I. Introduction

A person's countenance refers to his or her general physical features. However, when we gaze at someone, our gaze concentrates on his or her face and head. Beauty in its narrow sense largely accounts for the beauty of the head. It was courteous to be decently dressed in old Korea. Before getting dressed, the hair had to be done. The hair and its grooming were regarded as aesthetic and magical though they might be looked on as secondary. They were also the means by which to judge social status (Kong & Kim, 2005). Cognitive psychology regards facial hair as the representation of masculinity such as social power, physical strength, and virility. Black and short facial hair symbolizes youth while white facial hair means authority accumulated over a long time (Thomas, 2000).

 During the Joseon Dynasty (1392~1910), noblemen,strongly influenced by Confucian ideology, paid attention to their appearance, trimming and grooming their facial hair. This was one of the important ways that noblemen conveyed their classes, ranks and ideas. Elegantly grown and trimmed facial hair particularly came to symbolize their ranks and authority. As Lee (2007) observed, facial hair was the means for the decoration and refinement of their faces. The traditional shapes of noblemen's facial hair can be found in portraits of noblemen. These portraits represent noblemen's facial hair in a realistic and precise way, as well as illustrating the general trend in noblemen's styles of facial hair at that time. These portraits constitute a valuable resource in the visual and historical record. These styles in the portraits of noblemen in the Joseon Dynasty accurately represent what noblemen sought to wear. Based on these materials, this study has classified the shapes of facial hair, and recreated traditional grooming styles of noblemen's facial hair.

Previous studies of facial hair have focused primarily on styles and symbols (Kang & Yang, 2012; Mun, Kim, & Kim, 2006). However, there has been very little research to date on how traditional grooming styles of facial hair have been represented in and can be recreated from Joseon Dynasty portraiture. Therefore, this research has selected 30 portraits, classified and recreated facial hair types in the portraits. They are expected to be utilized as basic materials for research on grooming styles for facial hair according to ages. They can also be used as basic materials for recreating facial hair in historical dramas. 

II. Background

1. Characteristics of noblemen's portraits during the Joseon Dynasty

Noblemen called sadaebu during the Joseon Dynasty refer to civil and military officials who were ranked over 4 pum called Daebu (great men) and ranked 5 pum or lower called Sa (scholar). Sometimes they included all civil and military officials. The Joseon Dynasty accepted Confucianism as its practical leading ideology. Therefore, based on the ideas of loyalty and filial piety, and the notions of rewarding fundamental principles and worshiping the wise, there thrived shrines for royal families, general people, and great religious leaders, and academic institutions called Seowon. For these establishments, many portraits were painted to worship those concerned (Jo, 2009). 

Materials that show what men of high ranks were like in the Joseon Dynasty are portraits of kings, vassals of merit, and noblemen. Noblemen's portraits painted during the Joseon Dynasty, which had Confucian moral ideas, the men-oriented social structure, distinguished classes, and bureaucracy, showed well the features of noblemen of the age, and especially their detailed facial expressions. Painting of the Joseon Dynasty is estimated to be the most advanced in Korean art history. Portraits of this age did not distort or transform the figure painted, nor did they require exaggerations by special painting effects and features. They were true to realism, realistically describing facial dark spots, glasses-pressed marks, and smallpox scars (Park, 2005). As portraits in the Joseon Dynasty were painted on silk with fine brushes, it was relatively easy to paint facial hair strand by strand. Detailed and realistic description of facial hair was one of the characteristics of Korean portraits (An, 1998). We can see realistic facial shapes and features in the expressions of noblemen's portraits, and also the facial hair styles which noblemen of that age sought. 

2. Symbols of facial hair during the Joseon Dynasty

An (2006) studied the recognition and symbolic meaning of facial hair grooming in the Joseon Dynasty. According to An’s study, noblemen were characterized by the elegant facial hair on their fair-skinned faces and also by their smooth and fine hands. People of the working class and lower classes, by contrast, had ugly facial hair and also had rough hands. People of the upper classes had more interest in facial hair grooming.

