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Horsehair and Bamboo Craft
The gat, a traditional Korean hat, consists of two main parts: the rounded crown (chongmoja) and the wide brim (yangtae). Both components were meticulously crafted from finely cut horsehair, individually woven onto a delicate bamboo framework. Creating a single gat required the expertise of a skilled artisan, often taking more than a month to complete. The surface was then finished with 8 to 12 coats of lacquer, resulting in a durable, hard, and distinctively black appearance.
Brim Width and Status
In the early Joseon Dynasty, the gat featured a relatively narrow brim. However, as time progressed, the brims worn by the yangban, the aristocratic class, gradually expanded. By the 17th century, some brims reached a diameter of nearly 60cm. This trend became so pronounced that it inspired satire, with jokes about the hats being too wide to pass through narrow alleys. During the reigns of Kings Yeongjo and Jeongjo, the government even attempted to regulate this "luxury of the yangban." In contrast, commoners and the middle class typically wore smaller gat or a different type of hat called a paeraengi.
The Bob Cut Edict and the Gat's Decline
In 1895, King Gojong issued the Bob Cut Edict, an imperial decree ordering all men to cut their hair. This command met strong resistance from the yangban, who famously declared they would "rather die than cut their hair." With the traditional topknot (sangtu) disappearing, the gat, which was worn over it, also began to lose its place. Throughout the Japanese colonial period, the gat gradually faded from everyday attire. Following Korea's liberation, its use became primarily confined to ceremonial occasions and traditional folk performances.
Hierarchy Through the Character 'Gwan'
The Chinese character "冠 (gwan)" refers to a gat or other forms of headwear, embodying the concept of "authority placed upon the head." The ritual of first wearing a gat during the Gwanrye (관례), the traditional coming-of-age ceremony, was considered the most significant part of the rite. This illustrates that the gat was far more than a simple hat; it was a powerful visualization of "adulthood, status, and authority." It was an era where a single piece of headwear could visibly represent the entire social hierarchy.
