• Journal of the Korea Furniture Society
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.167-187
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• 2010

In this paper, the research is carried out about a couch, a horse foot chair, a horse foot table, and a multi-leg table among the furniture of Koguryeo. The couch had been widely used from the Chinese Han Dynasty, and the couch of the Koguryeo was influenced by that of Han. The couch of Koguryeo was a piece of furniture which was used not only for sitting purposes but also for symbolizing status ranking. The horse foot chair is a chair whose leg is finished with a horse foot shape, and is a relic which shows an aspect of the art exchange between the East and the West, appearing in Egypt and Mesopotamia, having influence on chairs of Greece and Rome, and being introduced into Koguryeo and Japan by way of the countries bordering on Western China and China. The horse foot chair was used by the royalty, the aristocracy and the priesthood, and use of the chair at that time reflects the effect of Buddhist culture. The horse foot table is a piece of furniture whose leg is finished with a horse foot shape as in the horse foot chair, and there are many instances that it is used together with the horse foot chair. The multi-leg table is configured to have a square plate, plural legs and footstool, and is used by the upper classes, being also influenced by China. In this paper, the study about the furniture of Koguryeo, which has not been closely considered up to now, is performed, and is important as a study about origin of Korean furniture. In the future, the research about succession of the furniture of Koguryo to that of Koryeo period should be carried out, and much more research material be investigated.

• Journal of the Korea Furniture Society
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.83-96
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• 2010

This study explores terminology for legs and feet in the traditional Korean and Western furniture. Pieces of traditional Korean and Western furniture have been largely made of the eco-friendly material, natural wood, and thus important in the latest trends of wellness, such as LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) and a green period. Legs in traditional Korean furniture appeared in dinging tables, and the feet in wardrobes. The limited use of legs and feet seems to be influenced by floor-oriented lifestyles of Korean ancestors. In contrast, most pieces of Western furniture, which is from the chair and bed culture, have various styles of foot and leg. While th two groups are from different backgrounds, both of them have developed various legs and feet applying natural subjects such as animals and plants to each of their furniture including wardrobes, cabinets, dining tables, chairs, consoles, etc. It is also found that the traditional Korean furniture can be influenced by a traditional Chinese chair foot called Neabunmajae, which describes inner horse foot. Neabunmajae was known in Korean furniture legs and feet, but the terminology has not been known. The study suggests that terms which appear in traditional furniture but are unknown should be studied more.