Refined facial hair was, therefore, a key means by which men could convey their social status in Joseon society. In addition, they lived by Confucian morals, which forbade damaging any part of the body that was given by their parents. Thus they could not cut or shave their beards, moustaches, or whiskers, but had to let them grow. To demonstrate their dignity, they had to wear their beards, moustaches and whiskers long, and further groomed them beautifully. Such male grooming was intended to represent their ranks and social status. Yeoyongukjeon describes various kinds of cosmetics and make-up equipment, letting us know the kinds of cosmetics and the scale of makeup (Song, 1991). The idea of the unity of body and spirit instructed people that the clead body led to the clean mind, and the Confucian idea valued the inner beauty. These two ideas contributed to forming the culture of clean and simple makeup and grooming. Beautifying faces was not limited to women, but made men pay attention to their appearance to be dignified and show their social status. Except eunuchs and men without masculine virility, military officers, noblemen, high-ranking officials grew their facial hair to display their dignity. They went above growing facial hair to grooming it beautifully (Kang & Yang, 2012). 

For men of high ranks in the Joseon Dynasty, growing and grooming facial hair counted for much. Accordingly, they symbolically made efforts to groom their facial hair to look dignified and handsome and to convey their social status. 

III. Methods

In order to recreate the traditional facial hair styles of noblemen in the Joseon Dynasty, this study has selected 30 portraits of noblemen out of the portraits painted during the Joseon Dynasty, which take up the majority of the remaining portraits. High ranking officials frequently appear in historical dramas, playing important roles in them. However, there has been little research on their facial hair styles to classify actual materials, portraits of noblemen and to recreate their facial hair styles. Thus, this study examined portraits painted during the Joseon Dynasty to find the grooming styles of facial hair in them. These portraits are corroborative materials on which to recreate the general grooming styles of noblemen's facial hair in the Joseon Dynasty. There are three kinds of facial hair depending their locations: moustache, beard, and whisker. Individuals have various styles of grooming facial hair. Some have only one of the three, and some have two of them, and others have on all the three. Facial hair grows around the mouth, in the lower part of the face, on the chin, on the upper part of the neck and on the cheek. According to locations of facial hair, it has a different name: moustache, beard and whisker. Moustache grows on the upper part of the upper lip and around the mouth. Moustache in the 八shape is located right under the nose. Beard grow on the lower part of the chin, and whisker is located right under ears ad on the cheek (Kang & Yang, 2012). 

This study has the standards of classifying facial hair according to its locations, dividing it into three:moustache, beard, and whisker. Next, this study has reconstructed the results of dividing facial hair, recreating the general grooming styles of facial hair for noblemen in the Joseon Dynasty. For their recreation,this study has utilized the materials and tools that are currently used for creating and grooming facial hair. Artificial modelling heads, raw silk thread which is most similar to human hair, and artificial glue (spirit gum) for attaching hair have been used. A comb and scissors have been used for combing and trimming the facial hair for this study. 

IV. Results and Discussion

Noblemen's grooming styles for facial hair found in thirty portraits handed down from the Joseon Dynasty are as follows. Facial hair is classified into three types: beards, moustaches and whiskers according to its location. Twenty one portraits show that thesubjects groomed all three types of facial hair. 

They are as follows <Table 1> : Deok-ji Choi (Fig. 1), Sik Jeong (Fig. 2), Hyeon-bo Lee (Fig. 3) Jin Kim (Fig. 4), Geun Yu (Fig. 5), Si-yeol Song (Fig.6), Jin-gyu Kim (Fig. 7), Gu-man Nam (Fig. 8), Jeung Yun (Fig. 9), Im Shin (Fig. 10), Du-seo Yun (Fig. 11), Deuk-gyeong Sim (Fig. 12), Su Yu (Fig.13), Gwang-sa Lee (Fig. 14), Se-hwang Gang (Fig. 15), Hwan-ji Sim (Fig. 16), Jae-sun O (Fig. 17), Chae Lee (Fig. 18), Jo's Brother (right) (Fig. 19, a), Jo's Brother (left) (Fig. 19, b) and Jeong-hui Kim (Fig. 20). 

