South Korea · Surface Design / Lacquerware / Inlay
나전칠기 (Najeonchilgi)
Najeonchilgi is the Korean art of inlaying iridescent mother-of-pearl (abalone, turban snail, and oyster shell) into an ottchil lacquer base — producing objects of extraordinary luminous beauty that have been central to Korean decorative arts for 2,000 years. The technique requires mastery of ottchil (CRAFT-0020) as a prerequisite — the shell inlay is embedded in the lacquer ground and covered with successive lacquer coats that are polished back to reveal the shell surface level with the lacquer. The shell preparation — cutting, splitting, and engraving abalone into precise geometric and floral shapes — is the most technically demanding element: abalone is cut with a specific knife technique that exploits the shell's natural laminar cleavage to produce hair-thin sheets that retain the full iridescent spectrum. Cross-reference CRAFT-0020 (Ottchil) for the lacquer base technique.
Risk level: Endangered · Not separately inscribed; within Korean ICH Living National Treasure system
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