¡¡Korean Kite, Yeon is classified according to its shape and design and
about 100 kind of Yeon exists. Shape-wise, "Bangpae Yeon" - a rectangle shaped
Yeon - takes more than 99% and "Kaori Yeon" with a tail attached and loved by
children and "changjak Yeon" which is a freely designed yeon by kite makers
exist. Classification according to its design only applies to "Bangpae Yeon"
and Bangpae Yeon is classified to 8 groups according to its design and color
coordination.
¡¡Bangpae Yeon
¡¡Bangpae Yeon is rectangle in shape and has a hole in center which is a
passage of wind and the kite can float in the air and be controlled easily.
Bangpae Yeon can be categorized into 8 groups according to its design, calligraphy,
picture and the color(normally red, blue, yellow, white and black).
¨ç
Kkokji Yeon
'Kkokji' means the head of the kite colored or glued with a colored paper.
The name of the kite is decided according to the color of the Kkokji when
the body of the kite is in white.
- Mukkkokji Yeon(Kite with black head) :
A black color paper cut in a circle shape is glued on the center of the
head part of Yeon.
- Chul Kkokji Yeon : A blue color paper cut
in a circle shape is glued on the center of the head part of Yeon.
- Jjok Kkokji Yeon : Two different colored
paper cut in a circle shape is glued together on the center of the head
part of Yeon.
- Byul Kkokji Yeon : A color paper cut in
a star shape is glued on the center of the head part of Yeon And there are
Hong kkokji Yeon and Kum Kkokji Yeon.
¨è Bandal Yeon
Bandal Yeon(Half-Moon) is a kite with a paper which is cut in a half-moon
shape and is glued on the center of the head part of Yeon. The name of Bandal
Yeon is given according to the color of the paper of the half-moon glued on
the head part of it.
- Muk Bandal Yeon : the color of the half
moon is black.
- Hong Bandal Yeon : the color of the half
moon is red.
- Yim Bandal Yeon : the shapeof the half moon
is long.
- Jjok Bandal Yeon : Two half-moon-shape color
paper is glued together on the head part of Yeon.
¨é Chima
Yeon
Chima is woman's skirt. Chima yeon looks like woman's colorful skirt and
the upper part of Yeon is white and lower part is being colored. The name
of Chima yeon is decided according to the color of the lower part of Yeon.
¨ê Dongyi
Yeon
Dongyi yeon has a piece of paper strip glued on its head or around its middle
part. Yeon is named according to the shape and color and location of the strip.
¨ë Cho
Yeon
'Cho' means yeon is painted entirely except a small part.
- Muk Cho Yeon : Yeon is painted in black
entirely except a small part.
- Chung Cho Yeon : Yeon is painted in blue
entirely except a small part.
- Bora Cho Yeon : Yeon is painted in purple
entirely except a small part.
- Hwang Cho Yeon : Yeon is painted in yellow
entirely except a small part.
¨ì Parkyi Yeon
'Parkyi' means decorations which look like a coin, an eye or a long nose
is attached on Yeon and the name of Parkyi Yeon is decided according to the
shape of an ornament.
- Don Jum Parkyi Yeon : White circles which
looks like coins are painted on Yeon in black seldomly.
- Kuimeori Changkun Yeon : two edges of head
part of Yeon is colored in triangle in shape or a triangle-shape color paper
is glued.
- Kuimeori Changkun Kinko Parkyi Yeon: two
edges of head part of Yeon is colored in triangle in shape or a triangle-shape
color paper is glued. A decoration which looks like a long nose is attached.
And the color of decoration is red.
- Nunkkal Kuimeori Changkun Yeon : two edges
of head part of Yeon is colored in triangle in shape or a triangle-shape
color paper is glued. Inside the triangle, big and small white circles are
painted on.
- Nunkkal Kuimeori Changkun Kinkoparkyi Yeon :
two edges of head part of Yeon is colored in triangle in shape or a triangle-shape
color paper is glued. Inside the triangle, big and small white circles are
painted on. A decoration which looks like a long nose is attached. The color
of the decoration is red.
