Joseon was a Korean dynastic kingdom that lasted for over five centuries. It was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea. 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 Amnok and Tuman through the subjugation of the Jurchens.
Lee, I, or Yi is the second-most-common surname in Korea, behind Kim (Gim). Historically, 李 was officially written as Ni in Korea. The spelling officially changed to I in 1933 when the initial sound rule was established. In North Korea, it is romanized as Ri because there is no distinction between the alveolar liquids /l/ and /r/ in modern Korean. As of the South Korean census of 2015, there were 7,306,828 people by this name in South Korea or 14.7% of the population.
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 or Chosŏn-ot is the traditional Korean clothes. The term "hanbok" literally means "Korean clothing".
Korean embroidery techniques and artifacts have a long history, but there is the most evidence from the Joseon Dynasty, after the 14th century in Korea. This article talks about the history, styles, preservation, artists, and examples of screens, costumes, and domestic wares of this exacting and beautiful art form.
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.
The gwageo or kwago were the national civil service examinations under the Goryeo and Joseon dynasties of Korea. Typically quite demanding, these tests measured candidates' ability of writing composition and knowledge of the Chinese classics. The form of writing varied from literature to proposals on management of the state. Technical subjects were also tested to appoint experts on medicine, interpretation, accounting, law etc. These were the primary route for most people to achieve positions in the bureaucracy.
The gache is a traditional Korean wig worn by women. Historically, gache were expensive accessories worn only by women of high social standing, alongside kisaeng. They were decorated with silk objects, gold, jewels, silver, coral, jade, and other expensive materials. Certain decorations were reserved for royalty.
A jokduri is a type of traditional Korean coronet worn by women for special occasions such as weddings. Also known as a jokdu or jokgwan, it consists of an outer crown covered with black silk, and an inner which is filled with cotton and hard paper. Its top is decorated with cloisonné ornaments. The upper part is vaguely hexagonal and the bottom is cylindrical. The form of the jokduri gets narrower towards its base.
A jobawi is a type of traditional Korean winter cap with earflaps which was worn by women and was made of silk. Since its first appearance in the late Joseon period, it has been widely worn as a substitute for the ayam. Although the jobawi was worn by the upper class as well as by commoners, it was mostly used by the yangban aristocracy of that time as a decorative headgear when they went out. In addition, the jobawi was worn not only as formal headgear, but also for special occasions. Even though a wearer was not in formal attire, if she wore a jobawi, the overall outfit could be considered as simple formal clothing.
A pungcha is a type of traditional Korean winter hat worn by both men and women during the Joseon period for protection against the cold. It is also called pungchae and jeongpungcha. Although its shape is very similar with nambawi, the pungcha has a bolkki (볼끼) attached on both sides of the ears. It was originally worn by males of yangban, the upper class but became to spread to commoners including women.
The jeogori is a basic upper garment of the hanbok, a traditional Korean garment, which has been worn by both men and women. Men usually wear the jeogori with a baji or pants while women wear the jeogori with chima, or skirts. It covers the arms and upper part of the wearer's body.
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.
Chima is a generic term for the skirt worn together with jeogori, or a short jacket in hanbok, Korean traditional clothing. It is also referred to as sang or gun in hanja in the Korean language.
Shenyi literally means "wrapping the body deep within the clothes" or "to wrap the body deep within cloth".
A jang-ot (장옷/長衣) is a type of po worn by women of the Joseon Dynasty period as a veil to cover their faces. Jang-ot is similar to durumagi, or the outer jacket of a hanbok. The difference is a jang-ot has a collar (git) and a ribbon for tying (goreum).
Hanfu is the traditional styles of clothing worn by the Han Chinese. There are several representative styles of hanfu, such as the ruqun, the aoqun, the beizi and the shenyi, and the shanku.
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.
Chengziguan is a type of guanmao (冠帽), a men's traditional hat originating in China, dating back to the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. It is said that this kind of headgear was usually worn by Chinese Song Dynasty philosopher Cheng Hao and his brother Cheng Yi, therefore it is called Chengziguan, which literally means “the hat of the Cheng”. Chengziguan is made with horse hair.
