조선후기 백의풍습 인식과 기자조선의 상관성 연구

Abstract

White clothes are a representative element of traditional Korean culture and are considered a longstanding custom. However, in tracing the historical cause of this custom, many researchers focused on opinions of individuals of the more recent 20th century, after the white clothing culture had weakened. In this research, we focus on the perspective of people of the 17th-19th centuries(late Joseon dynasty), which is considered the peak of the white clothes phenomenon in Korea. Through the research process, we confirmed that the country of Gija Joseon(箕子朝鮮), an unfamiliar country in modern Korea, had a significant role in establishing the positive recognition of white clothing. In this research, we focused on the cause and influence of the correlation between the white clothes phenomenon and Gija Joseon. The literature consists of Confucian texts which had cultural significance in the Joseon era. In the religious texts, the color white is mentioned as the color of the ancient Chinese Shang(商) dynasty, and Joseon connected this notion to Gija(箕子), which they considered the descendant of Shang, worshipping it as their cultural root. It was believed that the customs of Shang, which took white as its national color, were passed down to Gija Joseon, and were preserved through the years to the present Joseon. In the Joseon era, Han Chinese culture was considered advanced, and Gija brought this advanced culture to Joseon, establishing Joseon’s position as its successor in history. The logic that white clothing, typically associated with funerals, was a custom from Gija Joseon allowed its everyday use. In observing the correlation between the white clothes phenomenon and Gija Joseon, it should be noted that costume is an important medium reflecting the culture of an era. Having received a positive interpretation from the leading culture, these clothing customs gained support, and as the leading culture changed following the Japanese rule, a different interpretation was applied to the same clothing customs. Even longstanding customs that have been continued by the same ethnic group of people can be subject to different perspectives, and the white clothing phenomenon is a representative example in Korean costume history.