Why Hand-Forged Korean Bronze Tableware Is So Expensive | So Expensive | Business Insider
Bangjja yugi refers to traditional Korean tableware that’s hand-forged and made of bronze. Today, it’s less likely to be set out for everyday dinners than it is to be saved for special occasions, like official state dinners, or given as wedding gifts.
Its production requires multiple skilled workers overseen by a master craftsman, who judges the final shape and quality of each piece by eye. So, why is bangjja yugi so labor-intensive? And is that why it’s so expensive?
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Why Hand-Forged Korean Bronze Tableware Is So Expensive | So Expensive | Business Insider
"Only skill and an experienced eye" *Camera cuts into man with one eye* Well played 😂
I was about to say this same shit lmfaooo
Savage script
I just saw that too. Wow
Exactly my thought
I was literally about to comment that but I had to check and sure enough someone said it🤣
Imagine being the fanner in training and your only feature in the Business Insider video is messing up the product 😭
imaging the guy training you saying he lost his right eye on an accident while working there
yeah, but at least he's letting him mess up. you don't learn well if you aren't allowed to mess up.
Emotional Damage!
@@vsvntvnv it’s a human tradition to humiliate the knew guy with a mistake
@@qounqer so the guy lost his eye decades ago to humiliate new employees. Okayy
This man is a legend! He is 96 and still working; a master of his craft. His work is definitely worth the price. Much respect to the older generation who dedicate their lives to traditional art.
WHAT he’s 96?! He doesn’t look it, that’s incredible. Shows how physical movement really keeps your body functional .
In Australia I think retirement is 65? That's when it all goes downhill with physical & mental diseases.. Keep working till your body gives up imo..
@@somerandomfella It's 60 in South Korea and a lot of companies make it compulsory, as long as you do something you enjoy and stay active you can stay healthy.
@@somerandomfella eh, you should stop work in your late 50 or early 60 enjoy the world travel, pursue your hobbies. Ofc. it will go down fast when you change from working to reading the newspaper and chilling on the porch halfe the day and spend the evening with beer and TV entertainment.
Asian don't raisin baby
Why did I watch this midway into a hot flash?!? They really don't seem to be that hot.
As a Korean American, it’s kinda cool seeing Why so expensive feature Korean arts after seeing so many Japanese arts. So many masters in the world for all sorts of products!
what u create mate
because Korean arts nowhere near the japanese value on world market, it isn't worth interest for buyers, there is a huge demand for japanese or chinese art in oriental antiquities, but not really korean, otherwise museums found worldwide would feature korean art collections more frequently, but it is always too overshadowed by china or japan
This is how I want to be at 96, too: still with active and with vitality, doing what I love. No wonder he has been declared a living national treasure.
cut mcdee then switch to kfc
It is amazing how passionate and hard-working some people are in Japan or Korea. 70 years in bronze artisan craft? That is just absolutely crazy.
PASSIONATE?? IT WAS … HIS ‘DESTINY’ !!!
It's what you do then it's not work
Then there is us americans that cant keep a job for more than a month. 🤣
It’s also apart of a very toxic work mindset/lifestyle they hold working 80+ hours a week for example. They have this brutal hard work mindset that’s literally having people work to death among other things
The dude lost his EYE, still doesn't wear safety glasses, and appears to have the "retirement plan" of: die at his work station and have someone pitch him into the furnace for cremation. That's not "passionate and hard-working" that's fanatical devotion. He's basically Samuel L. Jackson's loyal house slave character from Django Unchained. It's sad and embarrassing for our species.
If there is one thing that they could modernize that will be the use of safety glasses.
