![Korean clothing-Jangot-01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/77/Korean_clothing-Jangot-01.jpg)
A jang-ot (장옷/長衣; lit. 'long gown'), also known as janot, jang-eui,
jang-ui (장의/長衣), is a type of
po worn by women of the
Joseon Dynasty
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 ...
period as a headdress or
veil
A veil is an article of clothing or hanging cloth that is intended to cover some part of the head or face, or an object of some significance. Veiling has a long history in European, Asian, and African societies. The practice has been prominent ...
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.
According to the principles of the Joseon Dynasty's
Confucianism
Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, a way of governing, or ...
, women were ordered not to show their
face
The face is the front of an animal's head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may aff ...
to foreign men, so they would cover their faces in many ways while going out.
The jang-ot became a headdress by the mid of the 18th century to conceal face and upper bodies when walking in public under this influence.
Besides the jang-ot, women also used two other forms of headdress to cover their faces depending on their social standing;
sseugaechima (which was worn first worn by the upper class women in the mid-Joseon and later used by all classes until the very late Joseon period) and the neoul.
Origins
![Hanbok jangot](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ae/Hanbok_jangot.jpg)
Jang-ot was originally a form of men's
po called jang-ui, which was worn in 15th century.
The jang-ui (장의/長衣) originated from the
Chinese jangui and shared the same role and name; it was then localized through the combination of the Chinese jangui and the Korean jangyu (長襦), a form of coat worn during the Three Kingdoms period, gaining its own characteristics.
Theories
The Jang-ot is known as women's clothing; however, there is a theory that says it was also worn by men. In the early years of the
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 ...
period, similar long coats that belonged to men and women in 16th century tombs.
According to this, men started wearing jang-ot in the early years of the
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 ...
period to as an outerwear to add an extra layer to their clothing.
Soon, women started to wear and use them as well, and jang-ot grew in popularity among them until it was worn exclusively by women by the late
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 ...
.
The other theory states that jang-ot was women's clothing from the beginning because of several unique characteristics that are only seen on women's headwear. Firstly, the front part is wider and longer than the men's
po, so that a big skirt can fit under it. Secondly, the
white cuffs at the end of the sleeves were rolled up; usually, on men's coats, the sleeves weren't rolled up, and the cuffs weren't white.
Thirdly, there is no record on paintings of such men's clothing, and in the case of the 16th century graves, jang-ot was worn as
shroud
Shroud usually refers to an item, such as a cloth, that covers or protects some other object. The term is most often used in reference to ''burial sheets'', mound shroud, grave clothes, winding-cloths or winding-sheets, such as the famous Shr ...
only by deceased women, not men.
Characteristics
![Korean costume-Geodeulji on Dangui](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/52/Korean_costume-Geodeulji_on_Dangui.jpg)
The jang-ot is similar to
durumagi
(), also (), (), (), is a variety of , or overcoat, in , the Korean traditional garment. It is a form of outwear which is usually worn as the topmost layer of clothing; that is it worn over (jacket) and (pants).
History
The origin of trac ...
, or the outer jacket of a
hanbok
The (; term used in South Korean standard language, South Korea), also called ()
n North Korean standard language, North Korea and China, is an Hyponymy and hypernymy, umbrella term which is used to refer to traditional ethnic Koreans, Korean ...
.
The difference is a jang-ot has a collar (''git'') and a
ribbon
A ribbon or riband is a thin band of material, typically cloth but also plastic or sometimes metal, used primarily as decorative binding and tying. Cloth ribbons are made of natural materials such as silk, cotton, and jute and of synthetic mater ...
for tying (''goreum'').
Jang-ot looks like a long coat with its two
sleeve
A sleeve ( ang, slīef, a word allied to ''slip'', cf. Dutch ) is the part of a garment that covers the arm, or through which the arm passes or slips.
The sleeve is a characteristic of fashion seen in almost every country and time period, acro ...
s and
collars. It has both outer and inner collars, the outer one is colorful while the inner one is white. They are both wide and straight, and called mokpangit (목판깃) and have an overall square shape.
From the collars comes to both sides
two or more
ribbon
A ribbon or riband is a thin band of material, typically cloth but also plastic or sometimes metal, used primarily as decorative binding and tying. Cloth ribbons are made of natural materials such as silk, cotton, and jute and of synthetic mater ...
, mainly red or purple,
by which the headwear can be grabbed. The sleeves have the same width from shoulder to wrist, and has a white
cuffs, called
geodeulji
''Geodeulji'' is a small piece of white cloth to attach to the edge of sleeves of hanbok, traditional Korean attire. Its inner is back up by ''changhoji'' (창호지), a type of Korean paper and its width is about 6 ~ 8 cm. ''Geodeulji'' is a ...
(거들지 巨等乙只) at the end of them, which is worn rolled up.
