• 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.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
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• v.57 no.6 s.115
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• pp.172-183
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• 2007

The purpose of this study is to examine the dress and its ornaments of low-level officials shown in Tamna-Sullyeokdo, the paintings of the inspection tour of Jeju Island. The low-level officials Include low-level soldiers-sungjungun, gichigun, foot soldiers, cavalries, gunroe, ilsu, artillerymen, najang, and sawon-, musicians, servants, and kisaengs in government employ. 1. Different types of low-level soldiers tended to wear different kinds of clothes that is worn under an outer garment and to wear different coats and trousers depending on an outer garment. That is, sungjunggun, gichigun, foot soldiers, and cavalries were jeonbok over a jeogori and baji. On the other hand, gunroe, ilsu, artillerymen, and najang were houi or jakui over a jeogori and baji. However, Sawon simply were Jeonbok or armer or they wore Cheolik in formal occasions. 2. Musicians wore a jeonlib, a type of hat, decorated with an ear of barley and a red houi over a Jungchimak, a man's outer coat with large sleeves. Musicians wore colorful red clothes in order to add to the amusement during military trainings or banquets. 3. Servants in government employ had their hair in plaits and wore a jeonbok over a Jungchimak or baji and jeogori. However, when they dance during banquets, they were cheolik and jeonlib decored with/without an ear of barley or red flowers. 4. Gisaengs in government employ wore a gache on their head and wonsam, a woman's full dress during big occasions. They, on the other hand, wore a jeogoli and chima for regular occasions.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.44-65
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• 2018

This study examined the costumes of the characters in the painting titled Hig yongru Banghwoedo, which was designated as National Treasure No. 1879 in September 2015, and is currently kept in the Dongguk University Museum. The painting depicts a social gathering of Joseon aristocrats held at the higyongru, or watch tower, of the Gwangjumok, a government office, in 1567. It is characterized by the delicate illustration of the government officials, the main characters of the gathering, and the hyangri, ajeon, najang, chorye, akgong, and yeogi, the lower-class employees of the office. In order to investigate the costumes they wore, diverse materials including literature, costume artifacts, and paintings were used as reference sources. The scope of the study was limited to the characters' headdress and gown, and the accessories attached to the former. The study of men's clothing revealed that officials wore a samo and a red dalryeong as basic attire. In addition, it is presumed that they wore a belt indicating their official rank in the hierarchy, and a pair of black shoes. Retired officials wore a heuklip wrapped in horsehair or silk fabric with a red jing-nyeong and a doah. The hyangri wore a heukjukbanglip on their head, as well as a white jing-nyeong and a belted doah. In the Goryeo period, the banglip was a type of official headdress worn by members of the aristocratic elite ranked immediately below the king, but in Joseon it was demoted as the official headgear of the hyangri class, which was confirmed through Higyongru Banghwoedo. The ajeon wore a heuklip on their head, and a white jing-nyeong and a doah at the waist. As a rule, the najang wore a chogun on the head, and a banbieui on cheolrik and chungmokdai, but the najang in Higyongru Banghwoedo are depicted wearing a chogun and a cheolrik without a banbieui. Also, the chorye wore a heuklip wrapped in hemp cloth with a red cheolrik, whereas the akgong wore a somoja and a red cheolrik. Female entertainers, both adults and children, are depicted in the painting as either serving the aristocrats, dancing, or playing a musical instrument, wearing their hair in a voluminous, round, high bun, and dressed in a red daiyo, a hwangjangsam with a straight or reclined collar, and a belt. Notably, the donggi, i.e. young gisaeng, are shown wearing their hair in two short braids, and ddressed in a red gown with a y-shaped collar, or po.