안동벼루의 위상과 발전 방안

Abstract

The inkstone, one of the “scholar’s four jewels,” is not a simple writing tool, folk item, or craft. The inkstone is a unique cultural heritage with scholarly spirit and humanistic values, which are the core of Confucian culture. Andong’s inkstone, along with Nampo’s inkstone, represented Korea's inkstones during the Joseon dynasty. At the time, the inkstone production areas of Joseon registered and published in the early Joseon dynasty were in the geography book Sinjeung Dongguk Yeoji Seungnam. Therefore, Andong inkstone, along with Pyeongchang inkstone, has the longest history in South Korea. The tradition and status of Andong inkstone are clearly revealed through the poetry of numerous writers, famous geography books. In particular, the geography book Yeojidoseo compiled in the late Joseon dynasty records that Andong inkstones, the only Korean inkstones, were classified by size and presented to the government on a regular basis. This clearly shows the unrivaled status of Andong inkstones among Korean inkstones. However, production of Andong's inkstones completely ceased after the Japanese colonial period. Currently, Andong's special products do not include inkstone, which was a representative local product of Andong during the Joseon dynasty, and instead, only foods such as salted mackerel and wild yam take their place. Widely promoting the Andong Amsan inkstone, which has been famous since the Joseon dynasty, is essential not only to raise the pride of Andong, the capital of Korean traditional culture, but also to discover and preserve lost traditional cultural heritage. However, Andong City and Gyeongsangbuk-do are neglecting these projects because they only think about immediate economic feasibility. Amsan, the production site of Andong inkstones, has natural conditions, unlike other inkstone production sites at home and abroad. Unlike almost all inkstone production areas in Korea, China, and Japan, which are located deep in the mountains far from the city, the Andong inkstone production area is in a beautiful scenic amusement park very close to the city, making it a good tourist destination. Therefore, if we build a small inkstone history museum or an inkstone culture experience center to introduce the inkstones of Andong and introduce the inkstone culture, which is a valuable traditional cultural heritage of Korea, China, and Japan, we can attract foreign tourists and make Andong, as well as the nation of Korea, a powerhouse of traditional culture. It will also help improve the national brand of Korea and revitalize cultural tourism of Korea.