• Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
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• v.65 no.6
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• pp.1-14
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• 2015

This study is aims to study the background of how the shape of the wooden shoes developed and worn by Koreans and Japanese in the ancient times by sorting and examining the types and shapes. Relevant bibliography, which are mainly related to the excavated wooden shoes from 3 B.C.E to C.E. 8., were used as research materials. The formation of wooden shoes required easy access to raw materials -which is trees- for production. According to the analysis, both Korea and Japan made the flat wooden shoes using cuboid wood. Both countries bore a hole on a specific location to distinguish the right foot and left foot, however the style of the heel was different in the two countries. The slip-on(Undu-hyeong) wooden shoes were also common in both countries. The slip-on had no-heels and was made by digging-out a piece of the cuboid wood. Some slip-ons made by the Japanese had furrows on the bottom, and they were known to make different types of the slip-on wooden shoes depending on the purpose. Observation of the wearing methods show that commonality can be found between the wooden shoes of Korea and Japan, and this indicates that cultural exchanges between the Silla/Baekje and Japan took place from the 4th to the 6th century. Also, the flat wooden shoes in Japan developed rapidly, as the shoes became an integral part of its life and culture, which was closely tied to agriculture. Eventually, due to the difference in climate and life-style, the slip-ons became the primary type of wooden shoes in Korea, while the flats became the main type of wooden shoes in Japan. It is, however, clear that as the relationship between the two countries became closer, the cultural exchanges regarding the wooden shoes were considerable.