# Dadeumi

Dadeumi (Korean: 다듬이) or dadeumijil (다듬이질) is a Korean traditional ironing method where two women knelt on the floor, facing each other across a smoothing stone, beating out a rhythm on the cloth to press out its wrinkles and soften it. Dadeumi requires dadeumitbangmangi (다듬잇방망이) and dadeumitdol (다듬잇돌). The former is a bat that pounds on the cloth, and the latter is the stone under the cloth.
Also, the cloth is wrapped in a thick round bat, hongdukkae (홍두깨), and dadeumi is performed. It is used to trim a thin cloth, such as ramie fabric (모시; mosi) or silk.
Similar practices also existed elsewhere in Asia, including in Japan, where it is known as kinuta [ja].

## History

The 18th-century book, Gyuhap chongseo, details how to do dadeumi and care for fabrics. It is estimated that it would have been used from the 17th to the 18th century. Since ancient times, in Korea, people thought it was a good three sounds to hear the crying of baby, reading a book, and the dadeumi sound. These three sounds are called samhuiseong (삼희성; 三喜聲). It is because the cheerful sound when doing dadeumi remind people of healthy vitality, the diligence and stability of everyday life.

## Form and characteristics

Dadeumidol are made of granite, agalmatolite, marble, etc. They are also sometimes made of solid wood such as birch wood or zelkova. In Chungcheong Province and Hamgyeong Province, they were dadeumitdae (다듬잇대) and made of birch wood. The shape is a thick rectangle. The upper surface touching the fabric is made to be slightly wider and smoother than the underside so that the fabric does not hurt. There are four short legs on the four corners of the underside, and both of side have grooves for carrying. It is also called chimseok (침석; 砧石). Dadeumitbangmangi is a pair of two, made of wood.

## Method

First, women dry the starched clothes. Then, women make the clothes wet with water by spraying it with mouth or hand. Women fold the laundry soaked in water into the wrapping cloth, wait until the water spreads evenly, then fold it back. After that, women place the laundry wrapped in a cloth on top of the dadeumitdol and beat it with a dadeumitbangmangi. When there is one person, grab a bat in both hands and beat. When there are two people, sit face to face with the dadeumitdol in the middle. After a certain amount of beat, repeat unfolding and folding, wrinkles of clothes spread and shine. Fabric such as fine silk is arranged on the dadeumitdol in the primary, then wrap it in hongdukkae and beat it.

### Dadeumi nori

Dadeumi nori (다듬이놀이; lit. dadeumi play) is a tradition from Namwon, North Jeolla Province where the activity is turned into a game. It is a competition in which two women face each other across the dadeumitdol and compare their skills in the activity. As part of this, they use various techniques to change the pitch of each strike. As laundry methods have modernized, the game is now rarely played.

## Social and cultural significance

Korean did dadeumi in late autumn and winter. Until late at night, the sound of two people tapping the cloth to the tone with four bats was one aspect of Korean customs. Dadeumi also meant correcting the mind to the white-clad folk. In other words, it is sometimes referred to as an ingochim (인고침; 忍苦砧), which means that the pain of the heart that is too much to bear is tolerated with the dadeumi. Each dadeumitdol has a different tone. Because there is a favorite sound in each area, it is carved to make a unique sound like a percussion instrument. There are also colorful paintings and colored dadeumitdol, and there are also dadeumitdol with details of the dead. It was a reflection of the preference and culture of the time. Dadeumi was also useful for making cloth for windbreak. When making hanbok, starched clothes and did dadeumi, the fibers spread and the starched clothes well so that the wind could be blocked well. Furthermore, the surface became less dirty because it became smooth and it was easy to wash because the dirt was falling well. In modern times, the range used in everyday life is reduced, but dadeumi performances are performed at festivals.

## In popular culture

"Sound of Dadeumi" (다듬잇소리) is a poem by Yang Ju-dong that depicts the lives and feelings of women who do dadeumi. Yangpyeong folk song (양평민요) expresses a woman who does dadeumi in simple language.