Girl's Doljanchi Hanbok, Korea
Subject
Title
Date
Format
10 inches across the shoulders
24.5 inches around the chest
6.75 inches long
9.5 inches length of sleeves
1 inch wide each stripe on the sleeves (saekdong)
The collar (git) is 1 inch wide
The sash (goreum) is 1 ⅞ inch wide
The sash (goreum) is 21.5 inches long on proper left
The sash (goreum) is 17 inches long on the proper right
The chima:
26 inches around the waist
53 inches around the hips
56.75 around the hem
21.75 inches long
Description
The late 20th century child’s Korean hanbok jeogori and chima were donated to the University of Rhode Island’s Historic Textile and Costume Collection (HTCC) in 1994 by Associate Professor Kyung Ae Kim Cho. The ensemble was purchased by Cho in Korea in the late 1980s/early 1990s for her niece, Wha Lim Shin. Wha Lim Shin is pictured wearing the ensemble to celebrate her first birthday.
The Korean traditional girl’s hanbok is composed of two pieces, the jeogori which is a cropped, wrap style jacket, and the chima, which is a wrap style skirt with shoulder straps attached to the waist band. The jeogori and chima are both composed of a silk damask fabric with a patterend synthetic lining.
The HTCC jeogori is a cropped wrap style jacket made of a bright yellow silk brocade fabric with a floral pattern. The collar (git) and attached sash (goreum) are made of a bright fuchsia-colored silk brocade fabric. The sleeves are composed of six different colored stripes of silk brocade. A multicolored cord is sewn into the armscye as well as the edge of the collar, which is machine-embroidered with yellow flowers and edged with a white bias tape (dongjuhng). The jeogori is fully lined in a yellow synthetic fabric with an embossed design. The jacket closes with a white plastic snap sewn underneath the sash.
The chima is a wrap-style skirt with shoulder straps attached to the waistband, made of a bright pink, silk brocade fabric and lined in a red synthetic fabric with an embossed design. Both are made from three rectangular panels pleated into the waistband. The shoulder straps are made from a light pink synthetic fabric. Large yellow flowers have been machine-embroidered around the bottom half. The wrap skirt closes in the back with waist ties.
A small, striped silk satin drawstring purse (bokjumeoni) attaches to one of the waist ties on the chima with a drawstring of red cord and metallic yarns. The end of the drawstring has an orange and yellow tassel. The stripes on the bokjumeoni echo the colors on the sleeves of the jeogori, however the order of the colors is different.
Hanbok is the traditional clothing in Korean culture. The term translates to “Korean clothes,” and was introduced during the late 19th century to distinguish Korean dress from western-style dress.[1] Originally the term hanbok was a broad term that referred to any Korean style clothing, however nowadays hanbok is used to refer to a specific style of traditional Korean ensemble composed of an upper garment called a jeogori and a lower garment, either a skirt called a chima for girls and women or a pair of pants called baji for boys and men.[2] As Western style clothing became more popular in Korea, hanbok evolved into ceremonial dress reserved for wearing on special occasions such as weddings, funerals, and first birthdays.[3]
Traditional Korean clothing is devoid of pockets, so a pouch is tied to waist ties of the chima. This pouch is called bokjumeoni, which means “lucky pouch.”[4] There are two types of bokjumeoni; durujumeoni, which translates to round pouch, and gwijumeoni, which translates to ear pouch. The durujumeoni is a small round purse whereas the gwijumeoni is rectangular, folded like an envelope with two pieces on the sides that look like ears.[5] The bokjumeoni from the URI HTCC hanbok is the durujumeoni style.
The colorful stripes sometimes seen on the sleeves of the jeogori are called saekdong which translates to “putting colors one after another.” This style originated in the Goguryeo period (37 BC – 688 AD).[6] The sleeves are constructed by sewing together strips of different colored fabrics. This technique helps to cut down on fabric waste as well as holding cultural significance. The five colors of red, white, blue, yellow, and black, represent obangsaek, known as the Korean five-color theory. Each color represents a cardinal direction as well as an element; yellow represents the earth and the center, blue represents trees and the east, red represents fire and the south, black represents water and the north, and white represents metal/gold and the west.[7] The five obangsaek colors are considered the primary colors. Two obangsaek colors can be mixed together to create the ogansaek secondary colors. [8] The saekdong sleeves are thought to bless the wearer with a long and happy life as well as ward off bad luck and are often used for jeogori of brides and children.[9] The colors in the saekdong sleeves on the jeogori from the URI HTCC are a mix of obangsaek and ogansaek colors. The sleeves have the white, red, yellow, and blue from the obangsaek colors and the green and pink from the ogansaek colors.