¨í Bal
Yeon
'Bal Yeon' has foot-shaped decorations attached on the bottom part of Yeon
or lower left or right edge of Yeon. The name is given according to the shape
of foot decoration and number of decoration attached on it.
- Sajjokbal Yeon : Four thin strips of color
paper or white paper is attached on the bottom of Yeon.
- Kkuksubbal Yeon : Several strips of white
paper like noodle is glued on the bottom of Yeon.
- Jinebal Yeon : thin strips of color paper
is glued tightly like the legs of centipede.
¨î Others
Distinct Yeons which are inherited from different provinces.
- Kuri Pal Kui Yeon : Yeon is divided into
8 parts and each part is colored or color papers are glued on.
- Ohsaek Yeon : Yeon is divided into 5 parts
and blue, red, yellow, black, white colored are painted in each part.
- Doljjukui Yeon : Yeon is divided into diagonals
and 4 parts are colored all differently.
- Soddakji Yeon : Mukmeoridongyi Yeon with
white Kkokji.
- Keobuksun Yeon : a picture of Keobuksun(a
ship looks like turtle built by famous Korean general Yi Sunshin in Yi Dynasty)
is painted on Yeon(there are variations such as Bongwhang Yeon - a picture
of phoenix is drawn, Parkgee Yeon - a bat is drawn, Nabi Yeon - a butterfly
is drawn, etc.)
- Ssangnabi Yeon : a twin butterfly is drawn
at the lower part of Yeon
- Kkogibinul Yeon : scales of fish is drawn
on entire Yeon.
- Jjupsi Yeon : the edge of the hole in the
center of Yeon is painted round like a dish.
- Malkkup Yeon(Pyunja Yeon) : Yeon's kkokji
is like a horse's hoof.
- Bangsangshi Yeon : From the lower half part
of Yeon, the edge of the hole in the center is painted in black with a little
space left between the hole and the black round strip and on the upper part
of Yeon, two red circles are painted like eyes.
- Sangju Yeon : Nothing is painted or decoration
is glued on the Yeon.
- Aekmakyi Yeon : A Yeon flown on Lunar Full
Moon Day. A wish to get rid of bad fortune and welcome good fortune or name
and address is written on the Yeon and flown away.
- Jebi Yeon : a swallow is drawn on the lower
part of Yeon. In Korea, people believe swallow delivers a good fortune.
- Kuan Yeon : the middle part of Yeon is fatter
than ordinary Yeons and two edges of head apart of Yeon is decorated with
color papers which looks like hat that was worn by Korean government officials
in old days. The lower part of yeon is painted in black.
- Kkachi Nalgae Yeon : the shape of Yeon is
like the wings of Magpie
¡¡Kaori Yeon
¡¡ A diamond shaped Kaori Yeon, a fan-shaped Mun-uh Yeon, and various
quadrilateral shaped yeons are altogether called as Kaori Yeon. The characteristics
of Kaori Yeon is that it has no hole in the center of Yeon. It has long tail
instead of a hole, so wind can flow along the long tail of Kaori Yeon. So
it can easily floate in the air and children can make it easily. Small kids
enjoy flying Kaori Yeon.
¨ç
Kaori Yeon
A diamond-shaped body has an attached long tail in the end, so it actually
looks like a Kaori. Kaori is a stingray(a kind of fish) in Korean.
¨è
Mun-uh Yeon
It looks like Kaori Yeon but two edges are trimmed round so it looks
like an octopus. Mun-uh is an octopus in Korean. (Changjak-creation Yeon)
It does not have any specific characteristics like Bangpae Yeon or Kaori Yeon.
Rather, it is made after an animal or a person and the frame work is done
with sponge(Kaori or Hanji-Korean traditional paper, bamboo, cloth, etc) so
that performing lots of flying shows with Changjak Yeon is difficult and instead
people just enjoy watching it flying in the air.
Adapted from Maemoobird(www.maemoobird.co.kr)
