Master Jan Gong-ik (Hallim, Jeju)

▲ He has been with stone crafts during his life

Wind, woman and stone. That is why Dolharubangs can be the symbol of Jeju.

 

But how on earth can Dolharubangs be the symbol of Jeju without the master’s delicate touch carving clumsy, ugly stones? It seems that they would remain normal stones lying somewhere in Jeju and be satisfied with their dedication to make Jeju have the nickname ‘Sam Da Do’.

 

Kumnung Stone Park, which is located in Kumnungri, Hallim, Jeju, is master Jang’s workplace who have devoted 55 years to Dolharubangs.

 

“Thank you for coming here to give me a chance to talk with you.”

 

There are the First words that came out from the thin man, master Jang’s mouth. It sounds like his words reflect his harsh and lonely stone carving tasks.

 

The deep creases and bright smile in his face shows the history of the Dolharubang. ‘A century of Jeju’ would be a more accurate description.

 

“When I was 13 years old, there were a bunch of stones beside the school. One day, I was so bored that I played with the stones. They were fragile that it surprise. I tried slicing the stones and it works. After that, I played with them.”

 

Maybe this was the start of his life destined to be with stone crafts.

 

At first, the work was not that easy.

 

At the age of 20, he spent five years of military service in the Marine Corps. When he returned home, the only thing left to him was his mother’s death and debt.

 

He made haenyeo statues and ashtrays and sold them for a living. But counterfeits from other regions interrupted his business.

 

So he looked for the thing that cannot be copied from others. It was ‘Sok-Dol’. He tried making Dolharubangs and they were a big hit. At that time, about 50to 60 people visited him to learn his skills.

 

“Not long after I started to make Dolharubangs using Sok-Dol, others copied my pieces. So I started to use basalt in making Dolharubangs, none of the countries in the world have done it before.

 

With hard basalt, it takes more time and effort than with Sok-Dol.

 

“Because it is hard, it takes a long time to carve. Also, it is hard to make a large amount. People don’t know how hard it is because my effort poured into the stone is hardly revealed in the pieces."

 

Since he was 27 years old, he has turned cold stones into living sculpture, Dolharubang, which has its warmth in itself.

 

“Now I’m making a booklet, which shows where my Dolharubangs are. My pieces are spread all over the 60 nations including Canada, China, Japan and so on”

 

His love toward Dolharubangs makes him worry.

 

In the past Dolharubangs have sold well but there are only a few people who buy Dolharubangs now. It’s hard to find the people who acknowledge the artistic value of the Dolharubang. Most customers just want beautiful Dolharubangs. So I change depending on their taste, considering both artistic value and modernity.

 

Now his two sons are learning skills to inherit their future work.

 

“I am worried to see my two sons dedicate themselves to stones. How can they lead their life with the income comes from this work…“

“I make Dolharubangs only with basalt. If I give up making it with basalt, my students could do the same way I think.”

 

Maybe the words he said, ‘protect the stone of Jeju’, means ‘put spirit of Jeju into stones”

His goal is to put the contents of Jeju’s culture into the stones.

 

“I could not expect what will happen in the future, but I want to apply contents of Jeju’s culture to stone sculptures. Saemaeul Movement in 70s made the life of here and mainland similar. So the Jeju’s traditional farming tool and earthenware disappear.”

 

The 82-year-old man who feels calm when he sat beside stones. Jang Gong-Ik.

 

The stones we passed by with no interest can be a Dolharubang, the symbol of Jeju. Looking Dolharubang, I can feel his love and passion.

 

In his hand I took before leaving, chips of the stone rustled.

 

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