Korean embroidery

thumb|Detail of colourful Korean embroidery.

Korean embroidery techniques and artifacts have a long history, but there is the most evidence from the Joseon Dynasty, after the 14th century in Korea. This article talks about the history, styles, preservation, artists, and examples of screens, costumes, and domestic wares of this exacting and beautiful art form.

People used needles made out of bones of fish or animals to sew and weave animal skins and the bark or leaves of trees.

Chasu, the Korean word for embroidery, was a method of cultivating beauty in every corner of daily life. Pokshik chasu, kiyong chasu, kamsang chasu and Buddhist chasu are the four types of Chasu.

Pokshik chasu is the embroidery on clothes.
Kiyong chasu is the embroidery decorated on various materials used in the king’s palace.
Kamsang chasu represented a type of artistic piece.
Buddhist chasu came from Buddhism. Buddhist chasu was used in the statues of Buddha or various temples. Chasu has begun from the prehistoric era when the humans first started to make clothes.

History

Traditional embroidery of Korea has a long history and has expressed the aesthetic qualities of Korea according to the changes of the times. The embroidery has been cultivating beauty with delicate skill in everyday life through the stiffness of needle, sweat and stitches along with weaving and sewing, and also the national emotions have blossomed in.

Traditional embroidery of Korea used silk cloth and thread mainly before the Three Kingdoms of Korea and had a special gloss and texture. As a result, the aesthetic effect of embroidery was expressed as beautifully as possible. This silk embroidery was first introduced in Persia, became popular in Iran, and was known to have been brought to Korea through India and China.

Prehistory

In the Bronze Age, there are ferrules made of soil or stone, large and small crocodiles, stone needles, and needle houses. It can be inferred that weaving and sewing were already done at the time when such spinning tools and sewing tools were unearthed.

Following the Bronze Age, iron farming came into being in the Iron Age, and agriculture was remarkably developed. Textile cultivation technology developed and textile production increased. In the case of "Three Kingdoms" and "Huh Hanbook", it is said that this time, it was cultivated horse and mulberry trees and raised that silkworm cocoons, including cotton seeds, mapo, and coops.

The development of these fabrics is a basic requirement for embroidery development. In the granting of the transfer of the "Three Kingdoms", "the grantor wears clothes made of silver, gold, silver, and silver when he goes abroad", and the number is recorded as silver silk embroidered with gold and silver.

The embroidery is presumed to have been embroidered on clothes, flags and wagons with signs indicating the rank and class of the ruling class at that time, although the facts of this age are not conveyed to today because of the nature of the materials which are easily damaged . Literary records of the embroidery before the Three Kingdoms period are only fragmentary about the embroidery and the fabric used in the Goryeo, Goguryeo, Mahan, Jinhwan, Changjin, and Yeon before the Three Kingdoms period.

Goryeo Dynasty

In the Goryeo era, the embroidery has evolved more and more. The country established a bureaucratic office and a manual book to produce various cloths and handicrafts. It seems that not only the items shown in the literature have been diversified compared to the previous era, but also the production technology has developed considerably. According to the "Goryo Dogyung", the guards who escorted the king usually wore silk bouquets embroidered with five-color flowers or birds, and decorated with white flowers in their waistbands. As the embroidery is decorated up to military uniforms, it seems that the embroidery decoration was also performed in the costumes of the noble and common people.

Modern

Craftsman with professional handicraft technique embroidering succeeds embroidery culture. They hold an exhibition in South Korea and abroad.

Components and Features

Material

The base cloth of embroidery was white or blue silk colored silk, and wool was rarely used. And the investigation was mainly used by the half - puns and the twins.

In the mid Joseon Dynasty, the lacquered sagas became thinner and the thick braided saga after the late Joseon Dynasty was the basic material of traditional embroidery. Braided yarn has strength and elasticity and can be easily remained or undamaged.

Also, it is suitable for regular fine embroidery, and the twisted yarn is strong, so that the gloss of the yarn is not exposed. There are differences in the effect of expression depending on the number of twisted lines and the direction of the beam (left or right), but in any case, the surface of the braided yarn of constant thickness by a constant light becomes flat without any bending. On the other hand, it is difficult to carry regular or detailed description of the hempen yarn because it is thick and coarse and it can not keep the stool short. Women of the upper and common class wore them, especially on their wedding day, because they were associated with special and formal occasions. Suhye were made by layering hemp onto a shoe form covered with blue and red silk fabrics. Once sewn in place, brilliant silk threads were embroidered into elegant designs in shapes of chrysanthemum, bamboo, pine trees, and arabesque motifs. The beautiful flower shoes thus became an essential accessory of stylish women of Korean society. They were even commonly custom-ordered for the most exquisite embroidery. Women wore these to be visible under long skirts, as an expression of charm and stylishness with every step.

Clothing and household items were commonly colorfully embroidered with symbolic motifs throughout East Asia. During the Joseon Dynasty, court officials wore spectacularly embroidered hyungbae (Korean insignia badge) on the chest and back. Different bird and animal motifs were embroidered, indicating the wearer’s position or rank in the court. The double-crane rank badge, for example, indicated first- to third-rank civil officials from the 18th to 20th centuries. Single leopard patterns indicated military officials of fourth- to ninth-rank in the 19th century. Double leopards represented the top three ranks. These were embroidered with tightly twisted silk threads. In Korea, tigers and leopards were commonly used as a symbol of protection from evil.

Other exquisitely embroidered pieces also include the Bojagi (Korean wrapping cloth). A completed bojagi could indicate the socioeconomic status of its maker. Bojagi however, is utilitarian at heart. It is an age-old Korean craft meant to be accessible to everyone. Throughout Korean history, overt emotional expression has been mostly frowned upon, and therefore abundantly expressed instead through artistic characteristics of the Korean culture. Women of the Joseon Dynasty were not to be seen outside of their homes during the day until the evening bells rang and men returned home. Many women, then, found satisfaction through stitching colorful and rich designs on fabric within their homes. Wide ranges of intense to gentle color combinations told the stories of families and history as well as philosophy influenced by yin and yang, Feng Shui, and the five elements said to make up the universe.

Embroidery Styles and Technique

Gu style

Pioneered by the Gu school in China, this style was quickly adopted by Koreans and neighboring East Asian countries. Also known as a style of embroidery painting, it was famed for its delicate and precise stitchery which sought to achieve the highest degree of realism.

Jangsik su—decorative stitch

Jari su—mat stitch

Jaryun su—long and short stitch

Jick su—straight satin stitch

Jinggum su—couching stitch

Karyum su—leaf stitch

Maedup su—seed stitch

Pyung su—covering satin stitch

Sasul su—chain stitch

Socksim su—padding stitch

Yieum su—outline stitch