Fujin () is a type of ''guanmao'' (冠帽), a male traditional
headgear
Headgear, headwear, or headdress is the name given to any element of clothing which is worn on one's head, including hats, helmets, turbans and many other types. Headgear is worn for many purposes, including protection against the elements, de ...
generally made from a black fabric in
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
and
Korea
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...
.
The fujin is a form of hood made on one width of cloth, from which its Chinese name derived from.
It was usually worn with
Shenyi in the
Ming Dynasty
The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...
. The fujin was later adopted in
Joseon
Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...
where is became known as bokgeon () and became known as the 'hat of the Confucian scholars'.
The fujin also influenced the development of other headwear such as the
futou
Futou (; also pronounced and written as ), also known as () and (), was one of the most important form of Chinese headwear in ancient China with a history of more than one-thousand years. The first appeared in Northern Zhou under the reign of ...
.
China
In China, the fujin was a popular form of headwear among all the different members of the social strata.
It was especially popular amongst the
Eastern Han dynasty
The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...
scholar-bureaucrats.
The fujin also later influenced the development of the
futou
Futou (; also pronounced and written as ), also known as () and (), was one of the most important form of Chinese headwear in ancient China with a history of more than one-thousand years. The first appeared in Northern Zhou under the reign of ...
.
Korea
According to the ''Random Expatiations of Oju'' written by
Yi Gyu-gyeong in the 18th century'', "In the Chinese
Han dynasty
The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...
, many kings and the nobility admired the attire of scholars and considered wearing the bokgeon an elegant way of dressing. Consequently, the bokgeon which used to be worn by people of humble origins, became part of scholarly attire by the end of the dynasty".
''
Though the bokgeon was initially worn only during important events, it was worn by most men of high-standing by the Joseon period.
It was also worn by Joseon noblemen, scholar officials, and students of Confucianism together with
simui and
hakchangui
The Hakchangui () is a traditional type of Korean clothes (hanbok 한복) used by scholars as school uniforms in the 17th-century and 18th-century. It was introduced from the Chinese hakchang during the Joseon period in the 17th and 18th centur ...
up until the late Joseon period.
The bokgeon along with simui was also worn during the coming-of-age ceremonies.
From the late Joseon, the bokgeon became a common form of headwear for young boys. It continues to be worn in present-day Korea where baby boys wear bokgeon on their first birthday or on traditional holidays.
Construction and design
The fujin is made of one-width of cloth.
In Korea, the rear part of the bokgeon is curved and there are 2 pleats above each ears.
Inside the lower pleats, there are 2 straps which are sewn; these two straps are tied at the back. The bokgeon is made of black silk or gauze.
It was mainly black in colour, although dark blue bokgeon also existed.
Members of the
scholar-official
The scholar-officials, also known as literati, scholar-gentlemen or scholar-bureaucrats (), were government officials and prestigious scholars in Chinese society, forming a distinct social class.
Scholar-officials were politicians and governmen ...
class decorated their ''fujin'' with gold leaf.
See also
*
Futou
Futou (; also pronounced and written as ), also known as () and (), was one of the most important form of Chinese headwear in ancient China with a history of more than one-thousand years. The first appeared in Northern Zhou under the reign of ...
*
Hanfu
*
Hanbok
*
List of Hanfu headwear
Chinese headwear have a long history. According to some scholars, China used to be called "the Kingdom of Headwear" by people due to its variety of colourful and artistic style of hair ornament. There were various categories for headwear including ...
*
Shenyi
References
External links
Chinese headgear
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