inscrutable are the king's favors @sageukfilms - Tumblr Blog

“A young ‘kisaeng’ (singing girl) in full Korean traditional dress. She has a typical married women’s hair style (jjok), which is called chignon with a hairpin (the 'pinyo’). Korean 'kisaeng’, or singing girls, dressed up for singing and dancing. A 'Kisaeng’s’ social position was among the lowest in the traditional Korean class system. Their daughters also became 'kisaeng’ and their sons became slaves. The art of entertaining of the 'kisaeng’ is analogous to the Japanese geisha. These professional entertainers were highly trained in the arts of poetry, music, dance, and other forms of social or artistic diversion. eIn the early 1900s, 'kisaeng’ did their hair up in a 'chignon’ and wear shorter jackets (about 7-8 inches) than ordinary women - The skirts were cut with a full slit at the back and were fixed to the right side, while upper class women’s skirt were fixed to the left.e Source: Kwon, O-chang. Inmurhwaro ponun Choson sidae uri ot, 1998, p. 140.”

(via Picture of the Day: Korean Gisaeng In 1904 | ROK Drop)

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escapetojoseon

I wasn’t familiar with the name Ahn Chang-ho but it was pretty obvious by the way they had him introduce himself that he was a real life historical figure. So I looked him up and while he didn’t spend time in New York or attend Columbia University he was amazing.

From his wiki page: Ahn Chang-ho was a Korean independence activist and one of the early leaders of the Korean-American immigrant community in the United States. He is sometimes referred to by his pen name “Dosan”.

When he returned to Korea from the U.S. in 1907, he established the New Korea Society, the most important organization in the fight against the Japanese occupation of Korea. He also established the Young Korean Academy in San Francisco in 1913 and was a key member in the founding of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea in Shanghai in 1919.

Ahn is also one of two men believed to have written the lyrics of the Aegukga, the South Korean national anthem. He had seven children, including U.S. Navy officer Susan Ahn Cuddy.

Susan Ahn Cuddy was the first female gunnery officer in the United States Navy. She was also the first Asian-American woman to join the Navy in 1942, where she served until 1946.

She felt joining the Navy was a way she could help free Korea from Japanese occupation and was eager to join the Navy to fight the Japanese. She worked her way up in the Navy, becoming a Navy LINK instructor in 1943, teaching aviators how to maneuver in a simulator cockpit, and later becoming the first female aerial gunnery officer in the Navy. In other words, she trained fighter pilots how to shoot down enemy aircraft. She eventually became a Lieutenant and went on to work for US Navy Intelligence, the Library of Congress, and the NSA.

In April 1947 she married Chief Petty Officer Francis “Frank” Cuddy, an Irish-American. They defied laws criminalizing interracial relations and wed at the only place that would marry them: a Navy chapel in Washington, D.C. Francis also worked for Navy Intelligence and the NSA. He was a code-breaker and helped the United States free Korea.

During the Cold War, Susan Ahn Cuddy was in charge of a think tank of over 300 agents working in the Russia section. She worked on many top secret projects for the Department of Defense and other agencies during her service with the US government until 1959.

In 2003, the State Assembly of California of District 28 named Cuddy the Woman of the Year in honor of her commitment to public service. On October 5, 2006 she received the American Courage Award from the Asian American Justice Center in Washington D.C.

#Mr. Sunshine #1800s #1900s

lovesouthkorea

Hwang Jin-i (Hangul: 황진이; c. 1506 – c. 1560), also known by her gisaeng name Myeongwol (literally “bright moon”, 명월), was one of the most famous gisaeng of the Joseon Dynasty. She lived during the reign of King Jungjong. She was noted for her exceptional beauty, charming quick wit, extraordinary intellect, and her assertive and independent nature. Hwang was highly skilled in the arts of conversation, dance, song and poetry. Defying the accepted social conventions surrounding the lower-class kisaeng, she associated freely with scholars, artists and aristocrats. Few facts are actually known of her life, but anecdotes and legends abound concerning her early life, her reason for becoming a kisaeng, and her relationships with various men in the upper reaches of society and government.

Though Hwang’s literary reputation today is based almost solely on six sijo—chiefly concerning love—that have come down to us, she is still highly respected, and her poems continue to be among the most popular classical favorites. Hwang’s sijo often describe the beauty and sites of Gaeseong (such as the palace of Manwoldae and the Pakyon Falls), the personal tragedy of her lost loves and responses to famous classic Chinese poems and literature (the majority of them reflecting on lost love). It’s noteworthy that she was tutored by the great scholar So Kyongdok and produced poetry in both her native Korean script (Hanguel) and in Hanmun (Chinese).

In the late 20th century, Hwang Jin-i’s story began to attract attention from both sides of the Korean divide and feature in a variety of novels, operas, films and television series. Novelizations of her life include a 2002 treatment by North Korean writer Hong Sok-chung (which became the first North Korean novel to win an award in the South) and a 2004 bestseller by South Korean writer Jeon Gyeong-rin. In late 2006, KBS released a TV series entitled Hwang Jin-i starring Ha Ji-won in the title role. A film starring Song Hye Kyo was released on June 6, 2007.

