Rice Cake Reminds Koreans of a Famous Old Tale

Korean people think they turn a year older as the year changes. On New Year’s Day in the past, people would ask, “How many bowls of rice cake soup have you had so far?” The question, meaning “How old are you now?” has to do with the time-honored tradition that Koreans eat rice cake soup for their first meal on New Year’s Day. Long, white sticks of rounded rice cake are thinly sliced to make the soup, which contains the wish for long life.

When the New Year was drawing nearer, houses were filled with the noise of chopping the properly-hardened bar of rice cake on the wooden cutting board. While slicing the rice cake quickly and evenly, mothers would tell their children about an old tale of Han Seok-bong and his mother.


Han Seok-bong and his Mother

One night, a son who had left home to study calligraphy had returned to his mother. He said he had studied hard enough and there was nothing left to learn. His mother, who had been supporting her son by selling rice cake, asked no further questions and simply turned off the lamp. She had her son write in the dark, while cutting her rice cake. When the lamp was turned on again, it was her rice cake that was sliced perfectly, while her son’s writing was wobbly and uneven.

The son learned a valuable lesson and devoted himself to his studies to become the best known calligrapher of the mid-Joseon period. The hero of this tale is Han Ho.


Born as Talented Calligrapher, Nurtured into Celebrated Calligrapher

Commonly known as his penname Seok-bong, meaning “stone peak,” Han Ho was born into a poor family in 1543 in Songdo, which is present-day Gaeseong. A fortuneteller anticipated that a white rabbit was born in the east and the prices of paper would rise in Seoul. Despite the unusual prophecy boding well for the birth and future of a great calligrapher, it was far from easy for Han to enter the world of calligraphy. His father died when he was three and his grandfather, who taught him how to read and write, also died when he was ten. So he was raised by his mother, who was a rice cake vendor. He couldn’t afford to buy paper, so he would wet his hand with water and write letters on jars, dead leaves and rocks. As people were impressed by his great talent for calligraphy, his mother let him study under renowned calligrapher Shin Hee-ham in Songdo for ten years, although her family was not very well off.

Han passed the primary civil service exam in 1567 at age 24. He was later selected as the royal scribe called sajagwan, who was in charge of diplomatic documents and royal letters by the king. During his long service in that post, Han gained fame as a leading calligrapher.


Winning Fame as a Calligrapher

He first learned the calligraphic style of Zhao Meng-fu but was later fascinated by that of Wang Hsi Chih, a legendary calligrapher in China. After grueling studies and training, Han was able to create his unique calligraphic style characterized by powerful strokes and distinctive configuration. As a royal scribe, Han joined a government delegation to the Ming Dynasty of China five times between 1572 and 1601. Renowned scholars in China, such as Wang Shi Zhen and Zhu Zhi Fan, highly praised Han’s writing, saying, “It’s like an angry lion scratching the rock and a thirsty steed galloping toward a spring. He deserves comparison with Wang Hsi Chih and Yan Zhenqing.”

It was King Seon-jo of the Joseon Kingdom who put the highest valuation on Han’s calligraphy. The king never saw Han’s writing without giving him compliments such as, “It’s hard to fathom how extraordinary and magnificent his work is.” In 1583, the king ordered him to write the Thousand Character Classic, the classical Chinese text for children. Written in the Seok-bong calligraphic style, the book was promulgated all over the country in 1601, with the unique style enjoying nationwide popularity. When people happened to get a piece of his writing, they cherished it as a precious stone. The king and the royal family, too, would appreciate his work placed on folding screens or writing tables day and night.


Only Legacy Left Behind

Han spent most of his public life as a royal scribe before passing away in 1605. While he served the king for a long time, his family couldn’t afford to erect his tombstone to record the legacy of his achievements due to the insufficient family property. It was not until 2010 that his grave was discovered, and it was not found easily. Han did not leave any traces behind at all, other than a number of excellent calligraphic works, which tell us everything about the great calligrapher.