Homi (tool)

Homi is made of iron and consists of a blade, a tang, and a handle. The blade is the iron plate used to dig or pull grass. The handle is made from a circular piece of wood and is located at the end of the tang. The tang connects the blade to the handle. The shape of the blade is usually an inverted triangle as the lower part is pointed and the upper part is broad. == Etymology ==

The name of the tool tends to vary according to region. Some common names include homaengi (), homei (), homu (), hommi (), homani (), heome (), heomi (), and huimi (). The name of the tool can also vary depending on its shape, the shingles, the clogs, the shovels, the ear homi, there are gyeongjigi (), makjigi (), gotjigi (), gwi-homi (), nal-homi (), pyeong-homi (), dongja-homi (), bupae-homi (), byeotsoe-homi (), susuip-homi (), kkaennip-homi (), yonggang-homi (), byeorugae (), gakjaengi (), golgaengi (), and byeokchae (). == Classification ==

By shape Plowshare-shaped Boseup-hyeong (, plowshare type): In the case of boseup-hyeong homi, it is also called non-homi (, paddy field homi). The pointed end of the blade and the broad blade are effective for digging soil and turning the soil upside down. The blades strength gives it the ability to weed a rice paddy. Boseup-hyeong homi is often used in paddy farming, and is wrapped with straw or hemp cloth to prevent slipperiness caused by damp soil. It can be seen mainly in Gyeonggi Province, Chungcheong Province, and some parts of North Jeolla Province. Boseup-hyeong homi, which weighs about , enables a man to weed a rice paddy of 300 pyeong, which is roughly ~, per day. The southern homi has a narrow blade and a pointed tip. Tools with four ends at the end of blade are called non-homi. It is mainly used in Jeolla-do to plow up the soil between the furrow and pull out the weeds. File:Homi 63.jpg|Non-homi (paddy field homi) For non-paddy fields Bat-homi (, dry field homi) has various shapes. It is used for all crops except aquatic rice. It is lighter and smaller than the non-homi. There are two kinds of homi: Oegwi-homi (, single-ear homi) and yanggwi-homi (, double-ear homi). The end of oegwihomi's blade is pointed like non-homi. Oegwihomi in the seaside district has more smaller and pointed blade. This phenomenon is noticeable in rainy regions. The homi of Jeju Island called golgaengi () has a sharp and small blade like hooks. This is because the roots of crops fall deep into the ground in rainy region. File:Homi 32.jpg|Single-ear bat-homi (dry field homi) File:Homi 34.jpg|Double-ear bat-homi (dry field homi) == History and tradition ==

History Homi was a unique tool of Korea, as homi was called "Eastern hoe (; the "East" referring to Korea)" in the Essays on Rural Life and Economy written by Seo Yugu during the years 1806–1842. It stated homi as a useful tool in the Eastern nation (Korea). It can be seen in the relics from Anapji in the Unified Silla period, and the shape of homi in the Goryeo period is the same today. The homae reported in Farming in Korea and homi from the painting of Gisan show that the short homi of old times is much longer than the current homi. The name of long handle homi which pulls out the weed was changed to gajiip-gwaengi () or susuip-gwaengi (). In the Goguryeo era, the neck of a homi blade was short and the blade was slightly outward curved. The edges of the blade are rounded. It was excavated mainly with U-shaped ironware. Homi was found not only in the tomb but also in many historical sites such as buildings and castles. Homigeori (), also called homissisi (), means that after finishing the farming of the year, farmers wash the homi and hang it for the farming of the next year. It is based on the dure (farmers' cooperative group) community, which was active in farming areas. It is done in July when weeding is finished. Hanging homi on an agricultural machine actually means ending the farming. In 1984, it won the General Excellence Award at the Gyeonggi Province Folk Art Competition. In 1998, it was designated as the Gyeonggi Province Intangible Cultural Asset No. 22. The Songpo homigeori, which contains the power and soul for the arts, was discontinued at the end of 1931, but recently it has been partly reproduced by the efforts of the Preservation Society of Songpo homigeori. == Outside Korea ==

The common homi in Korea is emerging as an "it" item abroad. It is being reinterpreted as a revolutionary farming tool. It is also emerging as a farming tool that gardeners use outside Korea. Homi is sometimes written with a hyphen as ho-mi outside Korea. Over 130 companies sell homi on Amazon. On YouTube, guide videos are available to explain how to use a homi. A farmer outside Korea began to introduce digging the soil with homi and removing weeds while gardening. Gardeners' attention to homi outside Korea is due to the high demand for equipment that can do delicate work in the United States where the landscape culture has developed. Most people used shovels to plow fields before they knew homi. Due to the fact that the scope of digging the land is large, the crops had unwanted scratches and people also used much power. However, homi can only dig in the ground of the desired part, and has the advantage of being able to cut grass like a knife at a time. In 2018, it gained traction abroad, mainly the United States, and orders began to pour in. It was later proclaimed the hottest gardening tool of spring 2019 by Quartz. In popular culture, homis were referenced during the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards, when RM from BTS performed a new verse for Old Town Road with Lil Nas X, called "Seoul Town Road". Homi is also a homophone of homie, a term for a friend used often in hip-hop. BTS confirmed the wordplay on Twitter: "Seoul Town Road with my Ho-Mi @LilNasX", along with a picture of a homi. == See also ==