Jipsin (Korean: 짚신) are Korean traditional sandals made of straw. Koreans have worn straw sandals since ancient times. They are categorized as 이; 履; yi, shoes with a short height, and the specific name can vary according to the materials used, as with samsin, wanggolsin, cheongol jisin, and budeulsin.[1][2]
In the Joseon period, jipsin 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 mituri, which are also traditional Korean woven shoes. The difference lies primarily in materials; jipsin are typically made of straw, while mituri are made from hemp,[4]Cyperus exaltatus (왕골), or cattail.[5]
Gallery
A man (left) making jipsin (2008)
Women in a Korean folk village wearing jipsin and hanbok (2008)
