In the Joseon Dynasty, when people died, burial items were put in tombs along with their bodies in order to make the space after death. This is called myeong-gi, which are grave goods consist with everyday items, musical instruments, weapons, and wood...
In the Joseon Dynasty, when people died, burial items were put in tombs along with their bodies in order to make the space after death. This is called myeong-gi, which are grave goods consist with everyday items, musical instruments, weapons, and wooden dolls. 『Gukjang Dogam Uigwe』 is a document that records the procedure when a king or queen died. Armor and helmets were also included in the list of grave goods in the king"s tomb. Therefore I studied Uigwe, Annals and liturgy. The armor and helmet used as the royal tombs were made of paper, leather, wood, and silk knots. So it rotted in the ground and there are no relics left to this day.
In the early Joseon Dynasty, there was a system to bury armor and helmet in the king"s tomb. At first, only a list was written in Uigwe, but as the system was improved, materials and production methods were explained. In the late Joseon Dynasty, colored paintings, specifications, materials, and manufacturing methods were also recorded. In some cases, records had been copied from the previous one, so the actual situation was different.
There is also information on craftsmen who make armors in 『Gukjang Dogam Uigwe』. We can know the name, organization, and name of the craftsman who makes the armors.
The myeong-gi is the same shape as usual, but it was made small and coarsely to 1/5. The armor of 『Gukjang Dogam Uigwe of Jeongjo』 reflects the structure and characteristics of the armor at the time. On the other hand, if you look at the helmet doctrine, the basic structure is the same as that of the early Joseon Dynasty, but the details and proportions are exaggerated and distorted.