조선의 冕服: 정치와 외교의 修辭

Abstract

Myeonbok refers to the clothing worn by those donning a myeongwan (冕冠). Since ancient times, it has been classified as the greatest and most significant ceremonial attire. In particular, myeonbok was ranked at the top of the royal uniforms of the Joseon Dynasty, which led to various discussions surrounding this type of clothing. The previous studies were was premised on the fact myeonbok was the attire of kings. However it was not until the early Joseon Dynasty that myeonbok was identified as the clothing worn by kings. It was King Taejo who enacted the myeonbok system, in which the number of beads used for the myeongwan and the number of patterns on the robe were different according to the ranks of government official. This was a Joseon-style myeonbok system that was created to reflect the example of the Ming Empire without undermining the status of the attire to be worn in the grand rituals of Royal Ancestral Shrine, which served as the foundation of the new dynasty. The process of requesting and receiving myeonbok from the Ming emperor twice during King Taejong’s reign played a decisive role in raising the status of myeonbok. While the Taejong regime acquired political legitimacy both internally and externally, it also swiftly responded to the imperial power replaced by the Jingnan Campaign, using myeonbok as a means of establishing a trusting relationship with others. Later, this process of conferring myeonbok led to the tradition in which myeonbok was awarded with certification documents at official appointment ceremonies in the Joseon and Ming. The final status of myeonbok was established through the process of requesting and receiving the crown prince's myeonbok from the Ming Empire during the rule of King Sejong. Through a series of processes related to the introduction of the myeonbok system in the early Joseon Dynasty, myeonbok became the exclusive property of the king and crown prince. It was at that point that myeonbok began to serve as political and diplomatic rhetoric symbolizing the status of the throne.