Chipsin
Traditional Korean sandals made of straw
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Chipsin (Korean: 짚신; RR: jipsin) are Korean traditional sandals made of straw. Koreans have worn straw sandals since ancient times. They are categorized as i (이; 履; shoes with a short height), and the specific name can vary according to the materials used, as with samsin, wanggolsin, ch'ŏngol chisin, and pudŭlsin.[1][2]
In the Joseon period, chipsin were worn mostly by commoners, working farmers. The shoes were meant for walking, and wore down quickly. A full day's worth of walking would often wear out a pair. As such, most people knew how to make the shoes themselves. This was even true of middle and even upper-class women; it was not "considered lowering for her to engage in making of straw shoes".[3]
They are very similar, especially in form, to mit'uri, which are also traditional Korean woven shoes. The difference lies primarily in materials; chipsin are typically made of straw, while mituri are made from hemp,[4] Cyperus exaltatus (왕골), or cattail.[5]
Gallery
A man (left) making chipsin (2008)
Women in a Korean folk village wearing chipsin and hanbok (2008)
