Najeon chilgi (나전칠기) flourished in the Goryeo dynasty as a refined court art: tiny pieces of shell set into lacquer in dense patterns of chrysanthemums, vines and scrolls. Only a few Goryeo pieces survive worldwide, making them treasured museum objects.
The Story of Najeon
Najeon spread beyond the court into everyday life. Motifs grew bolder and more varied — cranes, peaches, the ten longevity symbols, characters for longevity (壽) and fortune (福). In the late Joseon period the kkeuneumjil technique of thin cut shell strips became popular.
After Admiral Yi Sun-sin set up workshops in Tongyeong, the southern port town became known as Korea’s home of najeon — a tradition kept alive there for over four centuries.
Master artisans keep the craft alive while designers bring it to jewelry, furniture and contemporary art — a living heritage you can still see being made.
How a najeon piece is made
- 1Prepare the bodyA wooden body is shaped and primed with lacquer, sometimes reinforced with cloth.
- 2Cut the shellAbalone and other shells are ground thin, revealing their iridescent layers.
- 3Jureumjil & kkeuneumjilJureumjil: shapes like petals and cranes are cut out with a fine saw. Kkeuneumjil: thin shell strips are cut and broken with a knife to draw lines and crackle patterns.
- 4Inlay & lacquer layersThe pieces are glued on, then covered with many coats of lacquer, each one dried slowly in a humid chamber.
- 5PolishThe surface is ground and polished until the shell shines through the deep black — weeks to months of work.
Sources: National Museum of Korea, Ottchil Art Museum (Tongyeong), VisitKorea.
