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IT took an exceptional man, King Sejong, considered to be the greatest ruler of Korea, to come up with the idea of a writing system for the Korean language. Korean calligraphy
on displayBy Suzanne Tswei
Star-BulletinThe Koreans had relied on Chinese characters for the written words. But there was no way to record the spoken language until the king ordered his scholars to devise an indigenous writing system.
But the intelligentsia, exclusively men, hated it. The set of phonetic alphabets, Hangul, introduced in the mid 15th century, was too simple, unbefitting the superior sex, they said.
It was so simplistic that even women could learn it, the men said.
Women, of course, knew better. The beauty of the new writing system lies precisely in its simplicity.
The 28 consonants and vowels (reduced to 24 in modern Korea) can be combined to represent any word. One can learn hangul overnight while mastering the complicated Chinese ideograms can take an entire life time.
ON VIEW
What: "Hangul Calligraphy: Reflection of the Spirit of Korea" exhibition
Men ignored it but women kept it alive until the men finally came around some 500 years later.
It took another exceptional man to change the negative attitude. Phillip Jaisohn, an American-educated Korean physician saw the advantages of a native writing system and published a newspaper exclusively in Hangul.
"That was the first step in legitimizing the system," said Edward Shultz, director of Center for Korean Studies.
Then in 1945, when Korea became independent of Japanese rule, resistance toward Hangul "gave way to the full desire to express everything and anything that was Korean," Shultz said.
Hangul has since been praised as an ingenious invention. The ease with which it can be learned has led to dramatic increase in literacy rate outside out of Korea's elite class. Hangul now is not only Korea's official national writing system, but also a cherished cultural tradition.
This moment in history is significant when one views "Hangul Calligraphy: Reflection of the Spirit of Korea" opening today at the University of Hawaii's Center for Korean Studies.
To help celebrate the 555th anniversary of the invention of Hunminjungum, as Hangul was known originally, the Korean Society of Calligraphic Arts brought 50 pieces of calligraphy out of Korea for the exhibition. It is the first of such display outside of Asia.
Judging from the various styles of calligraphy in the show, the dividing line between the sexes is no longer so black and white.
Women's writing is expected to be delicate and elegant, but not for all the women in this show. Men are not abiding by the old rules either. In fact, the womanly flourishes employed by some male calligraphers have made the most tender love poems seem even more sentimental.
"Hangul, because it was carried on by women, the calligraphy was seen as a very delicate refinement. But in the modern style, sometimes you really cannot distinguish a man's writing from a woman's writing," said Manoa history professor Yong-ho Choe (pronounced chay.)
Hangul calligraphy, becoming popular in the 20th century, follows the tradition of Chinese writing, which places calligraphy on the same artistic footing as a painting. Calligraphy is judged by the intensity of the ink, from jet black to soft grays, and the aesthetic quality of each stroke.
It is an art form that depends on the calligrapher's skills as well as imagination to properly interpret the words. "Calligraphy is not just the technique of writing. You see in calligraphy not only the beauty of the handwriting but also the spiritual aspect, the inspirations," Choe said.
The style of calligraphy must be appropriate to the sentiment being expressed. A love poem should never be written in an overly aggressive style. Nor could a sense of longing be properly conveyed by overtly masculine strokes.
"It's very important to choose the verse that shows off one's calligraphic style. The two go hand in hand," Choe said.
Calligraphers may follow many different traditional styles or invent their own. Whatever the style, it is a reflection of the calligrapher's inner soul, Choe said. "They say you can tell the character of the person from the writing."
Calligraphy is a demanding discipline, requiring intense concentration and years of practice.
It's also looked upon as a kind of mental training because of the concentration, Choe said. "For some people, it's become a kind of psychological therapy so to speak, a kind of yoga, to break from the hectic urbane life."
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