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Goguryeo in Korean History
Life Style of Goguryeo
Fashion
Goguryeo firmly established as a supreme kingdom and frequently
clashed with China, while successfully containing its southern
rivals such as Shilla and Baekje. Goguryeo covered large part of
present-day Manchuria. The country was not only the most
powerful kingdom in Three Kingdom Period but also the most
powerful in Northeast Asia in the 5th century. When King Gwanggaeto the Great (375-413) was on the throne, Goguryeo
covered the largest territory in the entire history of Korea. To
protect vast territory from foreign invasion, Goguryeo had to
fight wars constantly. So Goguryeo men prefered comfortable and
practical garments instead of colorful and splendid ones. Unlike
Chinese men who wore skirts, Goguryeo men wore comfortable
jackets and trousers because there were possiblity of war in
every day life. Also Goguryeo men closed the front of a jacket
to the left and tied the waist instead of buttons. This style
was intended to increase the efficiency and convenience when
shooting arrows. On the other hand, Goguryeo women wore a
variety of skirts such as pleated, rainbow-striped or polka-dot
skirts. Most Goguryeo men wore a topknot. Women changed their
hairstyles depending on trend. Sometimes they used wigs. When
advanced dying technology was introduced, colorful clothes
flourished in marketplace for a while.
Housing
Goguryeo covered large part of present day Manchuria. Winter weather in Manchuria was very harsh and hard to idea of ‘Ondol heating system’ while using excess heat from stoves to warm houses. ‘Ondol’, meaning warm stone, is an under-floor heating system that heats underneath the floor of the room with warm air. The Korean heating system is different from that of the west, which usually heats up a room by air circulation or with a convective heating system. Ondol system’ brought ‘sitting culture’ to Korea. Also, Korean traditional cloth called ‘Hanbok’ was influenced by this system, too. Hanbok trousers are loose and have enough room for people to easily bend their knees and sit for long periods of time on the floor. Traditional shoes were also made to be easy to take off compared to western shoes. ‘Ondol system’ was widely used in palaces, temples and military posts, as well as houses of ordinary citizens.
Food
Goguryeo people had diverse diets. They also had beans and
millet as staple grains for regional traits while barley, wheat
and Indian millet served as a subsidiary diet. Toward the latter
period of the kingdom, upper classes consumed rice. In the early
period, they ate hot gruel by grinding up grains and boiling
them with water in earthenware. Soon they switched to grains
steamed in an earthenware steamer, and then they learned to boil
rice in a cauldron. Goguryeo was rich in beans. People developed
various sauces using beans such as soybean paste and soy sauce.
It is recorded in old books that rich in Goguryeo enjoyed 'Maeg-jeok',
roasted meat with seasoning, in the feast. This is the
predecessor of today's 'Bulgogi', one of the representative food
in Korea. They also had cabbage, lettuce and radish preserved
with salt. Later people add red peppers to the dish, and this is
the origin of Korea's world-wide known dish "Kimchi", fermented
vegetable dish.
(Left) Korean representative food, Kimchi
(Right) Korean representative food, Bulgogi
▲ Tomb mural that shows the ordinary daily life of Goguryeo Villagers