Do You Know Korean Gat?

What Is Gat(갓)?

A gat is a piece of Joseon-era clothing, a type of hat worn on the head of a nobleman.
Today, when we think of the word gat, most people think of the Joseon Dynasty hat, but it’s a hat with a very long history, appearing in Goguryeo (an ancient kingdom that lasted from the Ist century AD to 668 AD) tomb paintings.

Joseon Dynasty, The Peak Of The Beauty Of The Gat

The Joseon Dynasty was a time when the beauty of gat blossomed, and the black gat is a representative gat of the Joseon Dynasty.
Black gat has a crisp, clear black color due to multiple coats of ink and lacquer. The light that passes through the black color is combined with the application of white, giving it a refined and elegant look.

The Appeal of Different Materials and Fabrication Methods

We often think of horse mane or hair as the material for a gat, but it is actually made of a mixture of horse mane or hair and bamboo. In particular, the gat of the Joseon Dynasty was made of two parts: the hat and the hat tip. It was this method of production that allowed for the use of a wide variety of materials.
The beauty of this gat lies in its subtlety. Line after line overlaps to create a soft curve, and light shines through the thin bamboo to create a play of colors.

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