Abstract
The purpose of this study was to comparatively analyze the characteristics of traditional costume colors of Korea China Japan with quantitative methods. The range of this study was limited to the costume colors from 16th to 19th century. For this study 1333 color samples were collected by measuring with a spectrophotometer. The results of this study are as follows: Red, Yellow Red, Yellow and Purple Blue had been used in common for the traditional costume colors of Korea, China and Japan. Yellow of Korea, Purple Blue of China, Yellow Red of Japan showed the high frequency. Red, an asian preference color, had most frequently used in korean traditional costumes. Pale toned Yellow and Yellow Red, high saturated Red and low valued Purple Blue had been preferred for korean traditional costumes. The preferences of high saturated Red and low valued Purple Blue were based on the Five Element theory and the pale toned Yellow and Yellow Red were used with the preference of White and natural colors. In China the traditional costume colors had used with the Five Element theory also but they had preferred Purple Blue, deep & strong toned Red to Yellow Red and Yellow, Yellow Red, Purple and grayish colors had been frequently used in japanese traditional costumes. In the results of color distributions in $L^*a^*b^*$ color space, korean and chinese traditional costumes colors concentrated in some areas like Yellow, Yellow Red, Red and Purple Blue. Japanese costumes colors showed the even distribution with the diverse toned colors. Korean traditional costume colors corresponded with the Five Element theory rather than China and Japan. Japan had used the costume colors with the racial sensibility rather than conceptual color theory.
