• Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
• /
• v.61 no.4
• /
• pp.117-137
• /
• 2011

This study analyzed historical records on silk tabby-ju(細), Si(總)- in a diachronic and spatial point of view. The historical records were written in Samguksagi(三國史記) of Korea, Eastern barbarian[東弟] section of Ershiwush(二十五史) of China and Ritkokusi(六國史)of Japan from the $4^{th}$ century to the early $10^{th}$ century. The study finally could reach the conclusions as follow. Firstly, records that fabrics like Ju were used were found in the Korean historical documents written on Balhae(渤海) of the $8^{th}$ century and Sllla(新羅) of the $9^{th}$ century. On the other hand, no official record on production of fabrics like Ju was found in the Japanese historical documents up to the $10^{th}$ century. Instead, there are some records that Si was produced and used for the first time in the $7^{th}$ century and it was rapidly spread in the $8^{th}$ century. In the $9^{th}$ century, the number of records on Si was sharply decreased and the importance of Si in the foreign-relation point of view also went down gradually. Secondly, records on using and trading with both Ju(細) and Si(總)in the foreign relation of two countries were shown from the $8^{th}$ century to the $9^{th}$ century. In the period, international exchange had been promoted among Balhae, Silla and ancient Japan. In the $9^{th}$ century, fabrics like Ju of ancient Korea was introduced to ancient Japan ancient Japanese people could not manufacture Ju by themselves at that time. On this account, we assumed that ancient Japanese people might consider Ju as high quality fabric rather than Si that had been used as general fabric. Meanwhile, it is found that Japan presented various kinds of Si to Balhae and Silla from the early $8^{th}$ century. As the foreign relation between Sllia and ancient Japan got weaker in the mid-$8^{th}$ century, frequency and amount of supplying Si to Balhae were relatively increased. Besides Si, Balhae was given a lot of silk yarn and floss. These fabrics presumably were used as raw material of Ju in Balhae because Balhae got low output of silk due to its geographical condition.