Bangjja Yuki used to be pretty much standard dining plate and bowls in Korea. It actually makes food taste better(It actually does), it holds heat or cold better. It is the best possible dish option for Korean cuisine, and that's why even to this date some high end traditional Korean restaurants use them. Bangjja Yuki isn't just about color or material, but its hammering and forging method. It can't be made in factory by machine, but it needs to be manually hammered. If it is made in factory, without hammering process, then it is just called Yuki. There are several different branches of Bangjja Yuki in Korea, depending on the region, its method, process, ingredient ration. Bangjja Yuki is now no where near as common as it used to be, and several main reasons are 1. Bangjja Yuki requires some management. After washing it, it needs to be all wiped out dry. And if you want to maintain its bright golden color at its best, ash of tree or powdered tile is needed to wipe its surface. 2. It's expensive. As you can see from the video, this art requires a lot of labor force, a very sophisticated skill and process, quite high percentage of failure in manufacturing process. Also, melting it, forging it, hammering it all need to be done in red hot temperature, often resulting in decrease in artisan's vision. 3. Japanese Empire, when it occupied Korea for 35 years, was on constant war with everyone, and they needed metal for wars. So what did they do? "Hey, look! Koreans use a lot of metal in their kitchen." (Koreans used metal chopstick, metal spoon, cast iron rice pot, and many other metal made things including Bangjja Yuki) "Why don't we just take those things (by force), and use them in our weapon factories?" And that's what they did. So by the time Korea got liberated, Bangjja Yuki was almost entirely gone in most Korean households, due to confiscation. And most Korean people were at extreme poverty after liberation, so they couldn't afford to buy it again. But the art was not forgotten, and still there are many artisans, including the one in the video, still creating these beautiful things. The real authentic, hand hammered Bangjja Yuki is very expensive. But its charm...its hand hammered surface gives such a beautiful sensation to your finger when you touch. And its golden color, shining at all directions from the very slightly unsmooth surface created by countless hammerings, brightens the food. It's a very special pieces of art, and I hope you will be able to experience one day in person.
Wheres your source for making food taste better? I doubt it does
@@licktin1091 my experience, and there was some research in Korea too. I remember it had to do with the metal, its capability to maintain temperature, its light reflection nature.
@@junkim2789 I want the research though. I could say the same thing about ceramic bowls making food taste great. Could be the color of the bronze plates though. I remember reading once where an orange cup makes coffee taste better. Could be bullshit though, I don’t have the source to back that up.
The billions in India would disagree with you on many of your points. Most egregiously would be it's price. Next would be that it has to be hand hammered (forged).
The argument this could not be made in factories is unequivocally untrue. They already are made in factories for much cheaper. All forging requires hammering, not just this. So your point that this can't be done makes little sense, power hammers and other forging processes exist that produce the exact same chemically identical product. The idea that this or any product cannot be made by modern industrial processes is just false because all of our current knowledge stems from things made by hand originally.
It's good how Business Insider is exposing these crafts to the world.
🧠👀👄
The same technique is used in India as well, completely traditional. But prices are very low as compared to what these people are selling. In India the problem is artisans are not at all respected for their work. Korea and Japan respect their artisans' hardwork and that's why products are expensive.
Yes, along with bronze we have many skilled professionals who work on other metals, alloys, wood etc but the difference between them and us is they declared it national treasure and we ignored it... But current government is working on it by recognizing them...some Indian examples are in this channel also...
As a Korean, I too am surprised by the craftsmanship and centuries-old techniques being passed down in India. I hope you guys get more recognition!
Yes, there is whole community of these people near my locality, in indore, India
Love india
@@petergriffin9902 bronze casting is in India since Indus Valley Civilization
Never understood the deal with bronze and fake bronze bowls in some Korean restaurants. Now, I know. Also, I’m assuming that the cheap pots are replicas that the masses adopted?
I have one at home gifted from a family member who was traveling. The sheen and beauty of the hammer stokes can really be seen.
So the guy lost his eyes but nobody wears safety glasses that cost like 3 dollars? OSHA Screeching Intensifies
The perfect analogy of an experienced EYE. That eye has so much experience literally.
Which makes it that much more surprising that they don’t use protective eyewear! If I were down to one eye, I’d be protecting it!
I have them and they are so lovely. In design, color and the feel. The more usage deeper the colors are.
After watching this, I am half tempted to give up my fibre internet connection and get a 28.8 dial up connection to pay my respect to old technology and the masters who crafted it.
The whole process looks dangerous but the people continue to persevere no matter what happens. Seems like they're all very passionate about what they do in their own lives.
the master is being extremely irresponsible by not making everybody wear eye protection.
A set of safety glasses and a pair of gloves would negate 95% of the risk.
@@Ass_of_Amalek Eye protection is not necessary for bronze smelting. The heat is not strong enough to emit UV and the only worry is shrapnel from brittle metals, which as the master says, can be avoided pretty easily. If you watch other craftsman videos, you'll notice the majority of the craftsmen or artisans opt out of safety goggles. I'm sure there are reasons beyond them simply trying to cut trivial costs, such as it's incredibly discomforting in long hours and the goggles themselves can become a safety hazard, ironically.
