• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.161-167
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• 2006

The purpose of this research are to identify the nature of artistic beauty of Kokuryeo dresses and to apply the artistic beauty, formative uniqueness, and esthetic value of Kokuryeo in the modern Korean dress design for creation of new designs. Significance of this research lies in the fact that beauty of traditional dresses possesses highly valuable importance for application to modern fashion design processes. Kokuryeo dresses basically comprised of Yu, Sang, Go and Po, and contains within abstract beauty along with emphasis on geometric elements like dots, lines, and surfaces. Red, Black, Violet, Verdant and scarlet colors were moderately used against the mainly white canvas, and different colors were often used for the top and the bottom. Silk, Hemp cloth and Wool were used for different social levels or ranks, and from the wide variety of colors and patterns of the dresses, such as Round-patterns, Cloud-patterns and Vine-patterns, worn by the people illustrated on the wall paintings, it appears that various materials were used. Vertical hems, Yu (shirts), Sang (skirts), noblemen's dresses, kings' dresses, etc. from Kokuryeo tomb wall paintings were applied, and various dying methods, natural materials and sewing methods were used to recreate the unique features of Kokuryeo dresses in modern designs in an attempt to recreate the esthetic value of Kokuryeo dresses.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.123-133
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• 1981

If we are to define that the traditional costume is a comprehensive expression of the culture, thoughts, and arts of a country, it is needless to say that the traditional costume would have always reflected the social and cultural aspects of the times. In order words, the cultural contemplation of a certain people at some point the history is only possible when we observe the distintive features of the costume worn by the people of respective times. Although the Korean people had the native costume of its own from the times of the Ancient Choson to the Three Kingdoms of Koguryo, Paekche, and Silla, the Chinese influence on Korean traditional costume became somewhat pronounced ever since the Silla strenghtened the political ties with the T'ang dynasty in China, and it came to a climax when the dual structure in Korean native costume, being compounded with the Chinese touch, continued to be prevailed from the era of the Unified Silla to the Koryo and throughout the succeeding Yi dynasty, thereby copying the typical aspects of Chinese pattern in clothing and dresses worn by the ruling classes, namely the goverment officials including the Kings. Therefore, it is our aim to study the pattern of Chinese influence on our traditional costume, as well as social and cultural aspects by way of contrasting and comparing our official outfit system, which had been developing in dualism since the era of the Unified Silla, with that of China, and to trace in part the Korean traditional costume. In comparing our traditional official outfit system with that of China, we have basically concentrated on the comparison of the official outfit systems during the periods of the Three Kingdoms, the Koryo, and The Yi dynasty with that of corresponding era of Chinese history, namely the dynasties of T'ang, Sung, and Ming, and followed the documentary records for the comparison. Koreans had fallen into the practice of worshipping the powerful in China and begun to adopt the culture and institutions of the T'ang dynasty since the founding of the Unified Silla. From this time forth, Korean people started to wear the clothes in Chinese style. The style of clothing during the period of the Koryo Kingdom was deeply influenced by that of the T'ang and Sung dynasties in China, and it was also under the influenced of the Yuan dynasty(dynasty established by the Mongols) at one time, because of the Koryo's subordinative position to the Yuan. At the close of the Koryo dynasty, the King Kongmin ordered the stoppage on the use of 'Ji-Joung', the name of an era for the Yuan dynasty, in May of the eighteenth year of his rule in order to have the royal authority recognized by a newly rising power dominating the Chinese continent, the Mind. Kind Kongmin presented a memorial, repaying a kindness to the Emperor T'aejo of the Ming dynasty in celebration of his enthronement and requested that the emperor choose an official outfit, thereby the Chinese influence being converted to that of the Ming. As a matter of course, the Chinese influence deepened all the more during the era of the Yi dynasty coupled with the forces of the toadyic ideology of worshipping the China, dominant current of the times, and the entire costume, from the imperial crown and robe to the official outfit system of government officials, such as official uniforms, ordinary clothes, sacrificial robes, and court dresses followed the Chinese style in their design. Koreans did not have the opportunity of developing the official outfit system on its own and they just wore the official outfit designated on separate occasions by the emperors of China, whenever the changes in dynasty occurred in the continent. Especially, the Chinese influence had greatly affected in leading our consciousness on the traditional costume to the consciousness of the class and authority. Judging from the results, Koreans had been attaching weight to the formulation of the traditional outfit system for the ruling classes in all respective times of the history and the formulation of the system was nothing more than the simple following of the Chinese system.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
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• v.18
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• pp.373-381
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• 1992

