Octagonal Ten Symbols of Longevity Rounded Mother of Pearl Interior Ottchil Lacquer Black Jewelry Box Yedan Wedding Gift Box, 24 cm (Master Artisan Jang Tae-bok)

Overview

An eight-sided box, 24 cm across, carrying the full Ten Symbols of Longevity in cut shell on a black ground. Unlike most boxes at this size, the inside is lacquered as carefully as the outside — ottchil right through, rather than a lined or bare interior. The rounded, faceted body meant eight separate panels had to be inlaid and polished to meet cleanly at every edge.

Heritage & Craft

An octagon is an awkward shape to lacquer. Each facet has to be coated, cured, and leveled in turn, and the shell design must run across the joins without a visible break — work that takes considerably longer than the same design on a flat lid. The inlay is set into the lacquer while it is still receptive, then covered, cured, and abraded back by hand until the nacre reappears.

The Ten Symbols of Longevity — among them the crane, deer, turtle, pine, and the fungus of immortality — are not ten separate wishes but one wish repeated ten ways: that the recipient should live long and live well. It is the oldest and most explicit of Korea's auspicious motifs.

Specifications

• Material: Lacquered wood with hand-cut natural mother-of-pearl inlay
• Motif: Ten Symbols of Longevity (sipjangsaeng)
• Color: Black, ottchil-lacquered inside and out
• Form: Octagonal with rounded edges
• Size: Approx. 24 cm
• Origin: Handmade in South Korea
• Brand: K-Crafts | Code: KS-P0000CXP

Artist

Made by Jang Tae-bok, who cuts and sets the mother-of-pearl by hand.

Gifting

The standard Korean gift for a 60th or 70th birthday, and a frequent inclusion in yedan wedding exchanges. Because the symbolism reads as a wish for health rather than wealth, it also suits a recovery, a retirement, or a mentor's farewell.