<Table 1> Analysis on the characteristic in noblemen's facial hair styles

<Fig. 1> Deok-ji Choi`s (1384~1455) grooming styles for facial hair. From. Unknown.(about 1635). p.151. Portraits of Korea

They grew and trimmed their moustaches in the 八 shape neatly, had beards in an inverted triangle long enough to reach the lower part of the neck, and grew whiskers right under ears long enough to reach the chin. The remaining nine scholars also grew and trimmed their moustaches in the 八shape neatly, and had beards in an inverted triangle long enough to reach the lower part of the neck. However they do not have whiskers in their portraits.

Those without whiskers are as follows <Table 2> : Si-seup Kim (Fig. 21), Mok Heo (Fig. 22), Yeongbok Jo (Fig. 23), Mae Im (Fig. 24), Je-gong Che (Fig. 25), Eon-ho Yu (Fig. 26), Jik-su Seo (Fig. 27),Jo's Brother (Gye Jo) (Fig. 28), and Do-bok Ju (Fig. 29). 

Based on the results of dividing their grooming styles of facial hair, this study has recreated them by attaching and trimming artificial facial hair on the faces of the artificial modelling heads. The results of recreating them are as follows <Fig. 30>. 

First, they groomed and wore their moustaches in the 八 shape. 

Next, they groomed their beards in the shape of a long inverted triangle. 

Finally, they sought to grow their whiskers long despite difference in shape, location and volume.

An (1998) said that despite individual difference in the locations of their facial hair, noblemen intentionally grew moustaches in the 八shape to look authoritarian and conservative. As recreated by this study, the shapes of moustaches were found to be almost the same, which shows the authoritarian and conservative atmosphere of that time. 

Kang & Yang (2012) reported that what was regarded as the most beautiful style of beard was a long triangular shape. They also showed that noblemen of higher status grew and trimmed their facial hair in a neat and tidy manner though there were no fixed shapes of facial hair found in portraits. Their finding is similar to the result of this study that noblemen sought to groom their beards long in an inverted triangular shape. In addition, Yang (2005) found that the facial hair that literary men of the Joseon Dynasty wore was characterized by its long shape with moustaches and beards as seen from the portraits of Si-yeol Song, Du-seo Yun, Se-hwang Gang. Jae-gong Che, and Chae Lee. This finding almost agrees with the result of this study that noblemen of the Joseon Dynasty trimmed and groomed their moustaches and beards long.

V. Conclusion

This study has analyzed noblemen's grooming styles for facial hair found in thirty portraits handed down from the Joseon Dynasty, classifying their general types. Using artificial modelling heads, artificial hair, artificial glue, scissors, and a comb, this study has recreated facial hair styles closest to those which noblemen in the Joseon Dynasty grew and groomed.

The results of this study are as follows. 

Firstly, our findings confirm the conclusions of previous studies and literary materials. Namely noblemen at that time wore moustaches in the 八shape to look authoritarian and conservative. 

Next, they intentionally groomed and wore beards in the shape of a long inverted triangle. 

Finally, they also sought to grow and groom their whiskers long. 

As little research has been done on men's traditional facial hair, this study focuses on the portraits of noblemen in the Joseon Dynasty, which are remaining corroborative and visual materials. This study has classified the grooming styles of facial hair and recreated the grooming facial hair styles of noblemen in the Joseon Dynasty. It is meaningful that this study has recreated and provided noblemen's general grooming styles for facial hair in the Joseon Dynasty. 

As this study has a relatively small sample size (thirty portraits of noblemen in the Joseon Dynasty), it is difficult to generalize the results of the study. Further studies are needed to be made on the corroborative ground like portraits painted in the past and remaining to date. The results of this study are expected to be utilized as basic materials for such studies. 

The findings of this study are also expected to be utilized as basic materials for the education of grooming styles of facial hair according to ages and for recreating facial hair styles in historical dramas. 

Finally they are expected to bring about more realistic research and recreation of male makeups and grooming styles of facial hair in future.