Oh that I might capture the essence of this deep midwinter night And fold it softly into the waft of a spring-moon quilt, Then fondly uncoil it the night my beloved returns.

Background: Hwang Chin'i’s pen name was Myongwol, meaning Bright (or Full) Moon. Hwang’s reference to a spring moon is most likely a reference to herself.

Oh, what have I done, I should have known what he meant to me. If I had asked him to stay, I know he would never have gone. Stubborn, I sent him away, so now I must pay the penalty.

Background: This verse is sometimes attributed to King Songjong (r. 1470-1494). in which case it might be an expression of regret over the dismissal of one of his ministers.

#hwang jini #joseon

fyeahyooyeonseok

Dong Mae was born into the Baekjeong (butchers) caste, where they were treated even worse than animals.

[Read a bit more on Baekjeong and the discrimination they faced here]

#Joseon #baekjong

tanghanwa

Kisaeng: Korea's Courtesan-Entertainers

Seeing as there is very little readily available information regarding kisaeng, often referred to as Korean “geiko,” I decided to compile all I have found here. Enjoy and use responsibly!

In historic Korean society (yangban society), they were considered to be members of the lowest social class (cheonmin) and were treated as government property. Kisaeng were trained by the government in the fine arts, singing, dancing, needlework, medicine, and poetry to perform at national/ provincial government feasts as well as private middle-class celebrations. By the Joseon period, a strict hierarchy of kisaeng was already established, dictating the quality of a particular kisaeng’s talent, knowledge, beauty and artistic repertoire.

Girls as young as 8 either inherited the profession (due to their kisaengmother’s hereditary cheonmin status) or were sold into it from all social levels. At this time their name would be entered on the gijeok, or local kisaeng registry, and they would begin their government regulated training at the local school and administrative center known as the gyobang. The only way a kisaeng could have her name removed the gijeok was to retire, be bought out of servitude or die.

All the village kisaeng would answer to the hojang, a low level government official solely responsible for maintaining a current gijeok and preventing any of the women from running away. He would conduct inspections twice a month and set the training regimens of the gyobang to reflect regional traditions and claims to fame.

The doogi, or apprentice kisaeng, would begin a three year training period, the content of which would be determined by the location of her gyobang. She would eventually be classified as one of three types of kisaeng. Government kisaeng, known as kwan-gi kisaeng, were the highest class of kisaeng and, upon completing their apprenticeship, would entertain directly in the royal palace in Seoul.

Provincial kisaeng, called hyang-gi or haengsu kisaeng, were highly skilled kisaeng who were retained by the local governments to perform for visiting officials and local bureaucrats. As the nickname seonsang (“preferred choice”) implies, these kisaeng were able to pick and choose their clients and were responsible for training the doogi of their local gyobang.

If the doogi proved to have too few charms, she could expect to be a lowly third rank kisaeng known as samsu kisaeng. These women had mediocre artistic training and abilities, mostly entertained at private middle-class (chungin) parties and were often hired for their sexual (rather than artistic) talents.

With their official careers starting around 12-13, it’s no surprise that most kisaeng careers peaked circa 16-17 years of age and were usually considered over by age 22. As a kwan-gi or hyang-gi kisaeng, they would be forced to retire from performing at age 30. At which point, they would focus on the handicraft or medicinal aspects of their training. No such expectation was made of samsu kisaeng however.

By age 50, all kisaeng, regardless of rank, were forced to retire from the profession entirely and find work elsewhere. Many kisaeng went into business as inn or tavern managers. A very few lucky kisaeng could suceed to become the concubine of a government official, who would pay the exorbitant price to have her name removed from the gijeok.

Sources:

1. Kisaeng - Wikipedia; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kisaeng

#kisaeng

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historical context pt 2: on yi bang won’s brothers (and sisters), seon-ho and his father, women’s rights in joseon vs goryeo

a bit more focus on yi bang won’s family this time, since he’s always fascinated me as a real historical figure. he did a lot of good, but he committed a lot of terrible things in order to achieve the good and he’s always been a pretty polarizing figure to Korean historians. (the majority of them like him because he’s the father of Kim Sejong aka the King who invented the Hangul/Korean alphabet while the others are like ‘damn why this dude so murderous’)

#my country: the new age #my country the new age #my country #나의 나라 #yi bang won #jang hyuk #woo do hwan

some historical context for my country -- specifically for seon-ho

for anyone interested, i’d like to bring up some historical bullet points for the history/culture of the time my country takes place, specifically in regards to seon-ho. most of this information is from @bodashiri ‘s wonderfully in-depth historical bg posts for the drama six flying dragons over HERE (six flying dragons took place around the same time period as my country: the new age). also some spoilers for ep 13/14