‘Amjae’ is the hanging wooden plaque of the study that Yi Ungi (1847-1912) built
for the education of his offspring in Singye-ri, Janggi-myeon, Nam-gu, Pohang. Seeing there was a big rock (Am) behind the study, Yi named the place ‘Amjae’ (House of Rock) and made it his own pen name. In his “Admonishing My Son,” Yi Ungi wrote, “Now that I am almost 60 years old, I have nothing to seek or want, other than to educate my son so that he will make achievements. For that reason, I have worked hard to establish this study for years and here I put up the hanging wooden plaque bearing the name ‘Amjae’.”
The calligraphy letters were written in the square style. Thick and heavy strokes give an impression of sinewy masculinity. The brushwork shows a deep use of the brush with full pressure to produce thick and solid strokes. While the beginning of each stroke is dynamic, finishing motions are rhythmic. The seemingly unconstrained brushwork, nevertheless, does not stray out of control.