Nice botting to get that many subscribers off of nothing
@@user-ll4cu5dh3b Having done a little blacksmithing myself, they're not uncomfortable, and don't impose any safety hazard greater than a shard of metal taking one of your eyes out. You forget you're wearing them after a certain point, and it's hot enough by a forge that you don't notice your eyes becoming unusually sweaty. Not wearing eye protection while smithing is hubris.
You'd think someone who'd lost his eye while working would implement basic H&S ppe rules like safety glasses
Right?!?
This would be so cool to buy a display case of these for formal home dinner parties rather than silverware for first time dinner set purchasers.
Smart Man
go ahead good luck
Love artisinal artwork of making foodwares. Kudos on research done in creating this video.👊👊
"only skill and an experienced eye" and the camera pans to a one eyed man...
96 years old?! He doesn't look older than 50! He really is a living legend!
Considering how much work that's put into it, seems like a pretty good deal to me.
The lathe and forge seems....unnecessary. They can create the same exact product with less waste and cut down on production time and man power waste by using powered lathes and forge. Tradition is one thing but using a manual bellow forge and manual lathe doesnt take away from HOW you heat or polish products. Manual hammering is definitely something machines cant really produce because the human aspect is so inconsistent and its one of the reason theres so much appeal for manually worked bronzeware but the heating and polishing elements can definitely be upgraded without saying youre "stray away from tradition". The art is in the shaping and molding of the bronzeware. Not the heating and polishing of it.
Truly amazing, the dedication.
Business insider❤️Content getting better every vid, love watching .This is certified rich classic
You have bollywood name
I love this!! What a great video.
"it overheated because the fanner made a mistake" Is this like in Japan, where the apprentice swordsmith is in training for 3 years just to sweep the floor correctly? Why didn't the master see that the fire was too hot to keep the metal in that long? Idk, seems to be the same somewhat abusive master-apprentice relationship
If you correct a mistake while it's happening, the person wont learn. But if you let them do the mistake and show them the result they actually will remember the mistake.
the master is old and already lost one eye, so i bet the supposed master craftsman wasnt paying attention probably cuz he was expecting the apprentice to be able to tell on his own without supervision
@@xXxSkyViperxXx I'm just suspicious of people who put failures on the people who are lower on the hierarchy. It's just a red flag, in most of these cases. Just think of your own work life (if you have one) As someone who has experience with how you know the state of a metal that's being heated based on it's color, I'm still thinking that it's on the master (even with one eye), not the (probably underpaid wageslave-) apprentice. But it really doesn't matter anyways. It's not that deep
@@braindecay9477 the old master sounds like he has the old man pride of expecting apprentices to learn to figure out how it is by experience on their own and just occasionally showing how its done when he does it himself
@@braindecay9477 You only learn when you make mistakes. Not when you're corrected during a mistake. if the heat is too hot, then you'll learn "ok I fucked up. The heat was too hot, I need to lower it" but if someone tells you during it you'll just get annoyed because YOU think you're right. then you'll get pissed because it fucked up and blame anything other than yourself.
I have hunted down and ordered stuff I've seen on this show I guess this will be the next thing I hunt down and order.
She said "an experienced eye" while showing a Craftsman with one eye. That was kind of humorous. Seriously though, I'm very impressed with his strict adherence to traditional techniques. He's a true master.
"Under the skilled and watchful eye" lol
Thanks to this channel, I'm thankful that I can watch good videos easily. 그들의 장인 정신에 경의를 표합니다.
Thank you for sharing 👍
한국인을 여기서 보니 신기하네요 ㅎㅎ 장인정신 멋있습니다 ^^
#2.5k👍👏🤔🤷🎉This tradition is clearly treasured by these craftsmen. If we use more modern forging techniques this process could be improved; same with temperatures exactly measured. Traditional things like this are valuable. So is improving on traditional practices. Cool documentary!💖👏👏
5:03 And yet he still doesn't wear safety goggles. Neither do his staff.
thats plain stupid :(
he's LUCKY he sells in Asia ! we here when we find out that a product is stained with DEATH or injuries..we distance ourselves WE paid with blood for a lot of thngs ..like barrages , damms and steel making and ... it messes with our conscience :(
Being a fanner looks like a blast
Wow, this is a crazy amount of craftsmanship.
Whatcha do for living if i mag ask good sir?
Preserving the technique to make this is very important than the product itself
"You don't need to measure..." As a fabricator I strongly disagree. I also laughed when he talked about following manufacturer guidelines for safety, but proceeds to clearly follow none of them.
