Hanji
Hanji is the name of the handmade paper produced
in ancient Korea from the 1st century BCE. Made from
mulberry trees, its exceptional quality made it a successful
export, and it was widely used not only for writing but also
for interior walls and everyday objects, such as fans and
umbrellas. Hanji, famed throughout Asia for its whiteness,
texture, and strength, is still made today in specialized
Korean workshops.
Initially Korean paper was made using hemp fiber, but
the highest quality hanji was, for many centuries, made only
from the pith of mulberry trees (tak in Korean, Latin:
Broussonetia papyrifera). The toughness of hanji meant that
it was ideally suited for use in printing presses that used
blocks made from magnolia wood, which had been soaked
and boiled in saltwater and then dried for several years
before use. Each block was 24x4x64cm and carried 23 lines
of vertical text on each side. These were then covered in ink
and paper was pressed against them. The resilience of hanji
was especially useful from the 12th century CE when
printing was done using heavier moveable metal type made
of bronze, a Korean invention.
In the Joseon Period (from the 15th century CE), such
was the demand for hanji, that Sejong the Great (r. 1418 -
1450 CE) permitted other plant materials to be used in its
manufacture, especially bamboo. The paper was made in
specialized workshops in the capital and the five provincial
capitals. The hanji which was produced for state use was
supervised by a government agency, the Chonjo-chang.
World History Encyclopedia. Adaptation.