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Changho Stories

Stories about changho and hanok lattices, told by Workgroup Pyeongmok.

  1. The Changho Glossary · No. 12 · 2026.08.23

    Changho Hung in Layers | Ssangchang, Yeongchang, Heukchang, Gapchang

    An ondol room's front wall was never fitted with just a single layer of changho. Several layers were hung one behind another, outside to inside. Not one changho — a whole cluster of them.

  2. A Second Look · No. 8 · 2026.08.21

    Jang Gi-in's Changho | Where It Comes Apart

    I noted, in page order, every spot that snagged me while reading. Since this is a book worth keeping close for years, I made this list so you can check it against the book as you read. It's not an essay — it's a tool.

  3. Back at the Bench · No. 5 · 2026.08.17

    Before the Saw's Path Sets

    I cut half-lap notches for semo-sotgeul-sal today. Since the slats run in three directions, the notch is different for every direction. I did nothing else all morning.

  4. Korean and Japanese Changho · No. 6 · 2026.08.16

    Korean Changho and Japanese Shoji | Why Are They Different?

    Korean changho and Japan's shoji (障子) are both made by applying paper over a wooden lattice. The material and the joinery are the same.

  5. A Second Look · No. 7 · 2026.08.16

    Mili Isn't a Water Channel

    I'd been turning this over for a long time. Cutting a mili profile into a slat's face is no small amount of labor. Putting in this much work had to have a reason, and I couldn't find it. The thought came back to me every time I looked at it while joining.

  6. The Changho Glossary · No. 11 · 2026.08.14

    Yongja-sal | A Jeongja-sal Scaled Up

    Yongja-sal is jeongja-sal scaled up. Fewer slats means larger cells. The cells come out as large squares. It's an extremely economical lattice.

  7. The Changho Glossary · No. 10 · 2026.08.14

    Gwigap-sal | Tenon or Notch?

    A changho joined into the pattern of a tortoise shell. Regular hexagons link together like a honeycomb. The tortoise is one of the Ten Longevity Symbols, and being a creature that genuinely lives a long time, a tortoise-like lifespan even had its own name, gwiryeong. Carving a tortoise into a changho meant a wish for long life.

  8. The Changho Glossary · No. 9 · 2026.08.13

    Gyeokja-bit-sal | A Changho Layering Diagonal Lattice Over a Grid

    Gyeokja-bit-sal is a changho built by layering bit-sal over jeongja-sal. Two 45° diagonals cross the horizontal-vertical grid, so that each cell of the grid is further divided into four small triangles. It's a changho where two joineries overlap on a single face.

  9. The Changho Glossary · No. 8 · 2026.08.12

    Yukmo-sotgeul-sal | A Changho Where the Cells Come Out as Hexagons

    Yukmo-sotgeul-sal is a changho where slats are laid diagonally at 30° and crossed, with a vertical slat set between crossing points so that the cells come out as regular hexagons.

  10. The Changho Glossary · No. 7 · 2026.08.12

    Semo-sotgeul-sal | A Changho Where the Cells Come Out as Triangles

    Semo-sotgeul-sal is a changho where slats are laid diagonally at 30° and crossed, with a vertical slat set at each crossing point so that the cells come out as equilateral triangles. The name says exactly what it is. Because the cells come out as triangles (semo), it's called semo-sotgeul-sal. That's what it's called on the job.