Children’s hanbok retains the same silhouette as hanbok worn by adults but is often more colorful to ward off bad fortune and evil spirits. Hanbok is often worn by children on their first birthday, a doljanchi. The hanbok ensemble from the URI HTCC was worn for a doljanchi.
The Korean children’s doljanchi hanbok from the URI HTCC is similar to other extant garment hanbok, including a woman's hanbok donated to the HTCC.
Hanbok is culturally significant to the history of Korea as it represents Korean national identity. This style of clothing has been around much longer than the term hanbok, with the jeogori and chima/baji ensemble arising during the Three Kingdom period (57 BCE- 668 CE). This dress ensemble has varied in style over the years with the jeogori becoming shorter and tighter and the chima/baji becoming fuller.[10] Hanbok was historically associated with Neo-Confucian ideals of simplicity, frugality, and hierarchy. During the Joseon period (1392-1897) hanbok reflected social hierarchies with aristicrats able to wear patterns and bright colors while commoners were restricted to muted colors and mostly wore white hanbok.[11] When Korea was under Japanese rule from 1910 to 1945, Japan encouraged the adoption of western styled dress. Wearing hanbok then became a way for Koreans to assert their national identity.[12] Today hanbok is usually reserved for special events, however hanbok has been resurfacing in street fashion as well as in the tourism industry.[13] This shows that hanbok is still an essential part of Korean national identity.
Obangsaek, the traditional Korean five color theory, is utilized in the striped saekdong sleeves of the URI HTCC hanbok. These colors not only represent the cardinal directions and elements, but they also have symbolic meanings. The color white represents truth, life, and virginity. White is one of the most important colors in Korean culture, as historically Koreans tended to wear white clothes and were known as the “white-clad” people.[14] The color black represents wisdom, death, and darkness. Korean judges also wore black to symbolize honesty.[15] The color blue represents new birth, brightness, and clarity. The color yellow represents brightness and rays of sunlight. Gold colored ropes are used to mark holy sites and sites that require protection.[16] The color red represents creation, passion, and love. Red is known as a powerful color in Korean culture and is used to ward off evil spirits.[17]
The URI HTCC hanbok was originally worn by an infant for doljanchi, the celebration of a child’s first birthday to wish the child good health and longevity.[18] Today Korean parents uphold this tradition with lavish parties for their one-year-olds.
Part of the doljanchi is the dolsang, a table with a selection of traditional items that have a specific meaning. The small round table represents a desire for the child to grow up without hardships. Coils of white yarn represent longevity and health. Fruit represents prosperity as historically it was very expensive in Korea.[19] A variety of tteok (rice cakes) are also included in the dolsang. A white rice cake (baeksulgi) represents a pure start in life. A selection of five colored rice cakes called osaek songpyeon represent harmony. This selection of tteok is both hollow, to instill the baby with generosity, and filled, to encourage the growth of knowledge and wisdom. Last of all, there is a red tteok called soosoo paht to ward off evil spirits.[20] Five colorful silk pouches are included in the dolsang, symbolizing a vibrant life. A pile of dates suggest future children and a happy life for the whole family. The root vegetable minari, wrapped in red and blue threads to represent a harmonious future marriage, signifies vitality as it is a hearty vegetable.[21]
Another aspect of the doljanchi is the doljabi, a fortune telling game. Parents place a selection of objects in front of the child and whatever object the child picks represents their future interests. Examples of objects the parents may lay out are a pencil, predicting the baby will be a scholar, or money to foretell wealth, rice for a bountiful life, thread which prophesizes a long life, and a bow and arrow which foresees a life in the military.[22]
Dol gifts are also given at the doljanchi, with the traditional gift being gold rings to wish the baby good health and prosperity.[23] The gift of solid gold rings also served a practical purpose as the gold could be sold to pay for the future needs of the child.
As stated above, Korean hanbok is widely considered the traditional dress of Korea and has strong cultural ties to Korean national identity. As of today, there is not an equivalent in the culture of the United States. The United States is often referred to as a melting pot as there are people from many different nationalities that live here and thus there is no national or traditional dress for the United States. Often, American citizens identify culturally with their ethnicity and choose to wear the national regalia of the country their ancestors came from. The lack of a national style of dress in the United States is representative of the large immigrant population present here that chose to retain the culture of their ancestors.
