Banjitgori, the box that kept sewing tools together
A banjitgori held the small things needed for sewing. Its compartments, layered paper bodies and lacquered surfaces with mother-of-pearl show how a practical household container could also be a carefully decorated object.
A box for sewing tools
Making clothes took more than a needle and thread. Cloth had to be measured, cut, stitched and pressed, using rulers, scissors, thimbles and pressing irons. The banjitgori kept the smaller tools and pieces of fabric together.
In its entry on traditional Korean dressmaking, the Encyclopedia of Korean Culture lists sewing boxes alongside needle cases and thread holders as tools for organizing the work.
A compartment for needles and buttons
The National Museum of Korea’s Joseon-period sewing box, accession Sinsu 13353, has a small compartment in one inside corner. The museum identifies it as a place to keep needles and buttons separately from the larger area for thread and cloth.
The wooden box is 9.2 cm high and 36.5 cm on each side, finished in black lacquer and mother-of-pearl. Its shallow, open shape and divided interior make its function clear.
Paper and bamboo boxes
Not every banjitgori was elaborate lacquerware. They were also made from paper, wood and bamboo.
One paper-craft method built up thickness by pasting sheets together and was used for small containers, including sewing boxes. Leftover or used paper served as material, and colored paper could finish the surface.
Mother-of-pearl decoration
The opening photograph shows a different Joseon-period wooden box, Sinsu 13352. It is 9.7 cm high and 38.5 cm on each side, with mother-of-pearl on black and red lacquer.
Rocks, trees and fish sit within a circle on its inner base; flowers, birds, bamboo and rocks decorate the outside. Together, the two boxes show how the everyday work of sewing extended into storage and decorative craft.
Sources & context
2026-10-09T02:18:51.599Z
National Museum of Korea ↗National Museum of Korea ↗National Museum of Korea ↗Encyclopedia of Korean Culture ↗