Journal

The Kotoba Interactive journal.

Editorial features on the cultures, history and languages of Asia. Filter by culture, by topic, or search for what inspires you.

Glossary

7 articles

KoreanTraditions5 min

Talchum: the satirical masked dance of Korea

History and meaning of talchum, Korean masked dance theatre: tal masks, satire of the powerful, village rites, regional variants and UNESCO heritage status.

22 mai 2026Read

KoreanTraditions5 min

Ssireum: the traditional wrestling of Korea

History and rules of ssireum, Korean traditional wrestling: the satba belt, the sand ring, the bull prize, the Cheonha Jangsa title and UNESCO heritage status.

9 mai 2026Read

KoreanTraditions6 min

Jesa: the rite of the ancestors at the heart of Korea

Discovering jesa, the Korean ancestral rite: its Confucian roots, the offering table and its rules, the charye of Chuseok and Seollal, and its evolution today.

2 mai 2026Read

KoreanTraditions5 min

Seollal: the Korean Lunar New Year

Traditions and rites of Seollal, the Korean Lunar New Year: the journey home, ancestral charye rite, the sebae bow, tteokguk soup and the yutnori game.

29 avril 2026Read

KoreanTraditions5 min

Korean shamanism: muism, the mudang and the gut ritual

Discovering Korean shamanism (muism): the mudang, the gut ritual, the spirits, its prehistoric roots, its survival and its presence in today's Korea.

15 avril 2026Read

KoreanSociété5 min

Korean age: why Koreans were one or two years older

Understanding Korean age: born at one, aging on New Year's Day, the three coexisting systems and the 2023 reform that made a whole country younger.

12 mars 2026Read

KoreanTraditions6 min

Chuseok: the Korean thanksgiving under the full moon

Understanding Chuseok, the great Korean harvest festival: its ancestral rites, songpyeon, the full moon, the return to the village and the ganggangsullae dance.

28 février 2026Read