| Hopae | |
 | |
| Korean name | |
|---|---|
| Hangul | 호패 |
| Hanja | 號牌/戶牌 |
| Revised Romanization | Hopae |
| McCune–Reischauer | Hop'ae |
| Literal meaning:"number tag" or "household tag" | |
Hopae were identification tags carried by Koreans during the Joseon dynasty,recording the bearer's name,place of birth,status and residence. [1] The tags consist of the person's name,birthdate,and where they were born. The hopae system helped the government in tax collection and retrieving runaway slaves. [2]
Certain military officials were required to wear hopae in 1391 [3] (imitating a similar practice by the Yuan dynasty) [4] and its further implementation was continually raised by the Joseon government from 1398. [3] The use of hopae was finally mandated for all males under 16 in 1413 under King Taejong. [1] [3] The desire to control migration was cited as a major reason behind the system in the edict which established the hopae law. However,it was abandoned only three years later in 1416,after the completion of the new household registry;this may have been because the hopae were no longer necessary after the completion of the registry,or the opposition which commoners demonstrated to the requirement of carrying hopae.
The hopae system was promulgated and abolished several times in the following years: [3] being abolished in 1416,1461,1469,1550,1612,1627;and reimplemented in 1459,1469,1536,1610,1626,1675. [3] Over a period of 260 years,it was implemented for just 18, [3] and the Seongjong Annals reports that of the men with tags only 1-20% actually served in national military service. [3]
King Sejo revived the system in 1458,again with the aim of controlling the movement of people,this time in order to aid in suppressing the rebellion by Yi Jing-ok in Hamgil Province,which found widespread support among peasants who had fled from their homes;the law would remain in effect for twelve more years. [4]
Hopae again fell into disuse,but were revived by Prince Gwanghae in the early 17th century. [5] One game played with dominoes in modern Korea takes its name from the hopae. [6]
People of different social classes wore different coloured tags. The yangban class wore yellow,high-ranking yangban officials wore ivory while the lower-ranks wore ones of deer horn. Commoners wore small wooden tags while slaves carried large wooden ones. [2]
Korean monarchy existed in Korea until the end of the Japanese occupation and the defeat of Japan. After the independence and the installation of the Constitution that adopted republic system,the concept of nobility has been abolished,both formally and in practice.
Joseon,officially Great Joseon State,was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea,lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom was founded following the aftermath of the overthrow of Goryeo in what is today the city of Kaesong. Early on,Korea was retitled and the capital was relocated to modern-day Seoul. The kingdom's northernmost borders were expanded to the natural boundaries at the rivers of Amrok and Tuman through the subjugation of the Jurchens.
The yangban were part of the traditional ruling class or gentry of dynastic Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. The yangban were mainly composed of highly educated civil servants and military officers—landed or unlanded aristocrats who individually exemplified the Korean Confucian form of a "scholarly official". They were largely government administrators and bureaucrats who oversaw medieval and early modern Korea's traditional agrarian bureaucracy until the end of the dynasty in 1897. In a broader sense,an office holder's family and descendants,as well as country families who claimed such descent,were socially accepted as yangban.
The hanbok is a traditional clothing of the Korean people. The term hanbok is primarily used by South Koreans;North Koreans refer to the clothes as chosŏn-ot. The clothes are also worn in the Korean diaspora,especially by Koreans in China.
Cheonmin,or "vulgar commoners",were the lowest caste of commoners in dynastical Korea. They abounded during the Goryeo (918–1392) and Joseon (1392–1897) periods of Korea's agrarian bureaucracy.
Seonbi were scholars during the Goryeo and Joseon periods of Korean history. They were generally seen as non-governmental servants of the public,who chose to pass on the benefits and authority of official power in order to develop and share knowledge. However,some former bureaucrats were seen as seonbi,as they moved to the countryside after retirement and adopted the seonbi lifestyle.
The Baekjeong were an untouchable caste in Korea,originating from some minority,nomadic groups of disputed ethnicity. In the early part of the Goryeo period (918–1392),these minorities were largely settled in fixed communities. However,the Mongol invasion left Korea in disarray and anomie and these groups became nomadic. Subgroups of the baekjeong included the chaein and the hwachae (禾尺) or suchae (水尺),who were primarily butchers. The baekjeong occupied specific professions like butchery,tanning,basket weaving and performing executions. During the Goryeo period,"baekjeong" was used as a neutral term to refer to the common people. From the time of the Joseon dynasty,it became an insulting title used to refer to the lowest class of society. In addition,since the Joseon dynasty,"baekjeong" has been also used to denigrate a person. In contemporary South Korea,the term is mainly associated with the meaning of a butcher and even used in the restaurants' names.
Nobi were members of the slave class during the Korean dynasties of Goryeo and Joseon. Legally,they held the lowest rank in medieval Korean society. Like the slaves,serfs,and indentured servants of the Western Hemisphere,nobi were considered property or chattel,and could be bought,sold,or gifted.
