20131021 gat by KOCIS

Intangible Cultural Heritage of Korea

Gat

Traditional Headgear in Korea

Contents Transmission and Preservation of Gat: People Weaving Tradition

What is Gat ? The history of Korean traditional hats up to the invention of gat The development of the gat over time: Changes in dress codes and hats

Horsehair crafts and artisans

101

The designation and transmission of gannil.

113

1. Chongmoja-jang 2. Yangtae-jang 3. Ipja-jang

Gat Craftsmanship and Variations The process of gat making

1. Making Chongmoja

The designation and transmission of manggeon

134

The designation and transmission of tanggeon

138

Proposals for the development of gat making

144

1) Materials and tools. 2) The process of making chongmoja

Appendices

2. Making Yangtae 1) Materials and tools

Korean Official Hats in Paintings

150

2) The process of making yangtae

Gallery of Various Korean Hats

166

3. The Process of gat making 1) Materials and supplies for gat making 2) Finishing work on chongmoja 3) Making yangtae 4) Gat assembling 5) Applying ink and lacquer and attaching jukryeong Tools for gat making

Various types of gat

Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

Gat can be defined as the representative Korean traditional

This book is the third publication of the series of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Intangible

headgear. Delicate and elegant features and the curve of gat show the

Cultural Heritage of Koreaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; planned by the National Research Institute

intrinsic beauty of Koreans. During the Joseon Dynasty, the commoners

of Cultural Heritage for publicizing of the Korean intangible cultural

as well as the noble scholars wore gat for a leave day or the ceremonial

heritage to the world. On the basis of the accumulated studies, the

conduct with full attire. Custom for wearing gat is continuously

National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage is willing to publish

transmitted into the traditional ceremony such as ancestral rites in

the book of intangible heritage studies continuously. I sincerely hope

Jongga (the head family).

that this book could provide valuable information to the general public and researchers who are interested in Korean Intangible Cultural

The meaning of gat and its making process as well as the

Heritage.

current statue of transmission are described in this book. The meaning and transition of gat shall examine the historical and cultural values of gat. The types and making process of gat, and the story of persons who safeguard and transmit the Gannil (gat making) shall demonstrate values of gat as the intangible cultural heritage. Various pictures and painting materials are used to help readers' better understanding.

October 31. 2012

Dr. Young-Won Kim Director General National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage

ę°&#x201C;

[Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea]

What is Gat ?

The history of Korean traditional hats up to the invention of the gat.

Throughout Korean history, the mode of ceremonious dress entailed a combination of trousers (baji) and upper garment (jeogori), underneath an overcoat (po), the outfit completed by a hat or headpiece. For men, a classical outfit would consist of a black hat called gat and a white durumagi, a type of overcoat. The Painting of the Welcoming Parade for the Governor of Pyeongan Province (pyeongan-gamsa-hwanyeong-do) portrays the entire crowd aside from the government officials as being dressed in

01 ┃ A picture of three Korean scholars wearing black horsehair hats, drawn by an unidentified Western visitor in 1895. 02 ┃ 01

ainting of the Welcoming P Parade for the Governor of Pyeongan Province

how elderly Korean men would never forget their durumagi and gat at important town festivities and events. The gat was an essential component of a man’s life and versatile enough to suit the varied styles of men’s clothing that developed over the Joseon period. Hence it is not an exaggeration to say that the gat had accompanied the five centuries of Joseon’s history.

What is Gat ?

Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

white robes and black gat, and provides a concise depiction of

Hats occupy a significant place in the history of Korean fashion as an essential part

03 ┃ Susan-ri grave mound (heukgeon)

of formal dress, Joseon-era Koreans having been a fashionable people who knew how to match their headgear with their outfit. The various types of hats discovered in Korea include intact pieces of jeolpung, sogol, chaek, jougwan to the more modest geon, as well 03

as the metal bogwanryu-type hats, which are

elaborately decorated and usually found in

grave mounds. Most of such artefacts share a basic triangular frame embellished with decorations such as bird feathers, which hold a particular significance. Bird feather rituals (jousik) connote a form of bird worship, often connected with other concepts such as sun worship and immortality of the soul, and such traditions

05 ┃ Gaemachong grave mound (jougwan)

of a single patch of black fabric that was tied at the back of the

06 ┃ Muyongchong grave mound (jomigwan)

cut to have the strands, or gak, draping down. The bokdu was

07 ┃ Gang Min-cheom (963-1021) (bokdu)

established feathers as a staple of common rituals. The official

head, and was later developed to have four corners of the fabric selected for the official dress code during the reign of Queen Jindeok of Unified Silla to be worn by those as prestigious as

hats worn during the jousik were headpieces of a higher prestige

royal aristocrats as well as court musicians, servants and slaves,

than the jeolpung or sogol, which were not adorned with feathers,

with different materials distinguishing the social class of the

and were further developed to include imitation feathers made of

wearer. As is evident from the restrictive proclamation issued in

metal.

