IJCC, Vol. 5, No. 2, 120 〜130(2002) 42 History and Design of Nineteenth-Century Minpos^ Korean Commoner's Wrapping Cloths 一 Focused on Supo 一 Sung-Kyung Im and Myung- Sook Han Dept, of Clothing and Textiles, Sang Myung University Abstract The purpose of this research is to survey minpofthe nations pojagi), especially supo(the embroidered pojagi), of the Yi Chosun of Korea during the nineteenth century. This study explores the history and background of minpo, its characteristics, including forms, designs, materials, and how they related to womens daily life during the Yi Chosun in social and cultural aspects. There were minpos for use in everyday life as well as for special occasions such as weddings, funerals and religions rites, including Buddhist and other services. The research undertaken here is done by classifying minpos according to composition, design, pattern and motif. Key -words: poiagi, tninpo, supo, embroidered pojagi. ulace, from the aristocratic class to the non I. Introduction -titled Koreans. This study explores the history and back­ During the Chosun Dynasty (1392 〜1910) in ground of minpo, its characteristics, including Korea, women lived in the shadow of men, their forms, designs, materials, and how they related fathers, husbands or sons. Few outlets of expres­ to women's daily life during the Chosun Dy­ sion were available to women; one of them was nasty in social and cultural aspects. There were the creation of exquisite wrapping cloths and minpos for use in everyday life as well as fbr covers for food, pojagi, which were replete with special occasions such as weddings, funerals and creativity. These cloths were square in shape, religions rites, including Buddhist and other and varied in size, color, material, and pattern. services. The research undertaken here is done Koreans used pojagi not only as a practical and by classifying minpos according to composition, versatile item for wrapping, storing, covering or design, pattern and motif. For a case study of carrying things in their daily lives, but also for the minpos, about fourty one minpos from the ceremonial use. Museum of Korean Embroidery in Seoul have The pojagi were divided into two categories been as primary sources. according to the users. One was kungpo or Although pojagi have traditionally been palace pojagi, used by the royalty in the court, widely used among all classes in Korea, many and the other one was minpo or the popular Koreans and foreigners do not recognize their pojagi, which was used by the rest of the pop­ proper value and significance in relation to E-mail : [email protected] 120 Vol. 5, No. 2 The International Journal of Costume Culture 43 women's work and as one of the most important The pcjagi use a concept similar to clothing cultural heritages. in wrapping and protecting the object, and in It is important to research this topic in regard combining decoration and the practice of cre­ to Korean textile history, thereby representing ating beauty. The standard names of pojagi vary one of the highest artistic sensibilities of tradi­ according to the area. But they all mean good tional Korea. luck.4) The wrapping cloths, pQjagi, have two II • The Historical Background aspects : aesthetic and practical. In the aesthetic aspect, because the maker is not a professional of pQfagi worker, she does not get any education and expresses her peculiar characteristics in the 1. The Origin and Name of pojagi The word pojagi, or po for short, refers to a selection of material and color, the matching process, or sewing technique. The practical square textile of various sizes, colors, and aspects, as well as aesthetic aspects, are designs, pojagi are used for wrapping, covering, revealed in the Korean wrapping cloth. The carrying, and storing objects of all sorts, both pojagi is an object for ceremonial purposes in the ordinary and the precious: pojagi covers accordance with etiquette and formality as well food on the Ta미 e, adorns religious altars, or encloses a gift to demonstrate respect for the as a daily commodity for carrying and storing recipient. items. In sum, pojagi can be thought of simply Wrapping cloths have been used throughout as a piece of cloth for carrying and storing Korean life, not only in the royal palace, but objects; however the scope of its usage is since ancient times also by poor people who diverse from decorating, covering, and holding lived in grass huts, pojagi in Korean culture to wrapping wedding gifts. started, in part, with the shamanic folk religions of ancient times, which taught that keeping 2. The Characteristics of pojagi something wrapped was equivalent to keeping The reasons that encouraged the development good fortune. The historical records show the of pojagi in Korea are various. The first reason many ways in which these wrapping cloths have is due to the insufficient living space in the been used. Historical records about the po are traditional Korean house. The living space fbr especially common from the late Chosun Dynas­ the commoner was very small. A lot of people ty of the 19th centuiy. had only one room for eating, sleeping and Although it is not evident when the word living, even if the number of family members pojagi was first used in Korea, many scholars was large. To live together in a small space, and researchers think that the word pojagi they had to wrap and store very large bundles. comes from the Chinese word, pojaui^. which The wrapping cloth is appropriate for this means "clothing for things".