One of the main characteristic of the jang-ot is the mu (무) a different colored trapezoid shape fabric under on the armpit area.
The purpose of the mu was to make the movements easier, even for using them as a headpiece. They did not change the process of the making, and kept this element until late
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 ...
.
The front and back panel were long and the were made so that the width expanding till the lower part. It was quite a big clothing during the 16th century, but from the mid-17th century the headwear become shorter and narrower thus more stylish.
Colors and materials
Mainly they used colors for the headwear like pink, purple, green, indigo, jade green and black. The fabric varied from season to season, they used raw
silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the coc ...
, sheer silk and
ramie
Ramie (pronounced: , ; from Malay ) is a flowering plant in the nettle family Urticaceae, native to eastern Asia. It is a herbaceous perennial growing to tall; cloth. Though, by the late
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 ...
they mostly made them with
cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus ''Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor perce ...
or silk, with a red dye in the lining and green for the gown.
Way of wearing
File:KOCIS Korea Hanbok-AoDai FashionShow 72 (9766206701).jpg, Jang-ot worn on head
File:KOCIS Korea Hanbok-AoDai FashionShow 51 (9766482133).jpg, Jang-ot worn on shoulders
Before the 18th century, the headwear was worn directly on the body like
durumagi
(), also (), (), (), is a variety of , or overcoat, in , the Korean traditional garment. It is a form of outwear which is usually worn as the topmost layer of clothing; that is it worn over (jacket) and (pants).
History
The origin of trac ...
, but since then it was worn either on the body or on the head.
Jang-ot is the typical women's clothing for covering the face when going out
and the most widely worn headgear as well. It has seasonal variations made from different materials,
such as simple-layered made from ramie in the summer and double-layered quilted clothing made with cotton for the winter. Depending on the region or household it was also used as a bridal clothing or a
suui (수의 襚衣), a veil worn by the deceased person.
![Woman's correct street costume](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/84/Woman%27s_correct_street_costume.jpg)
The jang-ot should be placed on the head, only revealing the face. By the collars of the coat, the ribbons under the chin or buttons should be used to tighten them up. When working or in the case of elderly they folded the headpiece and carried them on their head or shoulders.
Significance
Confucianism
Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, a way of governing, or ...
grew and became more and more influential in the
Korean peninsula
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 ...
, and by the time of the
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 ...
Dynasty it became the dynasty's main ideology. The Confucian ethical ideology disciplined the social system of that period. One of its main principle was that men and women cannot meet after they turned seven.
Women could only show their faces to their family and wore different face coverings as a result. These headpieces also differentiated women by their rank: neoul was worn by women in the court;
sseugaechima was worn by the
yangban
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 ...
class; and jang-ot was used mostly by the
jungin
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 p ...
and commoners.
This division was not strictly regulated; by the late
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 ...
, both the upper and middle class wore jang-ot without any classification.
The popularization of the jang-ot over other headpieces was thanks to the changing of the commuting device. During the early
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 ...
, women mostly rode horses while wearing neoul on their head and jang-ot as a coat. However, when using gama (가마 有屋轎) – a smaller carriage – as a way of transportation, it was more comfortable to wear only jang-ot, since it was difficult to enter the carriage with the neoul on.
See also
*
Baji (clothing)
Baji ( ko, 바지) is a kind of traditional Korean pant that is part of the hanbok.Hanbok
''koreanculture'' ...
*
Chador
A chādor (Persian, ur, چادر, lit=tent), also variously spelled in English as chadah, chad(d)ar, chader, chud(d)ah, chadur, and naturalized as , is an outer garment or open cloak worn by many women in the Persian-influenced countries of Ira ...
- similar clothing from Persia
*
Dangui
(; also written with the characters《》; ), was also called (), (), (), (), and (), is a type of (upper garment) for women in , the Korean traditional clothing, which was worn for ceremonial occasions during the Joseon dynasty. It was t ...
*
Hwarot
Hwarot is a type of traditional Korean clothing worn during the Goryeo and Joseon Dynasty by only royal women for ceremonial occasions and later by commoners for weddings. It is still worn during the p'yebaek phase of modern weddings. Before commo ...
*
Hijab
In modern usage, hijab ( ar, حجاب, translit=ḥijāb, ) generally refers to headcoverings worn by Muslim women. Many Muslims believe it is obligatory for every female Muslim who has reached the age of puberty to wear a head covering. While ...
– similar concept but in
Islamic religion
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the mai ...
*
Wonsam
The ''wonsam'' is a female ceremonial topcoat in ''hanbok''. It was worn by queens, high-ranking court ladies, and royalty during the Joseon dynasty of Korea (1392–1910). It is also called 'daeui' (大衣, big clothing), 'daesu' (大袖, wide s ...
References
Korean clothing
Veils
{{Fashion-stub