먹 Meok｜From Pine to Ink

In the previous article, we introduced YUSU’s pine-soot ink dyeing and finishing of Allo. This time, we trace the making of the pine-soot ink that produces this black.

The 먹 Meok Pine-Soot Ink Series uses ink made by Korean ink maker Han Sang-muk.

Ink Maker Han Sang-muk

Han Sang-muk has been making ink since 1988 and has spent many years researching traditional Korean methods of pine-soot ink production. He has studied historical texts and visited ink workshops in Japan and China while examining materials, tools, and production methods.

Based on the remains of a pine-soot kiln discovered in Yeongyang, North Gyeongsang Province, in 2002, he reconstructed a kiln and now makes ink beginning with the burning of pine and collection of soot. His ink is also used in the restoration and reconstruction of cultural heritage.

For restoration work, the types and proportions of pine soot, oil soot, and glue are adjusted according to the period and material being reproduced.

Differences in Black

In August 2026, we visited Han’s workshop. Large quantities of pine were stacked outside, while several kilns, collected soot, glues, wooden molds, and ink in the process of drying filled the workshop.

According to Han, oil-soot ink made from soybean oil carries a slight red tone, while pine-soot ink has a blue tone. The color and properties also change with the part of the pine used, the kiln, the location where the soot is collected, and the type and proportion of glue.

Han describes his pine-soot ink as “a warm blue.” This is the ink used for the 먹 Meok Series.

From Pine to Soot

The workshop uses fallen or damaged Korean red pine gathered from different parts of Korea. The amount of resin differs between trunk, branches, and roots, and the part used affects the character of the soot. The roots, he explains, contain especially high levels of resin.

Several kilns stand at the workshop and are used according to purpose.

Pine is burned and the smoke is drawn through the kiln, where soot settles on vessels, walls, and the ceiling. The particle size and properties of the soot differ with the combustion conditions and collection point.

Han described this work as “gathering the soul of the pine.”

From Soot to Ink

The collected soot is mixed and kneaded with glue. Han also makes the glue himself from its raw materials; at the workshop we saw examples made from cattle, pig, deer, and fish.

The type and proportion of glue, as well as the way the mixture is kneaded, affect the character of the finished ink. Once kneaded, the ink is pressed into wooden molds and shaped one stick at a time.

Drying the Ink

After shaping, each ink stick is wrapped in ash and hanji so moisture can be removed gradually. This prevents cracking and warping caused by rapid drying. The initial drying then continues for several months.

It is then dried for about another year, and some sticks for close to ten years.

According to Han, ink dried over a long period can produce a broader tonal range, from deep black to pale washes.
Pine is burned to collect soot, then combined with glue, kneaded, and shaped. The long drying period that follows is also part of what determines the color and properties of the ink.

Pine-Soot Ink and Allo

At the entrance to Han’s workshop stood a pair of mountaineering boots and trekking poles. He told us that when he was younger, he had hoped to climb in the Himalayas.

The Allo used for the 먹 Meok Series is also a fiber obtained from a plant that grows wild in the Himalayan mountains.

Pine-soot ink made from Korean pine and Allo from the Himalayas. Through YUSU’s dyeing, plant materials from different regions come together in a single cloth.

→ View the 먹 Meok Series