Master Shin's Anvil
Anseong is a South Korean city known for its brass, stone and iron implements, as well as a famous market of traditional craft and trade. The Shin Blacksmith, established there in 1845, is now in its 5th generation and is the oldest blacksmith in Korea. Master Shin In-young produces the best handmade knives and farming tools in the country and was named by the Gyeonggi Province as an Intangible Cultural Heritage Treasure # 60 in 2016, the first time the award was given to an individual. He’s the only artisan who practices a traditional technique of attaching steel sheets to clay. He teaches widely, in an interest to pass down craft and tradition. When Korea undertook to restore the stone pagoda of the Mireuksa Temple in Iksan, Master Shin was prevailed upon to produce the necessary stoneworking tools.