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Show 7 way to Ompei, not a great distance but somewhat an arduous journey owing to the almost impassable rocky roads along winding rivers an streams swollen by the spring rains. The narrow road leading to Ompe passes the last remaining scction of the ancient wall, which once surrounde Scoul whenit was one of the important cities of the world, but which ha long since been allowed to fall into dilapidation. Photograph 54. Afte reaching the Great White Buddha at the foot of the mountain, photograp 55, it was necessary that we walk the remaining distance to the littl thatched, trecless village where paper has been made by hand for countles years. Photograph 56 WhileI had scen other Korean paper mills Twas hardly prepared for th sight of such a primitive setting as one encounters upon the first glimps of Ompei. Crude stone rolls for macerating pulp and several vats were in th open, while other vatswere located under rude thatched straw coverings, al beside the river-everything of the roughest workmanship, but presentin a unique and picturesque industrial scene such as might have been behel on this same spot five, or even ten, centuries ago The only material used in Korea for papcrmaklng, besides old pape scraps, is the bark of the paper mulberry (Part I) which is called tak b the natives. For the most part the Ompei papcrmakas were using all sort of old paper for their raw material, as their finished product i employed only in Korea; none is exported. The paper made in Ompe ‘measures about 28% by 46 inches and is used almost exclusivel for covering the floors of Korean houses, in the same manner as the Japanese mak use of thick vegetable fibre mats. While paper such as s fabricated in Ompe byhand could be successfully duplicated by machinery, it is doubtful if thi old native craftsmanship will ever be supplanted by the modern machine The Korean people hold to their ancient customs far more than do th fapancse, or even the Chinese, and it would be difficult to convince the that machine-made paper could ever take the place of their own product Digitalimage 2004 Marriott Library, Universiy of Utah. All ights reserved |
