Priests, Entertainers, or Prostitutes: The Three Roles of the Female Performers (Sadang) in Choso˘n Korea

• Published in: Seoul journal of Korean studies Vol. 27; no. 1; pp. 37 - 58
• Main Author: Kim Sung Soon
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Korean
• Published: 서울대학교 규장각한국학연구원 30.06.2014
• Subjects: Buddhism; Community leaders; female performers; itinerant performer troupes; ko˘sa; lay monks; male performers; namsadang; sadang; sadangp’ae; sajang

In the early Choso˘n dynasty (1392-1910) itinerant performer troupes (sadangp’ae) were comprised of lay monks and female performers, or sadang. This community appears to have been brought into being by the Monk Registration System (toch’o˘pche) that forced monks and temple slaves to leave monasterie...