An Analysis on Formative Characteristics in the Hair style and Hair ornaments of Gisaeng in the Late Joseon Dynasty and Geisha in the Edo Period

Abstract

This study comparatively analyzed the formality of hairstyles and hair accessories in the cosmetology culture of the Gisaeng (Korean equivalent of geisha) who led the cultural trends during the late Joseon and Edo periods. For this, it was assumed that the late Joseon and Edoperiods were the time when the grounds for the history of cosmetology culture were established. Specifically, the late Joseon era refers to the period from the reign of King Gwanghaegun (1608, 15th king of Joseon Dynasty) after the imjinwaeran (Japanese invasion of Korea in 1952) and byeongjahoran (Chinese invasion of Korea in 1636) to the reign of the 25th king Cheoljong (1863), while the Edo period was limited to the period from the reign of the 1st shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu (1600) to the 15th shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu. According to an analysis of hairstyles and hair accessories during the late Joseon and Edo periods based on formality theory, oval-vertical and symmetric-asymmetric styles were found during the late Joseon era while triangular, oval, round and symmetric styles were observed during the Tokugawa period. In terms of texture, both rough and smooth textures were adopted during the late Joseon period while smooth texture only was expressed during the Edo period. From a color perspective, ‘natural black’ was observed in both countries. In terms of hair accessories, symmetric items were found during both the late Joseon and Edo periods. In terms of texture, hair accessories from the two countries showed different texture depending on material type. However, they were mostly smooth in the body with diverse textures in the ornamented parts such as jewels, intaglio and silver workmanship. Regarding the color of hair accessories, gold and silver were common with elaborate color in the ornamented part during the late Joseon period. During the Edo period, in contrast, a wide variety of colors including black, red, dark colors, metal and jewels were observed.