The System of Mourning喪服 in the National Ritual-books典禮書 of the Joseon Dynasty

This study examines the evolution and form of the mourning clothes system for men and women, as articulated in the “Gugjoolyeui (國朝五禮儀)” etc, the book on the national rituals of Joseon. The Joseon royal family, in contrast to China, pursued a three-year mourning period and established a mourning attire system akin to that of ordinary households. While Chinese national ritual texts vaguely address mourning rites due to the perception of codifying such rites as disloyalty, the Joseon royal family established a mourning attire system grounded in “Galye” (家禮; Family Rituals). The design and diagrams of men's mourning clothes largely adhere to “Galye.” However, in instances where the primary and supplementary annotations of “Galye” diverge, the practice tends to follow the supplementary annotations. The diagrams also draw from “Galyedo” (家禮圖; Illustrations of Family Rituals), but distinctive characteristics of Joseon are discernible. Women's mourning attire was later enhanced with its forms and diagrams, again using “Galye” as the benchmark. Subsequent national ritual texts were augmented with contents from Chinese ritual books such as “Lyegijibseol” (禮記集說; Collected Explanations of the Book of Rites) and “Galyeuijeol” (家禮儀節; Ritual Sections of Family Rituals), as well as Kim Jangsaeng's “Galyejiblam” (家禮輯覽; Collected Views on Family Rituals), “Sanglyebiyo” (喪禮備要; Essentials of Mourning Rites), and “Uilyemunhae” (疑禮問解; Questions and Answers on Doubtful Rituals). Therefore, mourning attire, being identical in system and form for both the royal family and ordinary households, was used as the only ceremonial dress that transcended class distinctions in Joseon.