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Hanbok is Korean traditional cloathing. Han means Korea, 韓 in Chinese. Bok means cloathing, 服 in chinese, too. North Korean people call Hanbok Choson-ot. One of the most famous characteristics of Hanbok is its vivid colors and straight and curved lines. Although its literal meaning is Korean clothing, it today indicates specifically traditional garment, especially that of Joseon dynasty.
Hanbok has been a great part of Korean culture though history. The trace of Hanbok is found even before Three Kingdom period of Korea. The oldest form of hanbok can be seen in tomb mural paintings from the Goguryeo Kingdom (37 B.C.-668 A.D.). Korea had two kinds of clothing tradition. The rulers and noblemen usually wore clothing of different kinds of foreign styles. But subjects continued to use a distinct style of indigenous clothing that today is known as Hanbok.
There are several kinds of Hanbok. People wore different sorts of Hanbok according to their social statuses, sexes, jobs and from time to time, they chose special Hanbok for ceremonies. People could figure out the wearer’s job, educational background and even whether he or she got married or not. There are Hanbok for men, women, royal court, government officials and children. Because Hanbok could reveal the wearer’s social status, there were some government regulations on designs, materials and shapes of Hanbok. For example, only royal families could use golden stripes on their Hanbok.
History of Hanbok[change | change source]
Hanbok had a long history. But the ancient one that is similar with today’s Hanbok would be that in Three Kingdom period. During this time, noblewomen began to wear full-length skirts and jackets, and noblemen began to wear roomy trousers bound in at the ankles and belted at the waist.
After Silla unified the peninsula in the 7th century, a new style of clothing appeared which combined indigenous Korean dress with elements imported from China. This Chinese style of the Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D.) became an international clothing style and was used for the uniforms of officials and for ceremonial dress. The most striking difference is that while the indigenous Korean style has a straight neckline, the imported style has a rounded one. In the ensuing Goryeo (918-1392) and Joseon (1392-1910) periods, the hanbok went through various changes of fashion, and the form that has become standard today dates from Joseon. Koreans began to reflect seriously on their national identity in the Sirhak or “Practical Learning” movement of the 17th and 18th centuries, and in clothing as in other fields, whatever was imported was subsequently Koreanized.
In the Joseon period, clothing was largely standardized, and most Koreans came to dress similarly. Even so, differences in social status were reflected in subtle distinctions of design, material, and decoration, so that contemporary Koreans could indirectly discern the class, rank, educational level, and character of the wearer by his style of dress. Although the basic shape was relatively uniform, we can also identify the season depicted in paintings from this period by the type of material worn and the use of seasonal clothing.
Components of Hanbok[change | change source]
Hanbok consists of various components. The most famous ones are Jeogori, Chima, and Baji. Jeogori is a shirts or a jacket for both of female and male. Chima is a skirt which is usually worn full. Men usually wore Jeogori and baggy pants called Baji. Women wore the ensemble of Jeogori and Chima.
Jeogori and Chima are the basic form of Hanbok for female, and Baji and Jeogori were for men. But therer are other garments of Hanbok. There are Jokki, Magoja and Po. Jokki is a vest, Magoja is an outer jaekct and Po is an overall outher robe or overcoat.
There are accessories and headdresses that go together with Hanbok. Women wore a wig, called Gache. Like the case of Western, the bigger and heavier the wigs were, the more elegant they were. But this heavy wig (Gache) was popular until 19th century, and after that, simple Gache was preferred to heavy ones due to Confucian values. Women also had a long pin, called Binyeo. It was thrust though the knotted hair of a woman. Various patterns were carved on Binyeo, and it is often made of Jade.
Kinds of Hanbok[change | change source]
Traditionally, Korean people have various kinds of Hanbok for different purposes. There were Hanboks for men, women, royal court, government officials, children and special ceremonies, like wedding and funeral. Men’s and women’s everyday Hanboks were the basic forms.
The men's jacket is made rather long with sleeves attached, and to prevent the front from coming open, the two sides overlap. The neck is gathered up into a collar with a white collar strip folded over it for a neat appearance. Breast-ties hold the two sides of the jacket together where one side is folded over the other. Until the mid Joseon period, the breast-ties were short and thin and served merely to fasten the two sides of the jacket, but in the late Joseon era, they became longer and thicker, showing that they had taken on a decorative aspect quite apart from their practical function. The male costume could include a gown similar to a topcoat worn over the jacket and pants, with various kinds of hat and coronet worn on the head for a truly dignified effect. The type of gown worn would depend on the occasion. Although the generous cut of the men's clothes accentuated the individuality of the wearer, the use of a belt framed the upper body for a tidy appearance. The typical male costume of that period is the gentleman's outfit of white or jade green gown and black headwear. The harmony of black and white suggests a calm and rational intellect and a noble character. A multicolored girdle worn about the chest adds vibrancy to the contrast of black and white, which could otherwise look stern and forbidding.
The women's Hanbok consists of a jacket and skirt, the men's of a jacket and pants, both with an optional gown for added formality. The jackets of men and women are similar in shape, but differ in length and color scheme. The women's costume consists of a jacket and skirt with a sleeveless waistcoat and a gown worn when formality demands. Ceremonial clothes can be adorned with various ornaments including coronets, bridal headpieces, hairpins, and pendants. The upper garment fits neatly while the lower garment is more voluminous, and under it can be worn diverse kinds of underwear. The women of that time attached great importance to chastity, and when they went out they covered their faces with a shawl or cloak to cut themselves off from the outside world. In their clothing and ornaments they used a variety of colors and designs, often symbolizing the cherished hopes of the age: long life and happiness, prosperity and posterity, loyalty and filial piety.
Recent Hanbok[change | change source]
More than three decades ago, hanbok, a traditional form of Korean clothing, was very much a part of every Korean's wardrobe. Like all clothing, hanbok also changed over the years with fluctuating fashion trends. Hanbok designs underwent many changes throughout Korea's turbulent history. The hanbok we wear today are reminiscent of the late Joseon Dynasty (early 20th century).
In traditional hanbok design, curved features are important. As they are not meant to be tight fitting, the inherent beauty of hanbok is apparent in its elegance and style created by the abundance of material. The curves and vibrant colours of hanbok have had a significant impact on the Korean fashion industry. By combining traditional dress with modern fashion, a series of fusion hanbok designs were introduced. Designs and patterns of hanbok have even been applied to architecture.
Although hanbok have become the ritual dress of choice worn only on traditional holidays, Koreans' love for hanbok is tremendous. The popularity of Korean classic dramas is causing many foreigners to take a keener interest in traditional Korean attire as well.
Recently, some high schools adopted Hanbok as their school uniforms. Especially, one of the most famous high school in Korea, Korean Minjok Leadership Academy, is famous for its school uniform, which is modified Hanbok. Moreover, Korean people nowadays modify their traditional clothing, Hanbok to make it more wearable. The vivid colors, shapes, curved lines, materials of Hanbok are used for designing fashionable clothing in Korea, these days.