Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 338

Episode 338: Fashion Revolution (6)

As hairdressing salons for men became increasingly popular, hairdressing salons for women began to spring up all over the place.

Women from wealthy noble families could have their maids wash their hair, but women from less wealthy families found it inconvenient to wash their hair.

The washing room was exactly what they desperately wanted. It was the body that made them desperately want a hair salon.

Gache was not the exclusive preserve of wealthy noblemen.

* * *

Gachae was essential for all women, including gisaengs and women living in households with some level of household income, as well as women living in women’s houses.

The only difference was the size, what accessories were attached to it, and how it was placed on one’s head.

Women of the royal family or wealthy noblemen wore a long hair style with a fancy haircut. And women living in moderately wealthy households had their hair cut or trembled.

Gisaengs of the Ilpae or Ipae wore rich tresses like hats. And on the tremery, rare accessories made of gold, silver, and precious stones were showing off.

Even the housewives who sold alcohol and food in guesthouses and women from poor families wore nose hairstyles and decorated them with daenggi (traditional Korean flags) to show off their style.

(Note 1)

* * *

In this situation where gache was the norm, the problem of hygiene was more serious for the women of the lower class than for the upper class who wore the hair.

The reason is that while the oeyeomeori was a separate item from the original head and was put on later, the tremory and nose hair were made by plaiting one’s own hair and legs.

Therefore, the only option for women with tresses and nose hair was to wash their hair with their hair straight, or to pull out a hairpin and then wash and dry their hair in a long braid. (Note 2)

Due to such circumstances, hair salons for women became popular.

If the women’s washroom looked a little different from the men’s washroom, it was essential to have a basket to hold the released gacha.

* * *

“It’s so uncomfortable, but why can’t I give up?…”

Every time she saw a situation like this, Hyang grumbled while grumbling. However, he never said such a thing in a place where women were present.

It was because of the memory of the last time I spoke without knowing and was frozen by the murderous actions the women gave me.

“A gacha or a topknot… what kind of pride that guy

has…” Just as women competed for pride over the size of their gache and the accessories they wear, men who lived a little more competed with things related to their topknots.

The crown used to prevent the topknot from unraveling was only allowed for the royal family, so even if it was removed, the crown, which had recently become popular, was an item that cost money.

This was because the material used to make manggeon was horsehair.

Men who did not have money wore their topknots and headbands made of cotton or linen, or went around with bare topknots.

The men’s competition began with Mangeon.

The material of the temple that secures the mangeon’s strings. The size and material of the pungjam that serves as a chin to prevent the hat from blowing away in the wind. The material of the hairpin that can be considered a men’s hairpin. The material of the snag that pushes back the hair sticking out from under the mangun. A competition arose over what this was.

In addition, the nobles competed over what material the decorative straps attached to the hat should be made of.

If you didn’t have money, you used bamboo or wood chips, but as you became wealthier, you started using gold, silver, and even expensive gems such as jade and coral.

Of course, since Hyang was also a crown prince, he was wearing a fancy casket and mangeon that cost a lot of money.

Hyang, looking at his topknot decorated with various gold and silver jewels, burst into laughter and muttered.

“Whether it is the 21st century or now, is it ‘indifferent and chic’?…”

* * *

It was the same in the 21st century as it is now that people use various accessories to show off.

If today’s Joseon men and women showed off themselves with topknots and gacha, in the 21st century it was with watches and luxury bags.

In particular, in order for men in the 21st century to boast of their success, they must own a watch, including several expensive manual wristwatches.

It was the 21st century, where quartz watches and electronic watches that fit amazingly well at reasonable prices were plentiful, and there were many hipsters who showed off their individuality with various types of smart watches.

However, men who were recognized by others as successful had manual wristwatches boasting history and tradition on their wrists.

Even if you don’t normally wear it at all or wear a smartwatch, it was an unwritten rule that you must wear a manual wristwatch in public or in situations where you need to show off.

The rule was that showing off something like this wasn’t just about showing off, it was about looking ‘indifferent and chic’.

In the case of men, it can be seen briefly by brushing up one’s hair or stroking one’s chin with a serious look on one’s face. For women, casually placing a bag on a table or walking with it in hand was a proper display.

This was also the case in Joseon.

For women, it was basic to greet visitors with a casual face without showing off the gacha with fancy accessories, while for men, it was basic to show off subtly by lightly lifting the visor and looking into the distance.

* * *

While Hyang was grumbling about things that seemed to never change, such as gache and cliche, Joseon society was constantly changing.

The biggest change was that fabrics of various colors began to be distributed in large quantities to fabric stores throughout Joseon.

* * *

For generations, the Korean people have had a reputation for preferring white clothes. That preference was to the extent that records remain before the period of the Three Kingdoms.

However, on the contrary, if you look at the Goguryeo tomb murals and paintings of Yangjiggong, they were wearing colorful clothes.

However, in the Joseon Dynasty, people were told to not wear white clothes several times since the reign of King Taejo. The royal decree was issued, but the people insisted on wearing white clothes.

However, recently dyed fabrics began to be distributed in large quantities.

After receiving the report, Hyang tilted his head.

“why?”

Hyang, unable to overcome his curiosity, researched the data to find the reason.

After going through the enormous amount of records and pondering, Hyang came to the most plausible conclusion.

“As expected… Is it because I can make a decent living?”

That was the most likely reason.

Hyang, who was pondering the conclusion he had come to, looked into the distance and muttered.

“It’s been a while since I remembered Teacher Samcheonpo….”

* * *

Teacher Samcheonpo, who was in the middle of teaching a class, fell into Samcheonpo again.

