Pictorial Korea

  Ancient Koreans, traditionally referred to as "the white-clad people" because of their predilection for white clothing, made garments out of fabrics in their natural colors, whether muslin or silk. They used to soak fabrics overnight in ash water, a mixture of water and ashes of burnt tree bark or bean chaff, rinse them in clear water and dry them in the sun. Cloth treated to the same process repeatedly became increasingly white and glossy. The process is called majon in Korean, a term referring to bringing out a fabric's inherent characteristics before dyeing it with natural pigments.

  Koreans used safflower to dye cloth red. They picked the flowers in June and ground them up to obtain an extract to use as dye. Deeply dyed fabrics turn crimson and lightly dyed ones turn pink. Safflower was used mainly to dye silk. The roots of other plants were also used for dyeing: the roots of cucumbers, purple; the seeds of gardenia, yellow; and unripe persimmons, brown. Roots with dark juice were used to dye fabrics dark brown and the juice from tea leaves were used to achieve a light green.

  Indigo blue was one of the most treasured colors. Tchok, or indigo, an annual, have purple stems and thin, long green leaves. Indigo is planted in spring and the leaves are gathered during July and August before its red flowers blossom.

  Indigo dyeing is a process involving mysterious changes. It begins with harvesting the leaves in the early morning when they are fresh and wet with dew. After removing the stems, the leaves are stored in an earthenware jar filled with clear water and pressed down with stones. After two or three days, the leaves turn light brown and the water green. At this time, a powder made by pulverizing roasted clam or oyster shells is stirred into the jar. With continuous stirring, the water gradually changes from jade green to a dark green to dark blue. In the process, froth rises like a cloud and it and the water change color. During the final stage when the water is dark blue, the froth turns a rich eggplant purple. The solution is left for a day and the clear water on top is drained away to leave only a green residue.

  The green residue is diluted with wood-ash water and stirred well again, which turns the solution a rich green color. After anywhere from ten days to three months, froth forms on the surface and a light blue-violet pigment rises to the surface. When the pigment thickens, the indigo dye is ready.

  The indigo pigment thus painstakingly obtained is used to dye ramie, linen, hemp and silk. The color density changes depending on how many times a fabric is dyed: jade green if dyed once; blue if twice; and darker blue after more dipping in the dye. Indigo blue is obtained after about 20 dippings.

  Fabrics dyed with indigo blue are not only beautiful, but also their color rarely fades, even after repeated washings, and continue to retain their profoundly mysterious and lovely color. Moreover, indigo plants contain an ingredient that repels moths as well as an ingredient that acts as a preservative so that fabrics dyed with indigo never rot or become worm-eaten and thus last a long time.

  Naturally dyed fabrics, somewhat akin to pastel colors yet leaving a limpid and refreshing impression, are not a strain to admire. Neither do they seem frivolous. They exude a stable and comfortable feeling that lingers for a long time. It is the comfort that comes from nature. A person dressed in a hanbok of a naturally dyed fabric looks extremely captivating. In summer, the sight of a hanbok skirt and short jacket dyed in indigo makes even the viewer feel refreshingly cool.