Wide Belt

This is a waistband worn with ceremonial dress such as an official’s uniform, the white outer robe worn by Confucian literati, or women’s ceremonial robes. It is given its name because it is wider and longer than ordinary belts. A band called shin is used to tie a knob for the belt, the rest of which would hang down as decoration. The knob of the wide belt was occasionally tied up with a braided band. The material, color, and production method of a wide belt differed depending on the dress with which the belt was worn. The wide belt for the king’s royal robe, ceremonial robes, and official robes for courtiers varied in the color of the braided band and fabric, and the length of the shin, depending on the wearer’s rank. The king’s wide belt was white on the outside and red on the inside, while the upper part was skirted with a red line and the lower part with a green line, and the braided band was blue. The queen’s wide belt was red on the outside and white on the inside.