“They say our people are called the white-clothed people, but if you look at related records, they also wore colored clothes well, right? But why are they called the white people? Records show that since the reign of King Taejo of the Joseon Dynasty, ‘Do not wear white clothes.’ Although his name was dropped, if you look at the writings and photos written by foreigners in the late Joseon Dynasty, they are all in white clothes. If you look at it this way, you can’t help but see our people as white coat addicts.

But let’s think about it a little bit.

It is said that the biggest reason the king forbade wearing white clothes was based on the five elements.

This is because Joseon is located to the east of China, so it is legal to wear blue clothes according to the five elements. But why did the people wear white clothes?

If you look at the period when official records were left, it was the late Joseon Dynasty, the end of the Goryeo Dynasty, the beginning of the Joseon Dynasty. What do these times have in common? It was a time when the country was completely destroyed by war and was barely being restored.

It’s hard to make a living right now, so would you sit around dyeing your clothes? Look at what I said.

What happened right before?

There was a period of secular politics. It was a time when it was difficult to make a living and even riots broke out.

And during the period of Japanese colonial rule, I didn’t want to see the Japanese telling me to wear colored clothes, so I only wore white clothes.

So my conclusion is this.

Our people are not perverts who get excited whenever they see something white.

It’s just that I couldn’t afford it, so I ended up wearing white clothes, which were the easiest to maintain.

They say it costs a lot of money to dye it white, but if you boil it in lye water a few times, a very nice white color will come out. (Note 3) If in doubt, look at Shin Yun-bok’s paintings right away. “I wonder if the women in the picture are wearing only white clothes…”

Teacher Samcheonpo, who was explaining his own theory like that, went even further to the side.

“Ah! The color reminds me of being angry again. It was an article written by a Japanese sociologist that I saw in the library when I was in college. This is what he said while criticizing the ‘Body Conscious’ fashion that was popular in Japan at the time.

‘As can be seen from the elegant lines of Joseon’s palaces, temple roofs, and hanbok in the past, Joseon had lines, and Japan had colorful colors, as seen in kimonos. But now it seems to be going in the opposite direction, which is sad.’

Do you know what the first thought was when I read this article?

‘Are this bastard’s eyes decorative? You saw the roofs of the royal palaces and temples, but didn’t see the Dancheong underneath? ‘What nonsense are these people saying that they couldn’t even wear proper clothes until the Tang Dynasty?’ It was. If you’re curious, google sheep weaver.”

* * *

After seeing that Joseon’s clothing was gradually changing, Hyang immediately visited King Sejong.

“… Let’s create a ‘Joseon Costume Guide’ that records the costumes of Joseon? why?”

In response to Sejong’s question, Hyang explained the reason.

“The clothes worn by the people of Joseon are clothes that incorporate traditions that have been passed down from the ancient Samhan Dynasty to the short term and the old Joseon Dynasty to the long term. However, just as the clothes back then and the clothes now are not completely the same, attire continues to change. Therefore, we must record this so that our descendants in the distant future can properly understand the principles by which this type of clothing was created.”

“Hmm…”

Hearing Hyang’s words, Sejong stroked his beard and fell into thought.

Heo Jo, who was listening to Hyang’s suggestion, expressed doubts about Hyang’s words.

“Even Samcheok-dong knows that our clothing contains traditions from ancient times. Still, wouldn’t it be unnecessary to record this?”

Hyang immediately responded to Heo Jo’s point.

“As time goes by, there will be people who will claim that ours is theirs too.”

“yes?”

While Heo Jo and the ministers were expressing doubts about Hyang’s words, King Sejong intervened.

“Are you really worried about Miss Goryeo?”

‘Of course, Abama! ‘Sejong the Great!’

Hyang smiled happily and immediately nodded.

“That’s right! Since the Yuan Dynasty, our clothing has spread widely in China. So, we need to make this clear! “In the future, based on our speed, they will claim that they also inherited our clothing.”

Heojo again refuted Hyang’s words.

“But the word Goryeo itself….”

“What would you do if you insisted that the Goryeo thing itself came from China?”

Heo Jo’s mouth closed in response to Hyang’s question, which was interrupted mid-sentence.

Hyang continued to emphasize that this is something that must be done.

“Starting from the Yuan Dynasty to this day, Goryeo style is spreading in China, and our clothing and culture are also spreading through the Daenae clan in the Japanese kingdom! Neither Ming nor Wa will admit this, even out of pride. Therefore, you must leave a document and picture in advance to create a clear evidence. “What came from the Ming must be clearly recorded and distinguished as coming from the Ming to prevent future interference.”

In the end, King Sejong accepted Hyang’s argument.

“It is clear that it will take a lot of time and effort, but it is definitely appropriate to keep a record of it. Looking at the nature of the work, I think it would be better for the Ministry of Education to take the lead. “Let other departments also do their best to help ensure smooth progress.”

The ministers responded to King Sejong’s command by bowing their heads.

“I follow your orders.”

And the officers were recording all of this.

Hyang, who was bowing his head with the ministers, saw the officers out of the corner of his eye and clenched the fists hidden in his sleeves.

‘done! There is an official record!’

* * *

“Whoa~.”

After the meeting, Jo Gye-saeng, who left Geunjeongjeon, looked at the distant sky and sighed.

Seeing this, Maeng Sa-seong, who was passing by, comforted him.

“Cheer up, sir. “It will be hard work, but there will be support from other departments, so it won’t be too hard.”

At Meng Sa-seong’s words, Jo Gye-saeng had a gloomy face.

“I think it doesn’t end with doubles, it’s just the beginning.”

“Ah….”

* * *

(Note 1)

https://m.blog.naver.com/nadakik/221060642371

(Note 2)

You can see the women taking a bath in Shin Yun-bok’s Dano Pungjeong.

(Note 3)

http://pub.chosun.com/client/news/viw.asp?cate=C03&nNewsNumb=20150417129&nidx=17167