A Comparative Study of Religious Spirituality in Funeral Attire in Ancient China, Japan, and Korea

This study compares mourning attire of China, Japan, and Korea, exploring how religious thought has shaped them. Confucian rites broadly influenced hierarchical attire concepts across these three nations, with the Chinese Five Ranks of Mourning Attire system adapted locally in Japan and Korea. Buddhism promoted plain attire, creating a commonality, while Daoism, Shintoism, and Shamanism each developed distinct mourning attire traditions. All three culture favoured plain designs and white as the primary mourning colour. However, China maintained a strict hierarchical system, whereas Japan and Korea simplified theirs. Japan also adopted black as a key mourning colour and shifted to cotton fabrics during the Edo period, while China and Korea retained hemp cloth. These differences reflect the “common origin, divergent streams” phenomenon, rooted in geography, social structure, and cultural identity.