Hanbok

Hanbok
Two models wearing dangui and seuranchima decorated with geumbak
Korean name
Hangul 한복 or 조선옷 Hanja 韓服 or 朝鮮옷 Revised Romanization Hanbok or Joseon-ot McCune- Reischauer Hanbok or Chosŏn-ot

Hanbok (South Korea) or Chosŏn-ot (North Korea) is the traditional Korean dress. It is often characterized by vibrant colors and simple lines without pockets. Although the term literally means "Korean clothing", hanbok today often refers specifically to Joseon Dynasty-style semi-formal or formal wear that is worn during traditional festivals or celebrations. The women's hanbok consists of a chima meaning a wrap-around skirt and jeogori which refers to a jacket. The ensemble is often called chima jeogori. The men's hanbok is comprised of jeogori and baggy pants called baji.^[1]

Contents 1 History 1.1 Three Kingdoms period 1.2 Goryeo period 1.3 Joseon period 2 Occasions 2.1 Hanbok for royal court 2.2 Hanbok for government officers 3 Hanbok for men in yangban class 4 Hanbok for women 5 Head dresses 6 Modern Hanbok 7 See also 8 References 9 External links

History

Three Kingdoms period

Some of the basic elements of today’s hanbok, namely the jeogori shirt, baji pants and the chima skirt were probably worn at a very early date, but it was not until the Three Kingdoms period (57 BC–AD 668) that the two-piece costume of today began to evolve. Short, tight trousers and tight, waist-length jackets were worn by both men and women during the early part of the period, as evidenced by ancient tomb paintings of Goguryeo tombs. This basic structure remains relatively unchanged to this day.

Toward the end of the Three Kingdoms period, noblewomen began to wear full-length skirts and hip-length jackets belted at the waist and noblemen began to wear roomy trousers bound in at the ankles and a narrow, tunic-style jacket cuffed at the wrists and belted at the waist.

Also during this period, Tang China silk robes were adopted by royalty and officials. This tradition eventually leads to Gwanbok, the traditional clothes of government officials of pre-modern Korea.

Goryeo period

When Late Goryeo Dynasty (918–1392) signed a peace treaty with the Mongol Empire, Goryeo kings married Mongolian queens and government officials adopted Mongol fashion. As a result of this influence, the chima skirt was shortened, as was the jeogori, which was hiked up above the waist and tied at the chest with a long, wide ribbon (instead of belted) and the sleeves were curved slightly.

Joseon period

In Joseon Dynasty, jeogori of women's hanbok became gradually tightened and shortened. In the 16th century, jeogori was baggy and reached below the waist, but by the end of Joseon Dynasty in the 19th century, jeogori was shortened to the point that it did not cover the breasts, so another piece of cloth (heoritti) was used to cover them. At the end of 19th century, Daewon-gun introduced Magoja, a Manchu-style jacket, to Korea, which is often worn with hanbok to this day.

Chima was full-skirted and jeogori was short and tight in the late Joseon period. Fullness in the skirt was emphasized round the hips. Many undergarments were worn underneath chima such as darisokgot, soksokgot, dansokgot, and gojengi to achieve a desired silhouette. Because jeogori was so short it became natural to expose heoritti or heorimari which functioned like a corset. The white linen cloth exposed under jeogori in the picture is heoritti.

The upper classes wore hanbok of closely woven ramie cloth or other high-grade lightweight materials in warm weather and of plain and patterned silks the rest of the year. Commoners were restricted by law as well as resources to cotton at best. The upper classes wore a variety of colors, though bright colors were generally worn by children and girls and subdued colors by middle-aged men and women. Commoners were restricted by law to everyday clothes of white, but for special occasions they wore dull shades of pale pink, light green, gray, and charcoal. Formally, when Korean men went outdoors, they were required to wear overcoats known as durumagi which reach the knees.

Occasions

Hanbok are classified according to their purposes: everyday dress, ceremonial dress and special dress. Ceremonial dresses are worn on formal occasions, including a child's first birthday, a wedding or a funeral. Special dresses are made for shamans and officials.

Hanbok for royal court

Hanbok for government officers

Gwanbok is a Korean general term referring to all business attires of government officers given by government. It began to be worn since Silla period until Joseon Dynasty. There were several types of gwanbok according to status, rank, and occasion such as jobok, jebok, sangbok, gongbok, yungbok, and gunbok. Jobok was the gwanbok worn for special occasions such as national festivals, or announcement of royal decrees. Jebok was the gwanbok worn while an ancestor veneration ritual called jesa was held. Sangbok was worn as a daily official clothing while gongbok was worn when officers had an audience with the king at the palace. Yungbok was related to military affairs. However, as the term in a narrow scope only denote the gongbok and sangbok, it means dallyeong, robe with a round collar.^[2][3]

Hanbok for men in yangban class

Hanbok for women

Head dresses

Both males and females wore their hair in a long braid until they were married, at which time the hair was knotted: the man’s in a topknot sangtu (상투) on the top of the head and the woman’s in a ball just above the nape of the neck. Women of high social backgrounds and gisaeng wore wigs (gache). Like their western contemporaries Koreans considered bigger and heavier wigs to be more aesthetic. Such was the women's frenzy for the gache that in 1788 King Jeongjo prohibited and banned, by royal decree, the use of gache, as they were deemed contrary to Confucian values of reserve and restraint^[4]. In 19th century yangban (nobility) women began to wear jokduri, a small hat that substituted for gache. However gache still enjoyed vast popularity in gisaeng circles.

A long pin, or binyeo (비녀), was thrust through the knotted hair of the woman as both a fastener and a decoration. The material and length of the binyeo varied according to the wearer’s class and status. Women wore a jokduri on their wedding day, and wore an ayam for protection from the cold.

Men wore a gat, which also varied according to class and status.

Modern Hanbok

Modern hanboks for children consist of only two or three pieces and can be put on easily. They are usually made of less expensive fabrics since they are only worn once or twice a year during bigger holidays like Chuseok and Seolnal. Children are also dressed up in a hanbok on their first birthday, dol.^[5][6]

See also

• Chima jeogori
• Gache
• Gat (clothing)
• Dol janchi
• List of Korea-related topics

References

External links

• Hanbok Traditional Korean Clothings - The Official Korea Tourism Guide Site
• (Korean) History of Hanbok
• (Korean) Information about Hanbok
• Traditional Korean Clothing - Life in Korea