White Mulberry in Dugok-ri, Sangju

White Mulberry in Dugok-ri, or Natural Monument No. 559  (formerly Gyeongsangbuk-do Province Monument No. 1), was born in around 1630 (about 390 years old) and shows the long history of sericulture in Sangju.

Hamchang-eup, the site of the ancient capital of Goryeong Gaya

Hamchang-hyeon, which was a district of Sangju-mok, was a silk production town with a long history.
 
Hamchang was the ancient capital of Goryeong Gaya according to ‘Samguk Sagi’ and ‘Samguk Yusa.’ (historical references)

History of Hamchang Silk

According to records from the early Joseon period, Hamchang-hyeon offered silk to the state.

In Hamchang, the tradition of silk weaving with silk threads extracted from cocoons has been passed down from generation to generation for a long time.

A boy selling silkworms at the Hamchang Traditionoal Market (1912)

Hamchang was a transportation hub through which the Nakdong River flowed and the Yeongnam Daero passed, and local markets were formed in ancient times.

The silk produced in this town was naturally called ‘Hamchang Silk’ because the silk traded at the Hamchang five-day market, which was the only market with an authorized silk shop in Korea, was sold to other areas throughout the country.

The first silk cocoon joint market in the country and Hamchang-gun Sericulture School

Sangju and Hamchang were historically the centers of sericulture and silk weaving and underwent changes in a new era.

In 1907, Hamchang-gun Sericulture School was founded in Guhyang-ri, Hamchang-gun, and it was an elementary sericulture school under the Department of Agriculture of the Daehan Empire.
The sericulture school later became Hamchang Elementary School.

In 1914, the Sangju Silk Joint Market was formed in Namseong-dong, Sangju, which was the first silk cocoon joint market in the country. The silk cocoons traded at the joint market were sold to other areas throughout the country.

Sangju Public Agriculture and Sericulture School

In 1921, Sangju Public Agriculture and Sericulture School was founded; it was the first formal sericulture education institution in Korea.

The school later became Sangju National University (Currently the Sangju Campus of Kyungpook National University).

Modernization of silk looms

The improvement and innovation of silk looms were led by local residents in Hamchang.

In the village of Gyochon-ri, Hamchang, most residents worked in the silk weaving industry.
Min Junho (pan name: Munam, courtesy name: Yeongeon, 1898-1959)*, a resident of the village, produced and introduced a modern silk loom in the 1920s and 1930s, contributing to the modernization of the sericulture industry in Hamchang.

* Min Junho was a family member of Min Sookhui, who is the wife of CEO Hu Ho.

Weaving Hamchang Silk with the spirit of ‘Reviewing the old and learning the new’

With the introduction of electricity in the late 1960s, electric-powered silk-weaving began.
Since then, the silk industry of Hamchang has renovated weaving technologies and modernized manufacturing facilities.

Nevertheless, traditional weaving techniques that use a traditional shuttle loom or a water-soaked spool of weft, have been maintained to this day to weave Hamchang Silk, which has a long history.
In Hamchang, the tradition of silk weaving has been passed down and changed to fit the modern era.

In Hamchang, people have put into action the spirit of ‘reviewing the old and learning the new’ from the Analects of Confucius.