Insignia Badge Featuring a Pair of Cranes

Hyungbae were attached on the chest and back of the working attire of officials to indicate the wearer’s rank. In the Joseon dynasty, they began to be used in 1454, the second year of King Danjong’s reign. Regarding patterns, winged animals were used for civil officials and land animals for military officers, following the conventions of China’s Ming Dynasty. The design underwent a few revisions and finally became standardized during the reign of King Gojong, when civil officials started to use twin cranes or a single crane and military officers used twin tigers or a single tiger.