believed to have been invented during the Goryeo Kingdom a thousand years ago. During that time, they were used mainly by the king and his officials.
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Timestamps
1:26 - Carving the bamboo interior
3:12 - Shaping the fan
4:38 - Types of Korean fans
5:29 - Making a Hapjukseon
