Nobi is the Korean word for a system of servitude in place between the 4th and 19th centuries. Its status diminished greatly during the latter half of the Joseon Dynasty, and it was eventually abolished (along with other aspects of the sinbun class system) with the adoption of the Gabo Reforms (1894–1896). Nobi can refer to both the system itself and to the people in the system.

Like the slaves, serfs, and indentured servants better known in the Western world, nobi were considered property or chattel. They could be could be bought, sold, and given as gifts. Their owners were responsible for their care and well-being, and to a certain extent, legally responsible for their actions. In practice however, virtually no legal protection was accorded nobi.

Nobi could own property in many cases, and were allowed to marry and rear children. Acceptable marriage arrangements for nobi differed according to circumstance. Occasionally they could marry commoners, or in a few cases, could become concubines to their owners. More often, however, they could only marry other nobi. Children born from nobi marriages were sometimes made nobi, or commoners, or were even abandoned altogether -- as decided by the nobi's owner.

Nobi were often made to work as servants, such as in the households of members of the Yangban class, or as field laborers, or as public servants in the courts. They were often people being punished for the commission of a crime or the failure to pay a debt. However, becoming a nobi voluntarily was possible; this might be done to escape crushing poverty. Some were tattooed with a distinguishing mark to denote their status and to dissuade escape.

The term nobi, and its proper translation into English, has been a subject of debate among historians. Some Korean scholars argue that the designation nobi refers to a servant class system (compare with serf and indentured servant), whereas noye (distinct from nobi) is the designation for slavery. However, non-Korean historians usually consider nobi to be slavery. ^[1]

The motivations for abolishing the institution of nobi with the Gabo Reforms, along with the entire sinbun hierarchical class system, are sometimes questioned. Some claim that the reforms were due solely to the actions of pro-Japanese factions in the Korean government. However, another major impetus for the reforms was the occurrence of the Donghak Peasant Revolution, an anti-government, anti-Yangban uprising of the lower classes in Korean society.

See also[link]

• Yangban
• Chungin
• Sangmin
• Cheonmin

Bibliography[link]

• James B. Palais’s chapter 6 in Confucian Statecraft and Korean Institutions: Yu Kyŏngwŏn and the Late Chosŏn Dynasty (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1996)
• Rhee, Rhee Young-hoon and Donghyu Yang “Korean Nobi in American Mirror: Yi Dynasty Coerced Labor in Comparison to Slavery in the Antebellum Southern United States”

External links[link]

• Nobi and Nobi Labor in Ancient Korea Lee In Cheol
• James B. Palais, University of Washington; Theodore Kornweibel, San Diego University
• Kuen Tae Kim et al.
• Nobi: Rescuing the Nation from Slavery

One Man may refer to:

• One Man (album), a 1998 album by Mark King
• One Man (film), a 1977 Canadian film
• One Man (horse), an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse
• One Man, a 2002 album by American R&B singer Tank

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Keita Takahashi
Keita Takahashi holding the Prince character from Katamari Damacy, at GDCE, London, in 2005
Born	1975 Moji-ku, Kitakyūshū
Occupation	Game designer

Keita Takahashi (高橋 慶太, Takahashi Keita^?, born 1975) is a game director, his most notable titles being Katamari Damacy and its sequel, We Love Katamari. The original Katamari game was a surprise hit and was praised for its quirkiness, originality, and charm. He is married to Asuka Sakai.

Katamari[link]

Takahashi has stated in numerous interviews that he had no desire for Katamari to be touted as innovative or creative – he simply set out to bring the concept of simple, silly fun back into video gaming.

Takahashi has named the following sources as inspiration for his Katamari games:

• Tarō Okamoto (painter, sculptor)
• Tadao Ando (architect)
• Itō Jakuchū (painter)
• Yoshitatsu Yanagihara (sculptor)
• Pablo Picasso (painter)
• Joan Miró (painter)
• Friedensreich Hundertwasser (architect, painter)
• Zdeněk Miler (picture book author)
• Virginia Lee Burton (picture book author)
• Savignac (graphic designer)
• Mitsumasa Yasuno (picture book author)
• John Irving (author)
• Tomoo Itsukida (illustrator)
• Quruli (a Japanese band)
• Playmobil (toys)
• Little Shop of Horrors (movie)
• Japanese cityscape atmosphere
• Culture of Japan

Post-Katamari[link]

In an interview ^[1] Takahashi announced that he hopes to eventually move on from video games, with an ambition of designing a playground for children. On Wednesday 28 October 2009, Nottingham City Council announced during the Gamecity festival that Keita Takahashi is spending a month in the city working on designs for the play area at Woodthorpe Grange.^[2] He and his wife, the composer Asuka Sakai, formed the company uvula in October 2010 to support his freelance game design career, as well as his playground designs.^[3]

In July 2011, it was announced that he was joining Tiny Speck's Vancouver team, working on Glitch.^[4]

Published works[link]

• Katamari Damacy – Director, Designer
• We Love Katamari – Director, Designer
• Noby Noby Boy – Director, Designer

References[link]

• Nakamura, Eric (2009). "Noby Boy." Giant Robot Magazine issue 63.

1. ^ Hermida, Alfred (2005-11-10). "Technology | Katamari creator dreams of playgrounds". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4392964.stm. Retrieved 2012-02-20. 
2. ^ "Video games guru to design play area". This is Nottingham. http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/news/Video-games-guru-design-city-playground/article-1458337-detail/article.html. 
3. ^ Gilbert, Ben (2010-10-03). "Katamari Damacy director and wife reveal new company". Joystiq. http://www.joystiq.com/2010/10/03/katamari-damacy-director-and-wife-reveal-new-company/. Retrieved 2010-10-03. 
4. ^ "Working With Your Heroes: Welcome Keita Takahashi". 2011-07-08. http://glitch.com/blog/2011/07/08/keita-takahashi-joins-glitch/. 

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Keita Takahashi

• uvula's official website
• Interview with Keita Takahashi on Gamasutra.com
• Interview with Keita Takahashi on 1up.com
• Keita Takahashi at the Internet Movie Database

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