Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 335

335. Fashion Revolution (3)

From a certain point onward, high-heeled shoes began to gain popularity in Joseon.

Initially, boot-style shoes were the trend, but before long, loafer-style shoes also started to appear.

The people of Joseon, who had more leisure time after the Gyeongjang [economic reforms], began to pay more attention to their appearance.

In addition, the mindset of the court officials who governed Joseon, starting with Sejong, became quite flexible.

No, it wasn’t just that their mindset became more flexible.

Through the purge just before the Gyeongjang, the veteran officials whom even the king had to be mindful of were swept away. Furthermore, the number of fussy Sadaebu [scholar-officials] decreased significantly due to the Giyu Rebellion [a political purge], reducing the need for caution.

-The national doctrine of Joseon is Neo-Confucianism.

-According to the teachings of Neo-Confucianism, extravagance is a shortcut to the ruin of the nation and must be eradicated.

-However, Sadaebu must have the proper attire befitting their status, so a certain level of expenditure is unavoidable.

With those who held such a ‘double standard’ being expelled from the ruling class, Sejong and his ministers were able to respond to changes more flexibly.

* * *

As these ‘height-increasing shoes’ became popular, changes also began to occur in men’s clothing.

The start was, of course, the military.

Because the response was positive, the new military uniform proposed by Hyang began to be distributed to the entire army.

Accustomed to the new uniforms and boots, the soldiers and officers soon began to modify their uniforms.

“Hey, who’s the best at sewing in the village?”

“Sewing? Did something tear? If it’s that, I can do it…”

Chunsim, who had been answering Il-sik’s question with an indifferent face, soon glared at Il-sik with a fierce look.

“What? Are you saying I can’t sew? Is that what you’re saying? This guy, really…”

“That’s not it…”

Il-sik desperately tried to explain, but it was too late.

That day, Il-sik and Chunsim had a huge marital fight.

The soldiers who received the uniforms entrusted the uniform pants to their wives or to a household known for its good sewing skills to have them altered.

The altered uniform pants had a significantly reduced width.

Even the military uniform newly designed by Hyang had a much narrower width compared to the existing Hanbok [traditional Korean clothing] pants, but the pants that were altered again had an even narrower width.

The combination of tightly fitted pants and military boots showed off a sleek leg line.

The soldiers’ fashion sense didn’t end there.

Unless they were worn out and needed to be replaced, boots had to be purchased with money at the military-only commissary of each regiment and garrison—similar to a PX or veterans’ store in the 21st century.

At that commissary, soldiers bought extra military boots, and the bizarre phenomenon of cavalry boots selling like crazy occurred.

Officers and soldiers of non-cavalry branches wore the designated boots for training and duty, but when they went out on leave or on errands, they always wore pants with reduced width and cavalry boots.

The same was true for the navy.

This phenomenon was immediately written into a report and sent upwards.

“To recklessly alter the clothes His Majesty has bestowed, and to wear boots other than the designated ones… Shouldn’t they be punished?”

When senior commanders who read the report insisted on punishment, Hyang opposed it.

“No. You need to check the wording properly. It’s not a bestowed item, but a state-supplied item. It’s not a bestowed item. And, they’re just reducing the width of the pants and wearing different military boots. It’s the same as swordsmen maintaining their greatswords and riflemen maintaining their rifles.”

“…I understand.”

Having experienced it once before, Hyang created an item called ‘state-supplied item’ and included military uniforms and boots in that category.

By making them ‘supplies’ rather than ‘bestowed items,’ he prevented the same thing from happening again.

And, as time passed, a funny thing happened.

The senior commanders of the Ministry of National Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff also began to wear pants with reduced width and cavalry boots.

* * *

A new style of clothing that imitated the fashionably dressed soldiers began to become popular among civilians.

Those who did not have enough economic means and whose work clothes were also their going-out clothes wore baggy pants and jackets as before.