Well, you don’t need to measure for the kind of rustic thing they make. But yeah, I was also surprised that they don’t use any PPE, especially given that the master only has one eye left! You’d think he of all people would be a) protecting that eye at all cost, and b) championing PPE at the shop. I think preventable workplace injuries aren’t a “tradition” worth holding onto!
Incredible work👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Great job!
The shot with the reflection of the fire on his glasses where his eye would be. Wonderful.
Looks like Koreans have caught on to the Japanese meme of manufacturing common goods using the least efficient method imaginable, and then charging for the inefficiency. Not only are these more expensive than a stamped pot, they're also worse quality due to inconsistent thickness.
the man is also ridiculously old already and refuses to wear safety equipment and lost one eye already in a job which relies heavily on his eyes. why are they even wearing white flammable clothes when working with flammable work like that lol
Best comment so far,it is the exact thing i was thinking
Yo dont do my man dirty like that 0:30
The craftsmanship is great, that doesn't mean you can't use a pyrometer to get the right fire temperature.
I didn't even know bronze could be forged, I thought it was always cast, so cool!
This is amazing craftsmanship to make a pot all by hand with no power tools is not easy they where even using a man powered lathe to roll the pot which u do not see anymore not even with copper pots most use a motorized lathe. I respect this and I would buy one if I could afford it they look really nice.
would you take it if offered no charge??
@@northernhemisphere4906 yes why not
@@SouthJerseyBaitReviews nice
It has an incredibly high labor cost. Of course its going to be expensive...as it should be.
“Just an experienced eye” proceeds to show a guy with literally one eye
This is an amazing product and process
He lost his eye… yet doesn’t require his workers to wear eye protection 🤯🤦♂️
best series ever
Before I learned that Ray Kroc said this, my dad often said this to me and my siblings, a job well done is the most satisfying thing you can do.
You can make the same pot in 30 seconds with a hydraulic press and a sheet of copper. You're just paying for the story of how it was made. not for the pot.
No. You are investing in preserving a rudimentary hands on skill that you or your next generation can rely on, in case their is some massive supply chain or power grid disturbance
@@aleenaprasannan2146 and guess what, they could sell them to survive in an apocalypse instead of getting paid pennies on the dollar. Or everyone can just use the pots they bought already in their cupboards in the situation too.
@@greatleader4841 I don't think you understood what I said. Retaining knowledge of rudimentary systems is very important. That's why there is still arithmetics taught in schools to every human being eventhough we are in the AI Era, instead of waiting for apocalypse to dust off maths books from museums
The master lost his eye because of a piece of bronze shard and yet he doesn’t think about implementing safety in his workshop to prevent the same kind of accidents from happening to other people. Just really irresponsible.
Heard. How much a safety goggle will cost him? Surely less than a law suit.
It's almost like you know better than somebody who's been doing this craft their entire life.
Cuz there broke asf booeeeieiiiiiiiiii
@@crazy808ish thats not hard health and safty is told to all, i some contrys, and had 0% to do with this craft, safty goggles dont stop you from being able to hammer...
You must be the life of every party. 🙄
Back in the 60s the Koreans and Japanese used aircraft gun shell casings found on the gun range to create some beautiful items.
It's a pleasure to watch these skilled artisans at work, but proper PPE could have saved the masters eye and probably countless others who may have sustained life changing injuries.
"countless others" = random assumptions from your imagination
@@crazy808ish an eye is a very small target, imagine how many bits of bronze have chipped off over the years It’s very hot metal and people surrounding the piece, people must have received many burns, a bad burn such as scarring a face is definitely life changing
@OP: my thoughts exactly. I mean, if I were down to one eye, you bet I’d be protecting it with safety glasses!!
@@crazy808ish You don’t know the first thing about workplace safety, do you?
what pp has anything to with it it's well sheathed underneath a good ol pack of working trousers
First...respect. Second, "An experienced eye." LOL. The editor has a sense of humor, does he/she? +1
Insane level of craftsmanship...expensive but worth it imo
Bronze working is so old. People started using copper 11,000 years ago and started casting bronze 7,000 years ago. Bronze working arrived just as the bronze age collapse and the Trojan War were occurring in like 1300-1200 BC. There is such a rich history and culture surrounding bronze
They all genuinely look like there enjoying there job :)
내가 살다살다 방짜유기 영어 다큐를 보다니....세상 좋아졌다. 다른 외국 다큐랑 달리 인터뷰 더빙이 아니어서 좋다 ㅎ 빨리 종강하면 집가서 내 방짜유기 숟가락으로 밥 먹고싶다 ㅎ
The skillful eye. Narration got me not gonna lie 😅
Sadly, the Bangjja Yugi is less popular to make instead of casting because it’s way difficult to mass production… 😢😢😢
That guy is 96 and I never would've guessed that hes over 60.
