Study on the Technique of Weaving Fabrics in Korea( I ) -focused on hemp and ramie of the Three Kingdoms and the Korea Dynasty-

우리나라 직물제직기술에 대한 연구(I) -삼국시대와 고려시대의 대마와 저마직물을 중심으로-

Ancient Korean and China litteratures show us that it has been long since people from humbler classes to king most commonly used bast fabrics as materials of their cloth. According to the record of these ancient litteratures, highly developed fine bast fabrics and those woven in figures were used as tribute between ancient Korea and China. In this study we will make a brief research of the history of bast fabric culture from ancient times to the Korea Dynasty in which the bast fabric culture flourished and reached the summit of prosperity. After having compared the bast fabric culture of ancient Korea with that of ancient China in which the bast fabric culture developed very much and bast fabrics were used more commonly as materials of cloth than any other fabrics, we could come to conclusions as follows. 1. Names were given to bast fabrics according to the kinds of bast fibers, the degree of fineness and the containing of figures: Ma-po, Jeo, Jeo-po, Bag-jeo-po, Moon-jeo-po, Po and Se-po. The number of 'Seung' which indicated the degree of fineness was attached to the top of each name to show how fine they are. 2. While the bast fabric of 30 Seung is known to be the most fine one of the ancient China, in ancient Korea fine bast fabric of higher than 30 Seung was woven. This fact proves that the technique of weaving bast fabrics of the ancient Korea was more highly developed than that of ancient China. 3. In ancient China the highest Seung number of the ordinary clothes which were put on after putting off livery of grief was regulated to be 15. But in ancient Korea, Sil-la, it was regulated to be 28. Judging from this fact, we may say that the consumption level of the ancient Korean people in cloth was higher than that of the ancient China people. 4. The reason why in ancient Korea the technique of weaving bast fabrics was so highly developed is suppoed to be that the ancient Korean people preferred elegant, refine and simple taste in cloth. 5. The excellent bast fabric culture of the ancient Korea flowed into ancient Japan. It proves that Korea played an important part in the history of textile development of the world.