A Study on Users, Shape and Materials of a Flag of Baektaek in the Late Joseon Period

Abstract

The study aimed to examine the users and materials of a flag of Baektaek among honor guard based on the code of laws in the late Joseon Period, Uigwe of the installation protocol and ?Uijangbanchado?. First, the male members of the royal family, king and the successor to the throne who were allowed to use a flag of Baektaek. The female members of the royal family, who were the Queen Mother, the Queen, the late king’s biological mother, the king’s biological mother, the Crown Princess and the eldest daughter-in-law of the Crown Prince were allowed to use a flag of Baektaek. This indicates that much more diverse group of female members of the royal family were allowed to use a flag of Baektaek than male members of the royal family. The eldest son of the Crown Prince and the king’s concubines did not use a flag of Baektaek. Second, while male members of the royal family used a flag of Baektaek along with other flags, female members of the royal family used only the flag of Baektaek. Accordingly, one can distinguish male members of the royal family from female ones based on a flag of Baektaek. Third, there was no difference in Baektaek drawn on a flag of Baektaek between literature and artifacts. However, the detailed structure of a flag of Baektaek indicates that there was a difference between records and artifacts. Fourth, a flag of Baektaek consisted of a body made with cloth and a pole around which the flag is tied to be fixed and held with the hand. The body materials is cloth and pigment for coloring. The pole materials is bamboo, wood, pigment for coloring and a string of hemp cloth. For the rest, the materials is about a blue cotton case to keep the flag and an oil paper case for protection in the event of rain.