The lack of a national style of dress in the United States is also representative of its colonial origins, as the nation was founded by immigrants who stole the land from the indigenous people already living there. These European immigrants brought with them the cultural traditions from their home countries. Indigenous American people were forced by the colonists to give up their own cultural dress in exchange for European styles of dress seen as more civilized. As the Korean hanbok symbolizes the retention of Korean national identity when the country was colonized by Japan, the lack of an American national dress symbolizes colonization by European immigrants from many different lands and the attempted erasure of the culture of the indigenous people.
Footnotes
[1] Jenny Kim, “Hanbok- Traditional Korean Dress,” Victoria and Albert Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum, accessed on November 16, 2023, https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/hanbok-traditional-korean-dress.
[2] Elias Alexander and Millie Creighton, “Hanbok and Korean Identity: An Anthropological View,” in Dress History of Korea: Critical Perspectives on Primary Sources, edited by Kyunghee Pyun and Minjee Kim (London: Bloomsbury, 2023), 273.
[3] Kim, “Hanbok- Traditional Korean Dress.”
[4] Paola Corpus, “Colorful lucky pouches endure as traditional cultural heritage,” Korea.net, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Korean Culture and Information Service, July 21, 2021, https://www.korea.net/NewsFocus/HonoraryReporters/view?articleId=201314.
[5] Corpus, “Lucky Pouches.”
[6] Kim, “Hanbok- Traditional Korean Dress.”
[7] TigerMagpie, “Korean Five Color Theory: Obangsaek 오방색,” Medium, Medium, May 17, 2021, https://tigermagpie.medium.com/korean-five-color-theory-obangsaek-%EC%98%A4%EB%B0%A9%EC%83%89-e116c564ccf7.
[8] TigerMagpie, “Korean Five Color Theory.”
[9] Kim, “Hanbok- Traditional Korean Dress.”
[10] Alexander and Creighton, “Hanbok and Korean Identity,” 273.
[11] Alexander and Creighton, “Hanbok and Korean Identity,” 273.
[12] Alexander and Creighton, “Hanbok and Korean Identity,” 274.
[13] Alexander and Creighton, “Hanbok and Korean Identity,” 281.
[14] TigerMagpie. “Korean Five Color Theory.”
[15] TigerMagpie. “Korean Five Color Theory.”
[16] TigerMagpie. “Korean Five Color Theory.”
[17] TigerMagpie. “Korean Five Color Theory.”
[18] Hanyoo Park, “Guide to Doljanchi.”
[19] Hanyoo Park, “Guide to Doljanchi.”
[20] Hanyoo Park, “Guide to Doljanchi.”
[21] Hanyoo Park, “Guide to Doljanchi.”
[22] Hanyoo Park, “Guide to Doljanchi.”
[23] Hanyoo Park, “Guide to Doljanchi.”
References
Alexander, Elias and Millie Creighton. “Hanbok and Korean Identity: An Anthropological View.” In Dress History of Korea: Critical Perspectives on Primary Sources, edited by Kyunghee Pyun and Minjee Kim, 271-287. London: Bloomsbury, 2023.
“Child's Jacket (Saekdong Jeogori) and Skirt.” Brooklyn Museum. Brooklyn Museum. Accessed on November 16, 2023. https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/89562.
Child's Jacket (Saekdong Jeogori) and Skirt. Photograph. Brooklyn Museum. 2003. https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/89562.
Cho, Kyung Ae Kim. Wha Lim Shin. Photograph. University of Rhode Island Historic Costume and Textile Collection. 1994.
Corpus, Paola. “Colorful lucky pouches endure as traditional cultural heritage.” Korea.net. Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Korean Culture and Information Service, July 21, 2021. https://www.korea.net/NewsFocus/HonoraryReporters/view?articleId=201314.
Kim, Jenny. “Hanbok- Traditional Korean Dress.” Victoria and Albert Museum. Victoria and Albert Museum. Accessed on November 16, 2023. https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/hanbok-traditional-korean-dress.
Park, Hanyoo. “Guide to Doljanchi: Korean 1st Birthday.” Best of Korea. Best of Korea, May 10, 2021. https://bestofkorea.com/doljanchi-korean-first-birthday/.
Saekdong Jeogori. Photograph. Medium. Accessed on November 16, 2023. https://tigermagpie.medium.com/korean-five-color-theory-obangsaek-%EC%98%A4%EB%B0%A9%EC%83%89-e116c564ccf7.
TigerMagpie. “Korean Five Color Theory: Obangsaek 오방색.” Medium. Medium, May 17, 2021.https://tigermagpie.medium.com/korean-five-color-theory-obangsaek-%EC%98%A4%EB%B0%A9%EC%83%89-e116c564ccf7.
Women’s hanbok. Photograph. University of Missouri. 2002. https://mhctc.missouri.edu/exhibitions/beauty-of-korea/.