Crafted from Korean mulberry tree (Dak), Hanji embodies a thousand-year legacy of strength, warmth, and enduring beauty. FIDES International delivers Korea’s finest Hanji to the world.
Hanji (한지) translates literally to “Korean paper”—a name adopted when Western paper was first introduced to distinguish traditional, handmade sheets from machine-made alternatives. Beautiful to look at and touch, Hanji’s true value lies deep within its craft.
Crafted purely from 100% Korean paper mulberry (Dak), natural formation aid, and clean water, Hanji contains zero fillers or synthetic additives. Because mulberry fibers are exceptionally long and flexible, Hanji offers unmatched longevity—making it an ideal choice for archival preservation and fine art.
What sets Hanji apart is Korea’s unique hand-forming technique, We Bal. This multidirectional scooping method creates Eum Yang Ji (Yin-Yang paper)—a sheet with no dominant grain direction. The result is a paper that is remarkably strong, dimensionally stable, and resistant to tearing or warping in any direction. Even the lightest Hanji vastly outmatches machine-made papers of equal weight.
FIDES International sources premium Hanji made by masters, including a National Intangible Cultural Heritage, in Korea’s most revered paper-making regions. Explore our Making Hanji and History of Hanji pages to discover the timeless art behind every sheet.
Korea has over 1,300 years of papermaking history. There are various opinions among scholars as to how papermaking was introduced to Korean peninsula from China between 2-7th century. However, the prevailing belief that Korea started making and using paper before the 4th century is based on a piece of paper found in an ancient tomb, Che Hyup Chong (108 B.C.E.-313 C.E.). Papermaking skills were then introduced to Japan in 610 C.E. by a Korean Buddhist monk Dam Jing along with ink sticks, a millstone, and colorants. This fact suggests that by the late 6th century, papermaking in Korea must have been well developed.
Once the Korean papermakers took this invaluable skill, they refined it with an original vision. A unique formation technique that created Yin Yang Ji was established and handmade paper became an indispensible material of daily life in Korea. Koreans used paper not only for calligraphy, painting, and books, but also for doors, walls, windows, furnitures, umbrellas, lanterns, boxes, baskets, fans, shoes, and clothes. In fact, Koreans seem to be the only people who used paper as flooring.
The world's oldest surviving wood block print, Mu Gu Jung Kwang Dae Da Ra Ni Kyung (circa 751 C.E.) and the world's oldest book printed by movable metallic type, Jik Ji Sim Che Yo Jeol (1377 C.E.) are excellent examples of Korea's highly accomplished papermaking and printing skills.
By the 11-12th century, Korea's papermaking had truly flourished. The Royal Court of Goryeo(918-1392) dynasty encouraged rapid development of papermaking and printing skills. It published numerous Buddhist scripts, medical, and history books. The quality of Goryeo Ji (Hanji was commonly referred to as Goryeo Ji during Goryeo and Joseon (1392-1910) dynasty) was renowned throughout Asia, especially in China. Many Chinese books from that time praise the beauty of Korean paper and state that Chinese scholars regarded Korean paper as one of the best. Goryeo Ji, Goryeo ginseng, and Goryeo celadon became most sought after export items and Chinese aristocrats and scholars enjoyed exchanging them as valuable gifts. Goryeo Ji in particular became one of the main tribute products levied by China.
Joseon (1392-1910) dynasty inherited the excellence of Goryeo Ji and papermaking technique and its application matured during the first half of the kingdom (1392-1591). Hanji started to penetrate every day lives of ordinary people. Colored Hanji became popular and a variety of plants, such as pine tree bark, rice straw, and bamboo were incorporated into Hanji.
After this period until the 19th century, Joseon dynasty suffered several major aggressions from neighboring countries. Japanese invasion of 1592, which lasted six years, devastated Korean papermaking industry as many craftsmen were taken away to Japan. Also, a heavy tribute of paper was demanded by China during Yuan, Ming, and Ching dynasties and the Joseon government pressured Buddhist monasteries to supply paper as monks had the skills and were already producing paper for printing of religious texts. All of these factors contributed to the exhaustion of Korean papermaking tradition. In spite of the depressed economy and unfavorable circumstances, however, Korea's papermaking tradition remained alive.
In the early 20th century, foreign influence and the idea of modernization started to challenge or replace old tradition. On top of this currency, Joseon suffered colonization (1910-1945) by Japan and many changes started to occur. Western paper mills were constructed and cheaper machinemade papers started to undermine handmade traditional paper.
Since 1945, Korean lifestyle underwent a dramatic overhaul. Traditional thatch top houses, which used a lot of handmade paper for walls, doors, windows, and flooring, were replaced by western architecture. Hanji was no longer an integral part of daily life and its main consumers were reduced to artists who practiced traditional ink painting or calligraphy.
However, in recent years, a renewed awareness and appreciation is growing and the excellence of papermaking tradition is being rediscovered. More people are accepting the responsibility to carry on this invaluable legacy for next generations, opening a new era of Hanji.
True Hanji is not simply manufactured. It is born from an uncompromising labor of care. Before a single sheet takes shape, raw mulberry bark is harvested, boiled, stripped, and pounded to soften its resilient natural fibers. Every step demands patience, physical devotion, and an intuitive mastery passed down through generations.
The heart of this craft lives in the rhythm where master artisans sweep wooden frames through water infused with natural formation aid, Hwang Chok Kyu. With subtle, practiced movements of the wrists, long mulberry fibers align and intertwine in multiple directions, weaving unmatched structural strength and organic beauty into every sheet.
Dried under the sun or on stainless steel panels and finished with meticulous care, the result is the finest mulberry paper in the world. Light yet resilent, breathable yet enduring for over a thousand years, it is more than paper. It is living art, shaped by human hands and rooted in Korean heritage.
(No Dominant Grain Direction)
(Materials with Infinite Possibilities)
(Single Dominant Grain Direction)
BoKyung Kim has worked in the corporate environment for thirteen years before representing Hanji. BoHyung Kim is an artist and an author. What brings us together? Well, we are sisters first of all, but more importantly, we are a team drawn to Hanji, Korean traditional handmade paper. Made from Cham Dak (Korean paper mulberry), Hanji has always been revered in Asia for its exceptional beauty and strength and its originality has made a distinct contribution in the world history of paper making.
Korea has more than a thousand years of paper making history. This tradition is still alive and our vision is to make it more vital. We are proud to represent some of the finest Hanji makers for museums, conservators, and artists. Our mission is to expand the market so that the papermakers can focus on refining their skills and training a younger generation who can carry on the artistry.
There is a poetic exchange between the East and the West. While Western influence has permeated many aspects of Asia in modern history, Asian paper has been widely used to mend Western art and documents in recent years. By supplying the best Hanji, we hope to encourage a broader cultural exchange, bring recognition to the devotion of artisans to hand papermaking, and that more areas of new application will be found by Western users.