A hanok or chosŏnjip,is a traditional Korean house. Hanok were first designed and built in the 14th century during the Joseon dynasty.
The jungin or chungin were the upper middle class of the Joseon Dynasty in medieval and early modern Korean society. The name "jungin" directly means "middle people". This privileged class of commoners consisted of a small group of petty bureaucrats and other highly educated skilled workers whose technical and administrative skills enabled the yangban and the royal family to rule the lower classes. Jungin were the lifeblood of the Korean Confucian agrarian bureaucracy,on whom the upper classes depended on to maintain their vice-like hold on the people. Their traditions and habits are the forerunners of the modern Korean administrative systems in both North and South Korea.
The Korean nobi system,which is commonly associated with slavery and social hierarchy in premodern Korea,existed in various forms and degrees from its origins in antiquity,over 2,000 years ago,to its gradual abolition in the late Joseon period,beginning in the 18th century and culminating in 1894. The nature of the nobi system is widely debated,with scholars agreeing that it constituted slavery until at least the Goryeo period but disagreeing whether it constituted slavery,serfdom,or both during the Joseon period. The Joseon dynasty was a stratified society dominated by the yangban,in which wealth was measured by ownership of land and nobi. During this period,the nobi of the majority "non-resident" group owned land,and some even owned nobi.
Gungnyeo is a Korean term referring to women waiting on the king and other royalty in traditional Korean society. It is short for "gungjung yeogwan",which translates as "a lady officer of the royal court". Gungnyeo includes sanggung and nain,both of which hold rank as officers. The term is also used more broadly to encompass women in a lower class without a rank such as musuri,gaksimi,sonnim,uinyeo as well as nain and sanggung. The term spans those from courtiers to domestic workers.
Musuri is a Korean term referring to female slaves in charge of odd chores in the court during the Goryeo and Joseon Dynasty of Korea. Their main tasks were miscellaneous works such as drawing water from a well,making a fire in the fireplace or cleaning.
Uinyeo were female physicians who specialized in the treatment of women during the Joseon dynasty of Korea. The uinyeo were established as a solution to social taboos against women receiving treatment from male physicians. The uinyeo system first appeared in 1406 after King Taejong ordered its establishment in the Jesaengwon.
The wonsam is a female ceremonial topcoat in hanbok. It originated from China,and it was worn by queens,high-ranking court ladies,and royalty during the Joseon dynasty of Korea (1392–1910). It is also called 'daeui','daesu' and 'jangsam'. The queen,princess consort,and consort to the first son of the crown prince wore it as a soryebok,a robe for small ceremonies,while wives of high officers and sanggung wore it as daeryebok,a robe for major ceremonies. It was also worn by commoners on their wedding ceremony.
A jang-ot,also known as janot,jang-eui,or jang-ui,is a type of po worn by women of the Joseon Dynasty period as a headdress or veil to cover their faces by the mid-18th century. They were mostly worn by commoners but not exclusively. Jang-ot was originally a form of men's po called jang-ui,which was worn in 15th century. The jang-ui started to be worn by women as an overcoat in early Joseon,even becoming a popular fashion item for women of high status. It was previously one of the most representative women's overcoats;it was worn as a women's overcoat when they would leave their house until the 17th century.
Society in the Joseon dynasty was built upon Neo-Confucianist ideals,namely the three fundamental principles and five moral disciplines. There were four classes:the yangban nobility,the "middle class" jungin,sangmin,or the commoners,and the cheonmin,the outcasts at the very bottom. Society was ruled by the yangban,who constituted 10% of the population and had several privileges. Slaves were of the lowest standing.
The sseugaechima is a kind of headwear that noble Korean women used during the middle and end of the Joseon dynasty (1392–1897) to cover their faces. As Confucian ideals became stronger,women were required to hide their faces from men when leaving the house. There were several kinds of headdresses that the Joseon women used according to their ranks:the neoul was used by the court women,the sseugaechima was used by the yangban women;and the jang-ot was used by the jungin women or commoners. The sseugaechima was a piece of clothing in the shape of a skirt and was mainly made from cotton or silk.
The Wanggung Sumunjang literally translates as door guard of the royal palace or Sumungun literally translates as military doorkeepers,for short is a royal guard unit of the Joseon Dynasty,whose primary duty is to guard the walls and gates of the Five palaces of Seoul.
Hong Gyeong-rae (1780–1812) was a rebel leader in the Joseon province of Pyeongan,in present-day Democratic People's Republic of Korea,during the early 19th century. He was born in Yonggang to a family of the Namyang Hong lineage. His background is uncertain. By some accounts,he was a fallen yangban. However,the best evidence is that he was an educated commoner and professional geomancer. He was known for leading a rebellion in Pyongan Province against the central government who were unhappy with their treatment by the central government and an oppressive de facto tax regime based on government-administered high-interest loans and perhaps by rivalries among yangban groups,but was killed in battle.