Gat (hat)

Gat
Korean name
Hunminjeongeum	갓
Revised Romanization	gat
McCune?Reischauer	kat

A gat ( Korean : 갓 ; Korean pronunciation: [kat?] ) is a Korean traditional hat worn by men along with hanbok (Korean traditional clothing) during the Joseon period . It is made from bamboo or horsehair with a bamboo 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 ( 갓日葬 ), from gannil ( 갓일 , a compound of two words gat and il (work); " gat making") + jang ( 腸 ; 匠 "artisan, craftsperson, master of a craft"). ^[1] 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. ^[2]

History [ edit ]

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 ( 입型白化皮毛 ; 笠形白樺皮帽 ) from Geumnyeongchong ( 金鈴塚 ; 金鈴塚 ), an ancient Silla tomb located in Gyeongju , and the pan-shaped gat which is distinct from ordinary hats in pattern and shape and is depicted on the murals of the Gamsinchong ( 龕神塚 ; 龕神塚 ), an ancient Goguryeo tomb. Even in the modern era, the hat was worn commonly by elders and rural peoples until the late 20th century.

Colors and types [ edit ]

Colors and types of gat were differentiated by circumstances and/or social status.

During the Joseon period , black gat ( 黑笠 ; 黑笠 ; heungnip ) was restricted to men who had passed the gwageo , or civil service examinations. In narrow definition, the term gat refers to the heungnip .

A white gat ( 白笠 ; 白笠 ; baengnip ) was worn during times of national mourning. It is crafted in the same manner as a black gat but from sambe (hemp), consistent with traditional Korean hempen mourning garb. ^[3]