Costume Semiotics and Cultural Construction in East Asian Historical War Films: A Comparative Analysis of Roaring Currents, Red Cliff, and Ran

Hongxing Lu

doi:10.62177/chst.v2i4.659

Authors

Hongxing Lu Cheongju University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.62177/chst.v2i4.659

Keywords:

Film Costume, Semiotics, Historical War Films, Identity, Power, Cultural Symbolism, East Asia

Abstract

This study explores the semiotic dimensions of costume in East Asian historical war films, focusing on the Korean film Roaring Currents (2014), the Chinese film Red Cliff (2008), and the Japanese film Ran (1985). By integrating Barthes' "signifier–signified" model with Peirce's triadic semiotic framework of iconicity, indexicality, and symbolicity, the research examines how costumes function as visual signs that mediate identity, power, and cultural values.

The analysis demonstrates that in Roaring Currents, costumes highlight the tension between practicality and heroism, reinforcing narratives of national resistance and collective sacrifice. In Red Cliff, costume design balances historical accuracy and artistic stylization, visually articulating political power structures and cultural identities among the Three Kingdoms. In Ran, the symbolic use of armor and color coding conveys themes of fatalism, clan disintegration, and philosophical reflection, transforming costumes into theatrical metaphors.

Comparative findings reveal that costume semiotics operates across three key dimensions: (1) identity construction through differentiation of rank, class, and gender; (2) representation of power via materiality, ornamentation, and hierarchical design; and (3) cultural signification through color systems, symbolic motifs, and ideological codes. While each national cinema emphasizes distinct thematic priorities—heroic resistance in Korea, political-military order in China, and fatalistic aesthetics in Japan—all three employ costume as a multilayered semiotic system that transcends mere historical reproduction.

This research contributes theoretically by positioning film costume as a core subject of cultural studies rather than a subsidiary of visual art, expanding semiotic analysis into the interdisciplinary field of costume studies. Practically, it underscores the role of costume in shaping national identity, collective memory, and cultural discourse, demonstrating its value as a medium of aesthetic expression and soft power.

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