However, men from families who could afford to have separate going-out clothes wore jackets and overcoats that accentuated the shoulder and waist lines, pants with reduced width, and high-heeled shoes, strolling through the streets.

Unusually, this trend did not start in Hanseong [the capital, modern-day Seoul] but was occurring almost simultaneously throughout the country. However, Hanseong was the most radical.

An overcoat with a tailored fit, high-heeled shoes, and a black hat made of horsehair, which had been popular since the mid-reign of Taejong.

With tinted glasses on his eyes and a folding fan in his hand, Hyang muttered to himself as he watched a young Sadaebu, dressed to the nines, walking leisurely and offering greetings.

“Hipster in Hanseong, huh?”

Smiling slightly at the sight, Hyang continued.

“If trench coats come out in the winter, it’ll be another upheaval.”

Imagining various future fashion changes, Hyang arrived at Area 51 and muttered to himself as he looked at the pants of the soldiers who were going out and offering greetings.

“Let’s not go as far as jjotkini [skinny jeans] or kkotuktwi [tight leather pants]…”

Although Hyang was carrying out a clothing revolution through such bold attempts, he was not making progress easily in one area.

The wall that blocked Hyang’s path was the ‘topknot.’

* * *

“We have to get rid of the topknot, even for hygiene.”

If the ‘Hair Cutting Edict’ implemented by Gojong in the history before Hyang’s intervention was a symbol of Westernization and modernization, Hyang’s purpose was hygiene.

“Hygiene is one thing, but it’s so annoying!”

Hyang, with a 21st-century mindset and hygiene habits ingrained in his body, often took baths and washed his hair.

Of course, the court ladies would stick to him and help him every time, but the long, flowing hair was always uncomfortable.

Therefore, Hyang began to prepare thoroughly.

“Bring me the statistics on various epidemics that have occurred in the royal clinic.”

“Yes? All of them?”

“All of them.”

“…Yes, Your Highness.”

The eunuch who received Hyang’s order returned to the East Palace with a cart full of statistical data from the royal clinic.

A few days later, Hyang ordered the eunuch again.

“This is a little lacking. Go to the Ministry of Finance and bring me the statistics on epidemics, all of them.”

“…Yes.”

Hyang carried out all the processes of organizing and analyzing the data alone.

“It would be easier to entrust it to someone else, but this is something that is sure to face strong opposition from within. If I’m not careful, it could be blocked before it even starts.”

Worrying about the possibility, Hyang proceeded with everything alone for the first time in a long time.

However, rumors spread quickly through the eunuchs and researchers at the research institute.

-The Crown Prince is doing something with the statistics on epidemics!

-He’s not entrusting the work to anyone and is proceeding alone!

Everyone in the government was on edge, listening to the rumors coming from the East Palace and the research institute.

None of the tasks that Hyang had taken on so far had been light. However, the impact of the tasks that Hyang had carried out alone had been enormous.

The cowpox vaccination, which started with a self-harm incident and led to the expulsion of veteran officials, including Ryu Jeong-hyeon.

The policy announcement that upset the balance between Sejong and the veteran officials.

The tax reform that pressured the Sadaebu in the provinces and eventually led to a rebellion, etc.

The ministers, who were well aware of the enormous ripple effects brought about by the tasks that only Hyang had carried out, looked at the East Palace with tense faces.

Sejong was just as nervous.

“You’re not even telling your father what you’re doing now?”

“I’m sorry, Father. Please wait a little longer.”

“I trust you, but I’m worried.”

“…I’m sorry.”

Sejong’s face hardened at Hyang’s answer.

“Judging by the fact that you keep saying you’re sorry, it seems like it’s not a trivial matter. I understand. I’ll wait for now.”

“Thank you.”

* * *

Ten days later, Hyang began his presentation in a place where Sejong and all the ministers were gathered.

Hyang, after hanging the chart that the eunuch had brought on the rack, bowed to Sejong and then lightly nodded to the ministers.