* 2) 3 purpose. When this square cloth is not in use, it The oldest wrapping cloth existing in Korea is very flexible: it can be fWded very small for is the Takui in Temple SeonamP easy storage, and it is relatively inexpensive, Ui means clothing. 2 Dong-hwa 니 uh, Uriga Alaya Hal Kubaemanwha [The Important Culture to Know], (Seoul: Hyunamsa, 1998), 275. 3 Takui means cloth fbr table. It is from the m너 die of the Koryo Chosun. 4 In Sangbang/eongrae, pojagi was expressed as the pok. The other names of pojagi are po, poja, pappujae, pottari, podaegi, potui and so on. 121 44 History and Design of Nineteenth-Century Mmpos、Korean Commoner's Wrapping Cloths IJCC and easier to make than wooden boxes or chests. and chomunpo (birds). The second reason behind the development of The material used is either myungjupo (silk), the wrapping cloth had to do with its important moshi (ramie), myonjik (cotton5)) * or kapsa (thin role in ceremonies such as marriage and the silk, gossamer). practice of praying fbr happiness. In making The width of pojagi is another element of these cloths, women prepared for the wedding classification. The p'ok is used as the unit of for their daughters with a blessing. They thought width in pojagi; a standard measure is between that to wrap object with a pojagi is to wrap one pfok to ten p'ok.이 pok, good luck. The most complicated method fbr classifying The last reason is attributable to the oppres­ pojagi is by their usage. In accordance with the sive situation of women in the Chosun Dynasty. usage, there are wrapping cloths fbr religious, Because women could not go outside the gate marriage, common, and any other special pur­ of their home after childhood, sewing became poses. Religious pojagi were often used in one of their few creative pastimes. Sewing was Buddhism ceremonies. Common pojagi were fbr one way that individual creativity could interrupt everyday use. They had various names: chaekpo the monotony of women's lives. for carrying books, patchimpo fbr lining small jewelry or sewing boxes, sangpo for covering 3・ The Classification of pojagi food, ppallaepo for laundry, popusangpo fbr pojagi have different names according to the wrapping and carrying merchandise, posonbonpo class of the user, its usage, c이 or, type of textile, for sock patterns, and so on. material, structure, existence of motif, the kind The name pojagi can be used in connection of motif and so on. with the above-mentioned classification scheme. According to the user, pojagi is divided into Thus, the pojagi in Fig. 1 can be called "Ahong kungpo and minpo. kungpo was the wrapping Nabimun Han prok Honraeyoung supo^ which cloth o기 y for palace use, whereas minpo was means, npojagi about 35 centimeter in size, with used by the rest of the people, from yangban to dark red embroidery in a butterfly pattern, to be chonmin. used at a commoners marriage.** In accordance with its structure, pojagi are classified into hotpo (unlined), kyoppo (lined), shikgipo (lined with oil-paper), sompo (lined with cotton padding), nubipo (quilted, with geometric pattern), and chogakpo (patchwork). Some pojagi have designs, called ywnunpo, while others, called mumunpo^ do not have any pattern. Yumunpo is further divided according to method of production: supo (embroider), jik- munpo (woven self-patterned), kumbakpo (gil­ ded), and tangchaepo (printed). The motif used is another important factor to classify pojagi'. These include h^amunpo (flower pattern), mun- <Fig. 1> Ahong Nabimun Han p'ok Honraeyoung jamunpo (Chinese characters), sumokmunpo (tree), supo. 5 Korean Overseas Information Service, Korean Craftsmen on Parade, (Seoul: Korean Culture Service, 1982), 28. Cotton was introduced by Ik-chom Mun to Korea in 1367 from China and was the most widely used fabric during the Chosun Dynasty. Cotton fabrics were used as a substitute for money or tax duties. 6 One p'ok measures 35 centimeter. 122 Vol. 5, No. 2 The International Journal of Costume Culture 45 Whereas supo was usually used by the palace DI. Minpoz Embroidery Wrapping people on all their wrqjping cloths, Commoners Cloth, supo used these embroidered wrapping cloths only for their wedding ceremonies because the embroi­ 1.