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Korean Suseok: Learning A New Way
An introduction to Korean Suseok
By Thomas S. Elias
The ancient art of Asian viewing stone appreciation encompasses long traditions first established in China and then spread to Korea and Japan. The Chinese practices strongly influenced the initial Korean and Japanese concepts before the latter two countries developed their own distinct evaluation methods and display styles. China has by far the largest number of stone connoisseurs, collectors, museums, and stone-related publications followed by Korea, and then Japan. Among these three, Japan has the smallest number of active collectors, dealers, museums, and stone-related publications today.
Unfortunately, little information about the rich history and development of Korean Suseok is available in English. To fully understand the ancient Asian art of viewing stone appreciation, one must have a good knowledge of Korean Suseok, Japanese Suiseki, and Chinese Shangshi and the ways one country’s practices have influenced practices in the other countries.
We at VSANA will try to rectify that disparity by providing periodic information about Suseok to our English reading audiences. Two years ago, we began acquiring books and assembling information about Korean stone appreciation with the help of a professional translator and contacts with leading collectors in that country.
In November 2024, we made an initial trip to South Korea to establish better ties, to see stone collections, and to meet with leaders of the Korean Suseok Association. During this visit, we met with Mr. Kim Young-yong, chairman; Mr. Shim SooBo, past chairman; and Mr. Jang Ki Ha secretary general of the Association, to discuss ways we can work together to raise greater awareness of Suseok in the Western world.
Left to right: Shim SooBo, Tom Elias, Kim Young-yong, and Jang Ki Ha.
There is a continuous history of Suseok appreciation since the 14th century. The Korean nobility and literati initially embraced stone appreciation by incorporating stones into gardens and later showcasing individual stones indoors. Scholars and artists created paintings, poems, and prose inspired by the stones they esteemed. We have initiated an ambitious project to translate an English edition of Jo Myeon-ho’s 1867 book, Tribute to Stones, a collection of twenty-two poems inspired by stones. The Korean name for viewing stones, Suseok (수석), can be traced to the late 1700s or early 1800s. Literally, Suseok can be translated as “living or spirit stones.”
A visit to a private collection and museum near Seoul gave us the opportunity to see an exceptional collection of garden and indoor Suseok. Mr. Kim Jaeseong, owner of this prized collection, hosted our visit.
Korean stone collectors place a high value on natural, unworked stones. This is evident in their stone exhibitions. Ceramic, porcelain, copper, and bronze trays are frequently used to display stones with sand of uniform size and color. I noticed a greater contrast between the color of the suiban and the color of other stones in many displays than seen in Japanese tray displays.
Our host, Dr. Shim SooBo, took us to The Chungju Suseok Museum in Mokgye, a town famous for its many Suseok shops. Mokgye is located near the Namhan River where several important stones were collected. The museum is owned by Mr. Kim Cheonsik. This large facility exhibited a wide range of Korean Suseok in trays and hand-carved wood bases. In addition, the museum has many imported Chinese stones on display. Among the Chinese stones was an impressive exhibit of food stones, mainly from the Gobi Desert. A visitor to this museum can obtain a good overview of the range Suseok stones that collector’s value. The museum has several rooms each filled with stones on display. There was also a variety of stones for sale along with large bags of uniformed grain and golden-colored sand. Since this is a privately owned facility, I suspect that most of the stones on display can be purchased.
We were surprised to learn that South Korea has a large, robust community involved in viewing stone appreciation at all levels-searching for stones in nature, shops selling stones, daiza carving, and displaying stones in the many exhibitions staged throughout the country each year. There are approximately 80,000 Suseok collectors in South Korea, and between 175 and 200 Suseok clubs or organizations staging over 100 local, regional, and national stone exhibitions each year. Hundreds of Suseok shops have a wide selection of native Suseok along with some stones imported from China to support the stone hobbyists. There are 17 government and privately supported Suseok museums even though South Korea is 1/100th the size of the USA. Suseok has become an established part of Korean culture that has evolved into a form distinct from Chinese and Japanese practices and deserves greater recognition globally.
