• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.192-201
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• 2013

This study explores the culture surrounding the dyeing of royal garments in the late Joseon Dynasty. The findings of this study are as follows. First, several dyes were used to color royal garments, such as jicho, honghwa, danmok, simhwang, sambo, goehwa, chija, and namjong. Mordants such as maesil, hwanghoemok, yeohoe, and baekban were also used with the dyes. Second, the Sangeuiwon (尙衣院) was the department in charge of the purchasing of dyes and the entire dyeing practice. It was the Seonhyecheong (宣惠廳) and the Hojo (戶曹) who provided revenue to the Sangeuiwon through a wongong, regular tribute, and a bokjeong (supplementary tribute). Additionally, additional dyes, if found to be insufficient, could be provided by the Hojo. Every year the Hojo provided jicho, honghwa, and danmok to the Sangeuiwon, and sometimes imported namjong from China. Third, royal garments were, in most cases, dyed by the Sangeuiwon's professional dyers and court ladies belonging to the sewing department in each palace. Naenongpo (內農圃) eunuchs were in charge of the indigo crops of each palace. Finally, more dye was used in royal garments than in the clothes of commoners to obtain a deeper shade of color. In addition, dyers tried to achieve a clear and vivid tone in their garments. Silk which absorbed color relatively easily, was dyed inside the palace using an ice vat filled with fresh indigo leaves; however, cotton was difficult to dye and was sent to professional indigo dyers outside the palace.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.54 no.2
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• pp.216-239
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• 2021

Inlay (入絲), a poetic technique of digging grooves in the surface of crafts and decorating them with metal materials, was used throughout the royal daily routines, ceremonies and government officials of the Joseon Dynasty. The government-owned handicraft industry in the Joseon Dynasty was composed of craftsmen belonging to central and local government offices and was operated mainly by government-owned craftsmen. The inlay craftsman was transferred to the central government office and was in charge of inlay poetry for crafts. The current records of Korean inlay craftsmen are concentrated in the state-owned handicraft industry. In the state-owned handicraft industry, the government offices of inlay craftsmen can be divided into Kongjo (工造), Sangeuiwon (尙衣院), and the military. Here the election of a temporary government office for airspace is added. The government offices and military inlay craftsmen who use inlay crafts are assigned, and the inlay craftsmen are placed separately in the temporary office where the fine division of labor is developed. It can be made by utilizing craftsmen. The operation of these production systems was indispensable in pre-modern Korean society, where crafts had to be produced by hand. In this paper, we investigated the roles and job types of craftsmen in the state-owned handicraft industry during the Joseon Dynasty, focusing on inlay craftsmen. Although the details applied to the characteristics and materials of the field, labor supply and demand, etc. are different, Korea pursued crafts for various purposes through craftsmanship within the framework of the basic state-owned handicraft policy . The institutional equipment for implementation was almost common. We believe that adding and analyzing some literature records and relics will help us to study the crafts of the Joseon era in more detail.