• Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
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• v.66 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2016

Najang was the central Seori, affiliated to the Ministry of War during the Joseon dynasty. The objective of this study is to research the existing authentic Najang costumes from the late-Joseon dynasty by examining factors, such as the composition of the costume, size, and method of creation, and attempt to replicate it. The Leipzig Grassi Museum in Germany possesses an official uniform of Najang from the late-Joseon dynasty, and we visited the museum in May of 2013 to examine it for the study. Written records, or Uigwe, and other pictorial data from the Joseon Dynastry describe the Najang wearing black or navy clothing with white decoration and pointy hats. The most notable characteristic of the Najang uniform is that it has the cotton cords pattern. The hat has a brass ball attached, which was worn with the ball facing the front in the early Joseon Dynasty, and was worn facing the back in the later years. They usually wore black head cloths (Heuk-geon), but would attach feathers on the black hats (Heuk-rip) for special occasions. The Najang uniform preserved in the Leipsiz Grassi Muesim does not exist in Korea. It is made of cotton. The cotton cord pattern of the uniform of Najang was made using single-ply cords and double-ply cords. The hat worn by Najang is in a form of a cone that becomes narrower towards the top or is in a form with wide and open end. It was made of oiled paper covered with hemp, and two circular metal disks were attatched at the rear.