Daemokjang Carpentry

A daemokjang is a master of large-timber carpentry - the person who plans and raises the frame of a palace hall, a temple or a gate, as opposed to the somokjang who makes furniture and fittings. The tradition's defining feature is joinery: posts, beams and the bracket sets that carry the eaves are cut to interlock and are held by fit and by wooden pegs, with no metal fastening in the structural frame, so a building can be dismantled, its rotten members replaced, and reassembled. That is not a museum fact but the working method of Korean heritage restoration, which is why so many major buildings spend years under scaffolding. The daemokjang also decides proportion and the curve of the roof, so the role is closer to architect than to carpenter. UNESCO inscribed it in 2010, and a handful of designated holders train successors. Restoration sites often keep a viewing window.

The main sights

• The interlocking joinery - frames held by fit and wooden pegs.
• The bracket sets - the stacked blocks carrying the eaves.
• Restoration in progress - buildings dismantled and re-raised.
• The tools - the adzes, planes and marking gear of the trade.

When to go

Any time - it depends on what is under restoration. Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung and the major temples usually have work in hand with a viewing panel.

Things to know

There is no dedicated museum to visit. What you see is whatever is being restored at the time, usually through a screen and with signage in Korean. The craft is easiest to appreciate at a hall where the frame is exposed - Sudeoksa's Daeungjeon is the classic example.

Nearby

Sudeoksa at Yesan, Bongjeongsa at Andong and the Seoul palaces are where the work is legible.