KOREAN HERITAGE

Weaving of Ramie Fabric as Global Intangible Heritage

Only the roots of the ramie plant survive the winter, but it regrows every spring. Heavily influenced by natural conditions such as soil quality, temperature, humidity, and precipitation, ramie cultivation is carried out in Japan, China, and Taiwan as well as in Korea. Garments made of ramie cloth are lightweight, cool, and provide excellent ventilation, and are therefore highly sought after for summer attire.

Intertwined with the natural climate and cultural features, ramie weaving takes on various forms depending on the region and helps to define the identity of its practitioners. Among others, community cultures associated with Hansan ramie and Ojiya-chijimi and Echigo-jofu were respectively entered on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2011 and 2009.

Korea’s Hansan Ramie

The Hansan area has long been renowned for its ramie cultivation and weaving. Historical records offer testimony to its traditional reputation for quality. According to them, Hansan was one of “the eight areas famous for ramie production,” or jeosan paleup, particularly during the 18th–19th centuries. The area is endowed with favorable weather conditions for ramie, characterized by hot summer temperatures and high humidity from sea winds.

In traditional Korean society, the production of fabric, including ramie weaving, was carried out as a family operation by women. It was a primary means for them to contribute to family economies and to form communities for labor-sharing and cooperation.

There is an old saying in Korea that captures the essence of the arduous processof ramie weaving: “It makes grooves in teeth.” This refers to a situation where someone does something over and over until becoming accustomed to the job. It is derived from the constant repetition of splitting fibers with the teeth to the desired thinness for ramie production. The ramie cloth produced as a result of this laborious process boasts considerable refinement and elegance. Hansan ramie of a particularly fine weave is often compared to the wings of a dragonfly.

Japan’s Ojiya-chijimi and Echigo-jofu

The tradition of producing Ojiya-chijimi and Echigo-jofu, the definitive ramie textiles of Japan, has been transmitted through the generations around the Uonuma region of Niigata Prefecture. Echigo, an old name for Niigata, has an age-old tradition of weaving highquality ramie cloth, or jofu, drawing on a climate defined by heavy snow and high humidity.

During the Edo period (1603–1867), a new technique was developed for weaving fine textures into the surface of ramie cloth. This crepe ramie, or chijimi, enhanced the charm of ramie clothes as summer garments by producing an additional cooling sensation. Weaving techniques continued to advance into the later Edo period, resulting in ramie fabrics woven with diverse decorative motifs and dyed in a variety of colors. Merchants from Edo, today’s Tokyo, flocked to Echigo for the trade in ramie textiles. Japan’s traditional ramie weaving is distinct from Korean practices in its addition of embellishing designs and bleaching by laying ramie cloth out in the snow. These time-honored characteristics of ramie weaving have been carefully maintained into the present.

Japanese dyeing tools for ramie fabrics (collection of the Suzuki Bokushi Memorial Hall)

Ramie Traditions of Korea and Japan on Display

A special exhibition is underway at the National Intangible Heritage Center spotlighting the ramie traditions of Korea and Japan as global intangible heritage for all humanity. The exhibition will continue until September 24 of this year.

This special exhibition presents the ramie traditions of the two neighboring countries under several themes: the Korean section includes the tradition of ramie in Korean clothing, Hansan ramie as a global intangible heritage, Hansan ramie and other ramie textiles, and ramie weaving in Korea. For Japan, it covers the history and culture of Japanese ramie and Ojiya-chijimi and Echigo-jofu as global intangible heritage

On display at the exhibition are various ramie garments from the past. These include a replica of the ramie coat with a gathered waist maintained at Haeinsa Temple, which is purported to date back to the Goryeo era(918–1392), and the ramie garment with pleats under the armpit excavated from the tomb of Yi Heum (1522–1562), a great-grandson of King Seongjong, the ninth ruler of Joseon(1392–1910). Also presented are ramie wrapping cloths used by the Joseon royal family, ramie patchwork, weaving tools, and depictions of late-Joseon weaving culturein genre paintings.

Regarding Japan’s ramie culture as defined by Ojiya-chijimi and Echigo-jofu, diverse weaving tools, a sample book showing ramie textiles traded by Edo merchants, ramie textiles and a ramie kimono, and a video clip on the production of chijimi are all on exhibit.

This special presentation of the ramie traditions of Korea and Japan is expected to provide visitors with a chance to better appreciate the meaning of the inscription of ramie weaving on a global heritage list, and also to gain a comprehensive understanding of ramie cloth as one of the most popular textiles in the history of clothing.