Daegum

Daegum Sanjo - Won JangHyun
What can you do with bamboo? Sixteen million things I am sure. I believe the most natural use of this plant may be the creation of a flute. Samchuk, the three member flute family in Korea, consists of the Daegum, Junggum, and Sogum. All three possess the same range but are pitched differently. Daeugum is the largest and most commonly used. The back of the instrunment has a membrane covered hole which gives the flute a wavering tone. Its range is two octaves plus a fourth. Passing air over a blowhole and fingering the six finger holes produces a lamenting tone. It originated in the Silla kingdom in the seventh century.

You are listening to a Sanjo. This literally translates to 'scattered melodies' and is a common gauge for a solo performers skill. Usually this form begins at a slow tempo and increases as the performance progresses. Improvisation is often included as well. I suppose you could equate Sanjo to the western form concerto. The performer(pictured above) is Won JangHyun. The piece lasts some twenty-three minutes and you are now instructed to minimize this window, do something else, and keep your ears open.

Unjusa (운주사)

Korea is a mountainous country. The northeastern areas of the peninsula have much larger peaks in greater numbers. Some 1,500 years ago a monk, realizing this imbalance, wished to build many pagodas and statues of Buddha in the southwest in order to prevent the land from capsizing. The monk Doseon (도선국사), firmly rooted in geomancy, beckoned stoneworkers from heaven to help complete this task. The goal of a thousand pagodas and a thousand Buddhas was set for the temple Unjusa. Upon completion this balance would be achieved. Sadly, during the final construction of the last two statues a rooster crowed and called the workers back to heaven.
Those final two statues (Wabul (와불)) are immense and lay atop a mountain on their backs. When you enter the temple grounds statues of Buddha large and small are everywhere. Large pagodas stand on flat land as well as on hillsides. The fact that this fragile ancient construction still stands is more wondrous to me than the pyramids of Egypt.
Somehow this geomancy is reconciled with astronomy. Many say that the temples layout echoes the night sky. There are several discs which mirror the big dipper in proportion. Most striking to me are the three large pagodas in the central valley of the temple grounds. To me they represent Orion's belt. The location of the other pagodas seem to represent Rigel, Betelgeuse, and beyond. Someday I will learn cartography and test my hypothesis.
Apart from the science is the spiritual experience. Taking a hike through Unjusa will without doubt alter your state of mind. A sense of peace and wonder was infused in me that is still locked inside.

How Korea came to be...

How did it all begin? What are the roots of this nearly 4,500 year old culture? Oddly enough the son of god had something to do with it. 환인 (HwanIn) the heavenly king had a son 환웅 (HwanUng) who wished to live on Earth. He was granted the area of Korea to govern and came with 3,000 followers. HwanUng descended from heaven and touched down under a sandalwood tree on Baekdu mountain (near the China/North Korea border). The heavenly prince named this place 신시 (Shinsi; the city of god).

Soon after he met a bear and a tiger who both wished to become human. The heavenly prince told them to stay out of the sun for one-hundred days and eat only the garlic and wormwood which he provided. The two animals then retired to a cave. The tiger lacked patience and left the cave after a few days. The bear remained and twenty-one days later became the beautiful woman 웅녀 (UngNyeo). She could find no one to marry her. After a time the beauty visited the sandalwood tree and asked to be granted a child. HwanUng, moved by this act, temporarily transformed himself into a man and married her.

This union produced a handsome and wise son named 단군 (TanGun). In 2,333 BC TanGun founded the kingdom 조선 (Chosun) in modern day Pyongyang. He ruled until 1,122 BC and ultimately retired to his father's mountain and became a god. North Korea's leader claims to have found TanGun's relics and has erected a tomb.

North Korea's leader has also hatched a plan to lasso the moon.

Haegum

Kim YongJae - Haegum - Bird Crying

The Haegum is a two stringed "fiddle" constructed of hardwood. The strings of woven silk are tuned a fifth apart (Do-So) and are played with a bow of horsehair. The instrument is thought to have its roots in China or Mongolia but the performance practice is uniquely Korean. Its tone is often described as nasal. It was originally used in court orchestras along with the Daegum, P'iri, and Changgo for the purpose of supporting Kagok(a form of singing which I am currently reading an extensive thesis about). Thanks to Hwang ByungKi's Kayagum revolution it is now used as a solo instrument as well.

