Bae Hee-han

Bae Hee-han (Korean: 배희한; Hanja: 裵喜漢; June 19, 1907 - November 5, 1997) was a South Korean master carpenter who built hanok. He built the Donamjang house. In 1982, he was designated as the holder of Daemokjang (대목장(大木匠)), the 74th South Korean Important Intangible Cultural Property.

Life

He was born in Seoul, on June 10, 1907. (The family register indicates 1909.) In 1923, when he was 17, he quit Seonrin Commercial High School and became apprenticed to the Japanese carpenter Oda.  In 1921, before quitting his studies, he had already started working as a carpenter at the Railway Bureau of the Japanese Government-General of Korea . At the age of 18, he received traditional carpentry lessons from Choi Won-shik, who was the great carpenter of the Royal palace, at the demolition site of Daejojeon Hall.  He built many houses for high-ranking officials, such as the Sarangchae for Min Yeong-hwi 's house in Samcheong-dong.  In 1939, at the age of 31, he built Donamjang, the home of former eunuch Song Seong-jin, and home to Syngman Rhee for two years.

In 1959, after liberation from Japanese colonial rule, he repaired Haejungjeong and Hyangwonjeong Pavilion in Gyeongbokgung Palace, and built many temple buildings.  In December 1980, he was recognized as a traditional carpentry craftsman through the 《Special Extended Exhibition of Woodworking》 held at the National Folk Museum of Korea, and in 1982, he became a master of intangible cultural heritage. He died on November 5, 1997.

Bae Hee-han did not fight or drink alcohol unlike his mentor, nor did he earn much money. He himself said, "There is no original money coming to people who live off dead trees."

Work

Disciples

Go Taek-young, who learned carpentry from him, was designated as a master builder in 1997 (holder of Daemokjang (대목장(大木匠)), the 74th South Korean Important Intangible Cultural Property).