The purpose of this study is to clarify the sequential order among three coexisting versions of Gimyeong-balgi (inventories of royal household goods) prepared for the royal wedding of King Gojong and Empress Myeongseong in 1866, through specific case analyses. To this end, this paper examines the current status of the Gimyeong-balgi produced during the 1866 (Byeong-in year) royal wedding and analyzes the sequential order of these three coexisting versions stage by stage.
First, a comparison between the Hangeul version <1732> and the Hanja (Classical Chinese) version <1719> reveals that certain items omitted from the Hangeul version <1732> were added to the Hanja version. Furthermore, clerical errors found in the Hanja version <1719>—such as “Geumjatong (金字桶)” and “Dangseoan (唐書案)”—could not have occurred without assuming the Hangeul version as the underlying source text (底本), despite the differences in their orthographic representation. Based on these findings, the Hangeul version <1732> is determined to have been drafted prior to the Hanja version. Consequently, the simple notation of “juhongchil” (vermilion lacquer) in the Hangeul version <1732> being explicitly detailed as “waejuhongchil” (Japanese vermilion lacquer) and “dangjuhongchil” (Chinese vermilion lacquer) in the Hanja version can also be understood as a reflection of subsequent revisions.
Meanwhile, the Hanja version <1719> and the Hangeul version <1508> share identical content, list display mode, the order of listed items, additions and deletions, and modifications to item descriptions. Crucially, the phonological recording of item names in the Hangeul version <1508> using borrowed Chinese characters (chaja phonetics), along with certain errors in the transcription format, are phenomena that can only be explained if the Hanja version is assumed to be the underlying source text rather than a direct literal replication.
In conclusion, the sequential order of the three coexisting Gimyeong-balgi versions from the 1866 royal wedding indicates that the Hangeul version <1732> was drafted first, revised to produce the Hanja version <1719>, and finally, the Hangeul version <1508> was created based on the Hanja version while employing a different system of notation.