The above piece Bird Crying is thoroughly modern. Below the Haegum is heard in the solo form of Korean music called Sanjo. This form was introduced in the 19th century and is now applied widely with all instruments here. I'll be brief with my words today in the hope that you take time to listen to the music!

Kim YongJae - Haegum - Sanjo

Baseball in Korea

I arrived in Korea in the midst of the 2008 summer Olympics in Beijing. I spent my first night in a hotel in Seoul and the next day rode a bus to Gwangju. I was staring out the window (feeling as if I was in a M*A*S*H episode) when suddenly the satellite television displayed the beginning of a baseball game. I was pleasantly surprised and looked forward to some entertainment I could relate to. What I did not realize was how important the game was to Koreans.



It was the semifinal game against Japan. Much like the 1980 USA hockey game against the USSR this matchup meant more than a gold medal. This was a game with extreme national pride on the line. I was really impressed with how intelligently and zealously my fellow riders watched the game. It was a good game. The bus would occasionally go through a mountain tunnel and a groan would murmur through the bus as the signal would be lost. In the bottom of the eighth inning I arrived at the Gwangju terminal with the game tied 2-2. When I walked inside a truly thunderous roar greeted me. Korea had homered in the runs which secured a trip to the gold medal game; which they won against Cuba much to the delight of the locals. Welcome to Korea!! I think I will like it here! Soon after that I discovered that American games were televised nearly every morning. The MLB playoff games were repeated in the afternoon. So odd to see this frenzy. People here seemed to pay more attention to the game than we Americans do back home.

In spring 2009 I discovered the KIA Tigers. Their home field was conveniently located a five dollar taxi ride away and I was able to attend several games. The stadium was always electric. The fans hung on every pitch. They beat their "thunder sticks" with an extreme fervor. A constant chant or song filled the air. Instead of beer and hot dogs I was consuming soju and squid jerky (오징어). I had so much fun at the games. A neighborhood mechanic and I became friends and I frequently watched games with him at his garage. In August, it was time to go back to the states. When I was in the U.S. the games lacked energy from the fans. Even in September when the pennant race was in full force the crowds did not seem to have half of the passion of any given night in Gwangju.

I returned to Korea in October of 2009. I was happy to see that my KIA Tigers had made it to the equivalent of the world series here. On my first Saturday back Game 7 occurred. My beloved Tiger's were losing badly and it looked like all would be lost. However, baseball so often provides a fairytale: The bottom of the ninth... The scored tied....



Yesterday I saw the first training game this year. Today, the first day of spring, I have the fever again. I am an hour away from Gwangju and every Saturday I can I will be there with my Tiger's. I am stoked. Baseball, soju, o-jing-uh, and sunny days!!!

Gwanchoksa (관촉사)

One of the great things about Korea is how connected it is. Trains and buses run almost constantly to both large and small destinations. Recently a whim took me on a half hour train ride to Nonsan. From there I took a short taxi ride to Gwanchoksa. The most striking part of this temple is the giant Buddha holding a lotus flower. He stands nearly sixty feet tall. Construction began in 967 and took nearly forty years to complete. It is the largest standing stone Buddha in Korea. Legend has it that a woman on heard a baby crying on the mountain. She went to the location of the crying and found only a rock. Upon this rock the Buddha was constructed. In the foreground of the photo is a large stone lantern which probably stands fifteen feet high. The temple grounds were rather small and it took all but an hour to soak it all in. The beauty of such a place is simply its age. Standing in a place that has been relatively unchanged for a thousand years is a unique experience.

Hwang ByungKi - Kayagum

The Forest - Shade - Hwang ByungKi


Korean music in general is rather free. Its aim is a desire to be one with nature. The rhythmic patterns are structured (often in triple meter). However, the beat would best be described as rubato. Nature has no consistent pattern and that is reflected in the music.

The Kayagum was invented some 1,500 to 2,000 years ago and is the most representative instrument of Korean traditional music. It is made from hardwood and has twelve woven silk strings. Similar to the Koto of Japan but varied in performance technique. The Kayagum is played with the fingers (the Koto with artificial "picks") and creates a very natural and Earthy tone. The bridges (fashioned to resemble a crane's foot) are movable to allow for various styles of tuning. The left hand depresses the strings while the right hand plucks or slaps the strings.

