A ''gat'' (; ) is a

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

n traditional

hat A hat is a Headgear, head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorpor ...

worn by men along with ''

hanbok The hanbok () is the traditional clothing of the Koreans, Korean people. The term ''hanbok'' is primarily used by South Koreans; North Koreans refer to the clothes as (). The clothes are also worn in the Korean diaspora. Koryo-saram—ethnic Ko ...

'' (Korean traditional clothing) during the Joseon period. It is made from bamboo or

horsehair Horsehair is the long hair growing on the Mane (horse), manes and Tail (horse), tails of horses. It is used for various purposes, including upholstery, brushes, the Bow (music), bows of musical instruments, a hard-wearing Textile, fabric called ...

with a

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of mostly evergreen perennial plant, perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily (biology), subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family, in th ...

frame and is partly transparent. Most ''gat'' are cylindrical in shape with a wide brim on a bamboo frame. Before the late 19th century, only noble class men could wear ''gat'', which represented their social status and protected their topknots. Artisans who make ''gat'' are called ''ganniljang'' (), from ''gannil'' (, a compound of two words ''gat'' and ''il'' (work); "''gat'' making") + ''jang'' ( "artisan, craftsperson, master of a craft"). As ''gannil'' requires artisanship throughout a complex series of techniques involving an array of materials, it has been designated as Intangible Cultural Property No. 4 on December 24, 1964.

History

The origins of ''gat'' date back to ancient times. Usually, the following hats are considered to be the first specimens of what is known as gat today: the so-called ''iphyeong baekhwa pimo'' () from Geumnyeongchong (), an ancient

Silla Silla (; Old Korean: wikt:徐羅伐#Old Korean, 徐羅伐, Yale romanization of Korean, Yale: Syerapel, Revised Romanization of Korean, RR: ''Seorabeol''; International Phonetic Alphabet, IPA: ) was a Korean kingdom that existed between ...

tomb located in

Gyeongju Gyeongju (, ), historically known as Seorabeol (, ), is a coastal city in the far southeastern corner of North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It is the second largest city by area in the province after Andong, covering with a population of ...

, and the pan-shaped gat which is distinct from ordinary hats in pattern and shape and is depicted on the murals of the Gamsinchong (), an ancient

Goguryeo Goguryeo (37 BC – 668 AD) (; ; Old Korean: Guryeo) also later known as Goryeo (; ; Middle Korean: 고ᇢ롕〮, ''kwòwlyéy''), was a Korean kingdom which was located on the northern and central parts of the Korea, Korean Peninsula an ...

tomb. Even in the modern era, the hat was worn commonly by elders and rural peoples until the late 20th century.

Colors and types

Colors and types of ''gat'' were differentiated by circumstances and/or social status. During the Joseon period, black ''gat'' () was restricted to men who had passed the ''

gwageo The () or ''kwagŏ'' were the national civil service examinations under the Goryeo (918–1392) and Joseon (1392–1897) periods of Korea. Typically quite demanding, these tests measured candidates' ability of writing composition and knowledge ...

'', or civil service examinations. In narrow definition, the term ''gat'' refers to the ''heungnip''. A white ''gat'' () was worn during times of national mourning. It is crafted in the same manner as a black ''gat'' but from ''

sambe ''Sambe'' (), or hemp fiber, is a traditional fiber for Korean clothing. An increasingly rare practice, it has been made a national treasure, and specific individuals with the ability were designated intangible cultural assets. ''Sambe'' was the ...

'' (hemp), consistent with traditional Korean hempen mourning garb. A red ''gat'' () was worn by military officers of

Joseon Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...

. Its color comes from red

lacquer Lacquer is a type of hard and usually shiny coating or finish applied to materials such as wood or metal. It is most often made from resin extracted from trees and waxes and has been in use since antiquity. Asian lacquerware, which may be c ...

. Commoners wore a variant called ''paeraengi'' () which was woven from split bamboo.

Gallery

File:Korea-History-Goban Game in Seoul Korea 1904 (LOC).jpg File:A Korean man in a traditional robe and boots, wearing a horse hair and bamboo hat (5953657611).jpg File:Koreans oldest pic 3.jpg File:Koreans oldest pic group.jpg File:Азия (Крубер, Григорьев, Барков, Чефранов, 1900) page57.jpg File:Korea Hanbok Fashion Show 26 (8422277859).jpg File:2021 (홍천기) Lovers Of The Red Sky (안효섭) Ahn Hyo-seop (3).jpg

Notes

External links

''Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea'' by the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage

"Master Artisan of Horsehair Hat Making"

"Gat, Encyclopedia of Korean Culture"
{{Hats Hats Korean headgear

History

Colors and types

Gallery

See also

Notes

External links