“For the past half-month, I have been analyzing based on the statistics from the royal clinic and the Ministry of Finance. So, to start with the conclusion…”

Hyang paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and continued.

“I petition for the implementation of a Hair Cutting Edict for the men of our Joseon.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Hyang turned the cover of the chart back. On the newly revealed paper, the words ‘Hair Cutting Edict (斷髮令)’ were written in large letters.

“Hair Cutting Edict?”

Sejong and the ministers pondered the meaning as they looked at the Chinese characters of the Hair Cutting Edict written on the first page of the chart.

The first to speak was Sejong.

“If it’s a Hair Cutting Edict for the men of Joseon… Does that mean getting rid of the topknot?”

“Yes.”

“Absolutely not!”

“That’s right, absolutely not.”

At Hyang’s words, the ministers all shouted their disapproval.

Lee Jik stepped forward as the representative of those ministers.

“The topknot has been worn since the ancient Gojoseon [ancient Korean kingdom]. The topknot is not just about tying up the hair, but it is to widely announce that one has become an adult, and to eliminate this is to eliminate a deep-rooted tradition that has been passed down for thousands of years, so it is absolutely impossible.”

The ministers nodded at Lee Jik’s words.

Hyang immediately responded to Lee Jik’s words.

“How could I not know the weight of that venerable tradition? However, the benefits of changing that tradition are greater than what we gain by keeping it.”

Hyang turned the paper with the pointer and continued his explanation.

“The table and graph you see now record the number of occurrences and the number of infected people of epidemics that occurred throughout Joseon from the first year of Your Majesty’s reign to last year. As you can see, it is gradually decreasing.”

“It’s all thanks to His Majesty’s deep virtue.”

“Of course, of course.”

Hyang nodded at the ministers’ answers.

“That’s right. Because Your Majesty is virtuous, the people have followed the royal orders well. As you can see, the number of outbreaks and the number of infected people have decreased a lot as water management has been thorough and hygiene management, including bathing, has been thoroughly implemented. However, a considerable number of epidemics are still occurring.”

“Well, shouldn’t that be seen as an unavoidable force majeure [an overwhelming, uncontrollable event]?”

Hyang shook his head at Lee Jik’s point.

“No. In this analysis process, I looked into the people living in Hanseong. Many people bathed more often than before, but not their hair. The reason was that it was a hassle to untie and retie the topknot.”

“It seems forced to say that the topknot is the source of the epidemic?”

“No. I also asked those who came from the West, and they said that in the case of the terrible Black Death, fleas that parasitized rats spread to humans. Sir, where on the human body are lice and fleas most prevalent?”

“The head…”

“That’s right! The head! The way to get rid of head lice and fleas is cleanliness, and the easiest way to maintain cleanliness is to wash your hair often. But if you can’t wash your hair because the topknot is in the way, shouldn’t you get rid of the topknot?”

Sejong interjected at Hyang’s words.

“Then wouldn’t it be better to order them to wash their hair more often?”

“If it was something that could be done with an order, they would have washed it often already. And, we can’t deploy people to monitor whether the people are washing their hair properly, can we?”

The debate continued for a long time after that, but Sejong and the ministers still did not change their minds.

Sejong and the ministers’ arguments were as follows:

-It is a tradition that has been passed down for thousands of years. No matter how much it is a matter of hygiene, the people will strongly resist.

-The people think that those without topknots are ruthless people like bandits. They will never accept the Hair Cutting Edict.

In the end, after a fierce debate, Sejong concluded as follows.

“The topknot is a tradition that has been passed down for thousands of years, so it cannot be easily eliminated. However, the issue of hygiene is certain, so I recommend that you wash your hair more often.”

“I obey the order.”

‘If only it were the age of imperialism, there would be more justification to use. I could have insisted that all the successful countries had cut their hair, but I can’t do that now… What a pity! Tsk!’

Hyang smacked his lips and acquiesced.