Haeju soban: a small wooden table that carried a meal

From kitchen to room

In Joseon-period houses, the kitchen was separate from the room where people ate. A soban carried food and dishes between them, then served as the dining table.

It had to be light enough to carry yet strong enough to hold brass or ceramic tableware, so makers used light, sturdy wood. Its compact size reflects the custom of giving each person an individual table.

A 42-centimetre tabletop

The object shown is the National Museum of Korea’s Haeju tray-table, collection number Namsan 1758. A Joseon-period wooden piece, it measures 42 cm long, 33.7 cm wide and 30.4 cm high.

The second, overhead photograph shows the rounded corners and outline of the top. The angled view shows its low height and two panel-shaped legs.

Openwork legs

Haeju tables were made mainly in Haeju, Hwanghae Province. This example’s two leg panels splay slightly outward and carry symmetrical openwork of the characters 卍 and 囍 and floral designs.

The leaf-shaped apron directly beneath the top is called ungak. The museum says it connects the legs and keeps the tabletop from warping.

Variation by use and region

Jeonju National Museum’s interpretation for its 2013 exhibition Soban of Joseon says the tables’ forms varied with use, region, maker and owner. They served rituals and religious life as well as meals, and floor-seated living and the domestic layouts of the period shaped how they were built.

The craft of soban making

Soban making was designated Important Intangible Cultural Property No. 99 in 1992 and continues today as the National Intangible Heritage Sobanjang. A 2017 National Folk Museum education record documents craftsman Kim Chun-sik demonstrating a Naju table. Regional tables differ in how their tops and legs are joined.