The danryeong – 단령 (pronounced “dallyeong” in modern Korean) was a round collared robe with rank badges on the front and back. It was worn primarily by male officials during the Joseon dynasty in Korea, but several women’s danryeong were also found. The women’s danryeong had several differences from the men’s danryeong that identify it as a separate garment from the men’s danryeong. They were found in tombs of women who were related to government officials and were worn for holidays, festivals, and ceremonies. There were made of various fabrics, including plain and patterned silks and cotton.
Rank badges, or hyungbae, were implemented in Joseon in 1454. The rank badge system was modeled after the system in China at the time, and the first rank badges used were imported from Ming China. Early Joseon rank badges were made by weaving gold threads or gilded strips of mulberry paper into the fabric to make the design. The designs were either separate pieces that were attached to the robe or woven directly into the fabric used to make the robes. Eventually, the artisans in Joseon were able to create their own.
I made my danryeong from cotton and designed my rank badge based on an extant peacock rank badge but replaced the peacocks with birds from two of my awards, Order of the Red Raven and Order of the Velvet Owl, to represent my “rank” in the SCA. I chose to use gold metallic acrylic fabric paint as a substitute for the gold woven fabric that would have been used since gold painting and gilding fabric were both techniques that were used. The danryeong also has inner false sleeves to cover the hands and a belt, which also has gold painted ends. I chose to include my laurels’ heraldry charges on the ends to indicate that the green belt was also my apprentice belt in the SCA.
I entered my danryeong into Kingdom A&S, August 2020 and received a score of 20.
Here is a link to my documentation: Documentation 30MB
…and here is a link to the photos: Photos 65MB (You may have to download this one because the preview will not fully load)