Woman in Choson era had various kind of accdssories like rings, ear ring, ornamentak hairpins and so on. Among them their favorite was the Norigae, the pendent trinket. With the embroidered ornament at its center, beads and knots were attached to the upper and lower part, and it was hung with a tassel. It was carried on the string of the Chogori. norigae oreginated in waist string of Three Countries era(Sills, Paekje and Koguryo) ; had been changed with the development of fashion, embroidery and the influence of Buddhistic culture. The differences between Embroidered Norigae and Norigae are following. If the ornament at its center is made of such jewels as gold, silver, jade and the like, it is called Norigae. But if the ornament at its center is made of the embroidered Norigae. Such a Embroidered Norigae in which perfume was contained, was as a perfume box or a perfume bag and was carried on the strings of Chogori by Danjak(single work). The Differences between ancient Embroidered Norigae of late Choson era and modern Embroidered Norigae are Following; 1) The type of main body-the embroidered ornament at its center was mainly embroidered with the shape of animals in both of ancient Embroidered Norigae was usually formes like a bat and that of modern Embroidered Norigae like butterfly. 2) plants were adapted as the main design of ancient Embroidered Norigae, but plants and animals as that of modern Embroidered Norigae. 3) The colors of the background and the design are usually red in both ancient and modern Embroidered norigae. 4) The tassels of ancient Embroidered Norigae were mode in the shape of srick and a strawberry. but the tassels of modern Embroidered Norigae were mainly made in the shape of a stick. 5) Nowadays the beauty of external form is considered more important while the symbol of main body was considered more important in Choson era. 6) The role of Thidon in the composition of Embroidered Norigae is declined and a lot of main bodies are used in modern Embroidered Norigae. 7) Modern Korean people are apt to choose Embroidered Norigae depending upon the design of main body and the traditional Korean beauty. 8) Modern people who desire to get new thing, try to make the design of main body various. As their cognition of Korean tradition is of the increase, the restoration of ancient Embroidered Norigae to its original form has been accom

• Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
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• v.15
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• pp.177-194
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• 1990

Koh(袴) was a type of dress worn on the lower part of the body which was commonly used in the Northeast Asia. It was originally used by the Northern race for the need of nomadism or hunting. The origin of the Koh which appeared in the area would be found from the trousers of the Huns who influenced in the Northeast Asia, and became in the part of the Scythian culture. The Scythians are the nomadizing race inhabited in the Northern Caucasas on the wast of the Black Sea and influenced on the inland Eurasian steppe as the first typical horse-riding race. The objectives of Koh which had been worn in the Scythian, Mongolia, Korea as well as Japan as a part of Dongho dress and ornaments and to contemplate the transmission process by cultural exchange among different races for the period from 4th century to 7th century. 1. The Origination of the Koh The Koh was originated by the environmental factor to protect the cold in the North but also from the heat in the South, and was changed and developed as gradually satisfying to the needs of the times. In the Northeast Asia the Koh was in the class of the Northern Chinese garment, and was used widely by the horse riding Scythians who moved widely from the Eurasian inland to Japan. The oldest original which could reflect the type of the Northern clothes was a pair of trousers discovered in the Huns remains of Noin Ula. This showed the exact form of hunting clothes and had a similar form with the Korean female tro-users. Since the same form of trousers drawn on the wall painting of which was excavated 4-5th century ancient Koguryo(高句麗) tomb was the same form the trousers of Noin Ula seemed to be the original form of Koh in the Northeast Asia. 2. The Chinese Trousers It was the time of the King Mooryung(武靈王) in the Cho(趙) Dynasty B.C. 3th century that the trousers used regularly in China. However, the Koh had been used as undergarment which functioned for the protection of the cold not the horseriding garment. The trousers seemed to be not very obviously shown off since the Poh (袍) was long, but mainly used by the people from lower class. As people learned the adapted the trousers. It was essential for the times of war and quarrel. The king himself started wearing the Koh. The Chinese trousers were influenced by the Huns, the Northern clothes of the Scythian culture, and similar to the Korean clothes. 3. The Korean Trousers Korean was a race bared from the Eastern foreign group. It was obvious that the clothes was Baji-Jeogori(바지 저고리), the garment of the Northern people. This had the same form of the Scythian dress and ornaments which was excavated from the Mongolian Noin Ula. The Scythian dress and ornaments were influenced from the Ancient West Asia Empire and transmitted to the Northeast Koguryu by the horseriding Scythian. The trousers were kept in the traditional style by the common people in Korea were transmitted to Japan which were for behind in cultural aspect, as well as got used to the Chinese as the efficient clothes though active cultural exchange. 4. The Japanese Trousers The ancient Japanese clothes were influenced by the Southern factor but not the form of the Koh. As the Korean people group was moving towards Japan and conquer the Japanese in the 4-5th century, however, North Altaic culture was formed and at the same time the clothes were also developed. The most influenced clothes at this time were those of Baekge(百濟) and the trousers form called Euigon became the main form. Because of the climatic regional factor, it was tied not at the ankle but under the knee. From the view the ancient Japanese clothes disappeard about that time, it could be due to the conquest of the culturally superior race but not the transmission of the culture. In the latest 7th century both the Chinese and Japanese dress forms were present, but the Dongho(東胡) dress and its ornament from Korea was still the basic of the Japanese dress form.