Yeonjukjang refers to the skill of making a long smoking pipe, or to an artisan with such a skill.
It is said that yeonjuk (a long smoking pipe) was first made after the Japanese Invasion of Korea (1592 – 1598), when tobacco was introduced to Korea through Japan. Dongnae, Busan, which used to be the country’s center for trade with Japan, was a leading place for production of yeonjuk. Yeonjuk consists of the mouthpiece, the bowl, and the long, thin stem. The bowl that contains the tobacco has to withstand heat. It is made of copper, tin, nickel-copper or very rarely, china. The mouthpiece is made of jade, ivory or ox horn. When making the nickel-copper used in the production of a smoking pipe, an alloy of copper (58%), nickel (37%) and zinc (5%) is made. If the nickel content is high, it appears to be white. The alloy is beaten to make a very thin piece, and the parts are soldered. The work requires an exquisite level of workmanship.
Pipes with blue embellishments made in Dongnae and those made in Gyeongju, Gimcheon, Yeonghae, Ulsan, and Yecheon are famous. The workmanship is still handed down in Namwon, Jeollabuk-do and Anseong, Gyeonggi-do.