Something tells me a propane forge wouldn't do that much damage to the process, but what do I know.
Something tells me using machines to make bronze bowls would be more efficient
Nice video
thanks :)
awesome
6:00 “-under the skillful eye of….” -😂😂😂 was this an intentional joke?
0:33 expirienced eye, nice one
0:31 "only skill and an experience eye" for real lmao
i like how she starts by explaining exactly why its expensive then proceeds to wonder whether thats why its so expensive.
why are they not wearing protective gear
Selling various bronzes such as Bells,Sanxingdui Masks,Zodiac Animal,Sword and so on and supporting customization
They just need to use a thermometer ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
She’s throwing these eye jokes out more often than I would have imagined she would.
Metal working isn’t magic. It takes experience but this video goes over the top with mystery. And a simple set of goggles would have saved the eye. It’s amazing such crude methods can create something nice. But using a lathe would help. Romanticizing traditional methods hides the danger and injuries that hundreds have sustained. As a metal worker it’s not that hard to learn the color of the metal to know when to pound and when to reheat. Beautiful work though.
How are you gonna focus on the guy with one eye like that -_-. Don't turn my dude into a pun!
Came here to say that he may be 96 but the way he does labour is incredible -- it's like he's almost half his actual age
I would love a bronze sword made by this team.
I've always wanted to build a stone forge in my yard to smelt bronze and make Spartan swords, helmets, and shields. There are chunks of coal everywhere on the railroad tracks by my house. I never realized how hot coal burns until i tried it once. It made the steel container glow red in minutes. It burns like gasoline, only it's a solid. Would easily melt copper and tin.
0:31 one 👁Johnny loving it!
"experienced eye" The caption didn't put plural, good!
70 years experience is crazy - I would'nt mind paying the extra money for something like that.
U want lead seeping in ur food nice 😊
@@tannersrdr2clips432 There is no lead in bronze?
@@manymifi1 oh yeah that’s brass lol I was high
Please make video on Chamba handkerchief. Chamba is a district in state himachal India. Chamba handkerchief is tradition antique and so expensive art.
This guy lost an eye but still is not wearing safety goggles. Guess he really likes to keep it old school.
0:31 you just HAD to use that pun, didn't you 🧐🤣
It is a KZhead channel that captures Korean culture as a beautiful video. There is also a Bangjja Yugi episode by Master Lee Bong-ju, so visit it!
In india, Jandiala guru tradional vessel making has been given the intangible heritage tag by Unesco. Hoping to visit Punjab and pick some good cookware
I can see why the Koreans see at as part of their heritage and thus value is highly, but from an manufacturing point of view it's just insanely ineffective.
Just another reminder that cost of good is the function of labour put into it. So if something would be made entirely automatically that would cost nothing and that's why that never gonna happen in our society.
It happens for every other good though. This is also why you can buy high-quality tableware for the price of a hot dog.
Some people simply refuse progress and confuse an inefficient and slow process with quality.
I think the same material but just molded would yield the same properties. Producing like this is interesting and funky, but ultimately inefficient due to the high amount of manual labor.
Eh, the forging does produce specific changes in the metal structure that molding might not. But so many other steps could be automated, like using an electric fan instead of a human to aerate the fire. (Or using an oven instead of a fire…)
imagine working a job where you can lose an eye but nobody wears safety glasses. Stupidity must be traditional
I am surprised that they don’t use any PPE, especially given that the master only has one eye left! You’d think he of all people would be a) protecting that remaining eye at all cost, and b) championing PPE at the shop. I think preventable workplace injuries aren’t a “tradition” worth holding onto!
my thoughts exactly
You’d think after a critical accident eye protection would be mandated.
He lost his eye, but even that wasn’t enough to make him think that he and his workers should be wearing safety glasses
Not one dude wearing safety glasses. I know it is an ancient art, but losing an eye for no reason other than to maintain tradition seems dumb.
As much as I love traditional skills, this method is highly inefficient to create a bowl. If it was more ornate or cannot be reproduced by other methods I would have appreciated it more but as it stands there are more efficient ways to make a bowl that are even older or as old as this method.
An experienced eye. I see what you did there...