Large Scooped Wooden Bowl

Hamji, also called hambak, is a large bowl that is generally used when for presenting or mixing a variety of food. As a multipurpose tool, each household was equipped with multiple hamji of various sizes. It has a wide mouth and a relatively narrow bottom. Hamji can be categorized according to its form. Ear hamji is made by hollowing out a thick log into a square shape, with large ears protruding from both sides to serve as handles. Octagonal hamji is made by assembling wooden plates into an octagon. This hamji was used to place dried food, fried pancakes or grains. Doraehamji and round hamji were both made by hollowing out a thick log into a round shape, yet unlike round hamji, dorehamji has a rim that serves as a handle and was used as a substitute for maehamji. Ear hamji and round hamji were used for various purposes such as washing cabbages or mixing cabbage leaves with seasonings to make kimchi. Hamjibak was usually made by cutting a large log in half and hollowing out the inside. There was also paper hamji, made by pasting paper around a wooden hamji to make the frame and then detaching the paper from the wooden hamji and waxing it with ground beans. Hamji was usually made directly within households. It was pasted with ground beans to enhance durability and surface gleam. Some are applied with unboiled lacquer, lacquer, or yellowish-red paint. Wealthy households used hamjibak made of bronze or brass. There is an old saying, “To kick out one’s wife for the rice in hamji.” In old days, housewives would often serve rice in one hamjibak, and all the family members had to share it, since the rice served in a hamjibak seemed much more than the actual amount due to the wide mouth of the bowl.