Hwang ByungKi is the foremost contemporary composer and performer of the Kayagum. He was born in Seoul in 1936 but the war forced his family to move to Busan in the 1950's. There he heard the Kayagum and became enamoured. He began to study the instrument and his first compositions appeared a decade later. It was not until the mid 1970's that he freed himself from the world of commerce and dedicated his life to music. His compositions are certainly modern but they retain the natural qualities which permeate the soundscape of traditional music here.

His first composition Sup (The Forest) was written in 1962. If you pressed play at the top of this post you are listening to the first piece of this suite. This work revolutionized Korean music as it was the first modern work to become accepted for a traditional instrument. His success is due to a firm grounding in the tradition of Korean music. From there he was able to put his own stamp on what is heard. This event spurred many to do the same for their own instruments and the peninsula's music has never been the same. Below is the remainder of the composition in its entirety:

The Forest - Cuckoo - Hwang ByungKi

The Forest - Rain - Hwang ByungKi

The Forest - Moonlight - Hwang ByungKi

오이량 (Oh Yi-Ryang)

In 2009 I visited a native friend of mine in Gwangju and commented on a piece of artwork in his office. He informed me that the artist was his friend and we promptly walked the great distance of two blocks to 오이량 's studio. My fortune continued as the man himself was present and took time to talk with us. The third floor studio was quaint and open. Boxes upon boxes of what appeared to be caulk were scattered about the room. Yi-Rang had been experimenting with silicone for some time. Many etchings of simple white caulk were there for me to sample. He encouraged me to touch them as he believed the tactile enhanced the experience of the viewer. I also learned that he was currently interested in waves. His current exhibition was all about Existence and Waves. Many of the works you see on this page are entitled Existence Point, Existence Wave, or Existence Flower. As we left he handed me a booklet for his exhibition and I left the studio rather dazed.

A few weeks later I asked my friend if I could speak with Yi-Rang about purchasing a piece of artwork for my cousin's upcoming wedding. The artist agreed to sell me one at a much below market cost. I did not choose the work. He simply framed it in plexi-glass, covered it with bubble wrap, and seemed terrified that the piece would have to survive shipment to America. The work hangs in my Father's home now as I was too selfish to give it to my cousin (sorry Roxi). Later that night he insisted on taking us to dinner (at which point I consumed my first caterpillar). That night after much eating and drinking he asked a waitress for a sharpie and in ten minutes did the sketch of me you see at the bottom of this page.

오이량 studied in Korea and Japan. His works are displayed in museums around the world such as the National Museum of Spain. I feel privileged and honored to have met such a good soul. He is a very kind, thoughtful, and extremely intelligent man. Serendipity is a good friend.

I Bought This Chapstick

Marketing here is intense and plays upon women in ways which are truly quite awful. The society in general puts unfair pressure on women but that is for another post. Here I just want to share some of the most outrageous marketing I have ever come across. The video below is of the KPOP group Brown Eyed Girls selling chapstick!! I actually kind of dig the tune. Instead of "Nivea Lip" I sing to myself "Swayin My Hips" ...



Pretty sexy eh? Sex is quite the paradox here. It promotes products shamelessly. Soft porn appears on television anywhere from one to ten in the morning. Little post cards for prostitutes litter the streets. "Coffee Girls" will bring much more than a cup of coffee to your home. Sex is everywhere and taboo simultaneously. I can only hope to be here when the sexual revolution takes place. I leave you now with more examples of the overtly sexual advertising here:


Yum! Beer!


I wanna go to that club....


Lucky noodles!


Korean beer goggles.

Eat Like Snake

As a huge fan of Burger King I am pleased to share that The Whopper exists here as well!

The Swastica

A sight odd to westerners here is the swastica. I recall riding on the bus my first day and seeing it on roadsigns. I was shocked. It is funny how much a symbol can affect a person. The symbol here (on a roadsign at least) represents a Buddist Temple. The swastica is rotated 45 degrees and sits like a square instead of the infamous genocidal diamond shape that westerners have been taught to abhor. I have since learned that the swastica is used extensively in Hindu tradition as well. The same symbol is seen in a clockwise and counter-clockwise manner to represent two of their gods. Further proof of the power of symbolism.

Hello

I am in the middle of my second sojourn to Korea as an English teacher. One of the most interesting things to me is the juxtaposition of the old and the new. The photos to your right represent just that. A Buddist temple (Unjusa). One of the few not destroyed in the peninsula's wars. Also scenes from Gwangju (a nearby city of three million). This is my first public blog. I am reticent to share my full experience here for fear of incarceration. We shall see where this goes. Enjoy!