the ninth year of the reign of King Heungdeok (834 AD), the high

Following Silla’s unification of the Three Kingdoms, headgear

position of jingol daedeung was allowed the use of any material,

policy in Korea changed to a new form. A product of the change

while the six dupum was permitted to use only finely meshed

in hat-wearing policy, the bokdu was a type of men’s hat, which was popular in the Tang Dynasty at the time. It initially consisted

silk, the four dupum to thin and coarse silk, and commoners to

04 ┃ Muyongchong grave mound (jougwan)

roughspun silk. Use of the bokdu continued through to the Goryeo Dynasty, during which bokdu of different materials and shapes would be worn by the king and bureaucrats in their official dress, depending upon the rank. The types of these hats varied from each side, the jeolgakbokdu with the gak pointing diagonally downwards, as well as the chaehwabokdu; by the time of King Gojong’s reign, hierarchical distinction with regards to the bokdu had largely disappeared and even the servants were permitted to wear one. 04

What is Gat ?

Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

the jeongakbokdu, with the gak protruding at right angles on

The portrait of King Gongmin at the Jongmyo shrine in Seoul depicts the monarch dressed in a danryeong, which is a type of robe with rounded sleeves worn by officials, along with a bokdu. In comparison with the depiction featured in the funerary portrait of Gang Min-cheom (National Treasure No.588), who was a Goryeo-era official at the baekkwan level, the former depiction of bokdu features gak that are wider and somewhat shorter in length. Furthermore, a small knot adorns the spot between the lower front tier of the hat and the higher back tier.

08 ┃ Grave of Zhanghuai-taizi Li Xian (651-684) (jeolpung) 09 ┃ Jeong Mong-ju (1337-1392) (samo) 10 ┃ King Gongmin (r.1351-1374) (bokdu) 11 ┃ Yi Po (?-1373) (balip)

Late Goryeo-era saw the induction of various customs from the Yuan Dynasty, including clothing and hats. In particular, this trend introduced the balip, which was a type of conical hat worn by Yuan officials, later modified with a different decoration adorning the top and renamed heukrip, to be worn by officials with the rank of baekkwan. To this end, the induction of the balip at the time served to establish the conical shaped hat as a part of the uniform for baekkwan officials, and contributed to the Joseon-era policy of using the conical hat as the prominent official hat in society. The balip is a round hat with a narrow brim, embellished at the top with a precious stone. The crown is flat and round, as is the brim. In the portrait of Yi Po, a Goryeo-era bureaucrat, the occupant is depicted as wearing a dark green robe and a Mongolian-style balip, while similar cases of officials wearing the balip are also shown in the portrait of Yi Jo-nyeon, another Goryeo-era official, as well as the mural in the grave of Bak Province.

What is Gat ?

Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

Ik, discovered in 2000 at Gobeop-ri, Miryang, Gyeongnam

been derived from the promulgation of Confucianism as well as the fact that they were used by literary figures and scholars in China. Towards the end of the Joseon period, the Daewongun’s decree for a more modest dress code replaced all large gat with smaller versions, and following the Gapsin Coup, Western hats began to dominate over the gat in Korean customs. 12

12 ┃ Men’s topknot cover (Sangtugwan)

The Joseon period placed an emphasis on Confucian values, such as the need to dress with propriety, and thus the development

13 ┃ Yi Gwang-sa (1705-1777) (Sabanggeon)

of official hats was particularly pronounced during this era. Joseon-era hats varied widely, ranging from flat-brimmed hats (pyeongnyangja) such as the paeraengi, chorip, heukrip, baekrip, jurip, okrorip, and jeonrip, to brimless hats (bangnip) such as the banggat and sakkat, which were used for different purposes and ranks. Among these, the heukrip stands out as the quintessential part of Joseon-era official headgear, and its invention holds great

14 ┃ Jangbogwan (Korea University Museum) 15 ┃ Heukgeon (Korea University Museum) 16 ┃ Jeongjagwan (Men’s indoor headdress) 17 ┃ Wongwan (Scholar’s headdress)

significance in that it was an indigenous creation adapted for everyday dress. In addition, since Joseon-era aristocrats were obligated to dress formally even within their residences, the necessity arose for more comfortable headgear to replace the gat. Therefore 16

China in their daily lives, such as the square-shaped banggwan and sabanggwan, as well as the dongpagwan, waryonggwan, 13

and the jeongjagwan, and the popularity of these hats may have What is Gat ?

Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

the nobility began wearing the various hats introduced through

The Joseon period aimed to recreate in the dress code Confucian values such as order and discipline, along with a sense of hierarchy and formalism, where an outfit with formality and propriety would accompany dignity and authority. Although the Joseon-era culture of headwear was a means of expressing the endeavor for such values, modern society no longer accommodates these old ideals. Under the Westernized fashion culture of todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Korea, the function of hats has been reduced to that of a fashion item, merely reflecting the trends of the particular period. Following the Enlightenment Period in Korea and the subsequent decree requiring short hair, men could no longer tie their hair at the top, and therefore hats became a popular substitute. Newspapers featured numerous advertisements for bowler hats, fedoras, hats for students and ladies, such adverts attracting customers through an appealing slogan celebrating hats as the gift of civilization. In reality, a range of hats had existed

18 â&#x201D;&#x192;Rites held at Clan family

to suit all forms of dress up to the Joseon period, and the gat

19 â&#x201D;&#x192; Royal ancestrial rites in Jongmyo shrine

alone was varied in its use depending on social class, status and

purpose. Nonetheless, Western hats gradually began to replace the gat. The Enlightenment Period brought broader changes to the dress code of the time, beginning with the tendency for officials to dress in suits for formal purposes, which, in turn, brought about the use of Western-style hats. Early forms of westernized full formal dress worn by bureaucrats in Korea included hats imitated from their counterparts in British formal wear, which were cocked hats with protruding brims to the front and back, as officials wore frock coats with silk hats imported from Britain. Since many schools and institutions began to introduce Western clothes as their uniforms, Western hats started to see greater use. Even in everyday wear, Western hats were worn, regardless of whether the outfit was Western or Korean overall.

What is Gat ?

Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

well as feather decorations at the top. For less formal occasions,

During this period, popular hats included Panama hats, fedoras

20 ┃ Black gat (heukrip)

and bowler hats, of which fedoras were particularly popular

21 ┃ White gat (baekrip)

due to its similarity to the gat, and even up to the 1970s, it

22 ┃ Official’s black hat (heuksamo)

was common to see elderly men wearing hanbok and fedoras.

23 ┃ Official’s white hat (baeksamo)

However, the 1960s saw a decline in the West of men wearing hats and therefore the use of hats in Korea declined accordingly; the 1980s saw an overhaul of school uniforms, and the abolition of Western-style school uniforms and hats introduced during the Japanese occupation. Today, hats that remain in common use include uniform hats such as those used in the military and the police force, as well as protective helmets, winter hats, various sporting hats, while 24 ┃ F edora and fedora iron

rarity.

25 ┃ English-style ceremonial attire

What is Gat ?

Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

the wearing of a hat for the purpose of formality has become a

The development of the gat over time: Changes in dress codes and hats.

In terms of headgear, the representative hat for Joseon-era

Examples for the use of the term heukrip can be found from as

men was the gat, whose socio-cultural context far surpasses

early as the 16th year of King Gongminâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reign during the Goryeo

the dictionary definition of the term. The development of the

Dynasty, and can be said to originate from the production of heukrip

gat has implications not only with regards to the influence of

decorated with jewelry befitting governmental status. The heukrip

Confucianism during the Joseon period, but also by representing

prevalent at this time, however, differed from those of the Joseon

the development of indigenous headwear in Korea. A diverse range

period, and the hat-top decorations on Goryeo-era heukrip allow the

of gat existed during the Joseon period, such as the paeraengi,

speculation that they may have been close in origin to the balip of the

chorip, heukrip, baekrip, jurip, okrorip, jeonrip, bangnip, and

Yuan Dynasty. The shape of the heukrip was finalized during Joseon,

sakkat, to be worn according to social status and occasion. In

and soon settled as the hat of choice for classes of prestige.

particular, the heukrip was the foremost component of Joseonera headgear policy as the representative official hat over the five centuries of the Joseon Dynasty, and to date, it remains in use for ceremonial purposes.

B in the mid 20c

in the mid 20c

in the early 20c

in the late 19c

18c-19c

17c-18c

A 445mm B145mm

A 403mm B160mm

A 375mm B140mm

A 330mm B140mm

A 250mm B107mm

A 292mm B115mm

A 640mm B204mm

A 645mm B190mm

A 723mm B195mm

Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

What is Gat ?

It would appear that following King Seongjong, the gat neared

Changes of the gat occurred along with such trends as the aesthetic sense of the time, restrictions based on social class,

its stage of completion. From the hemispherical crown and broad

the commonplace use of the gat by ordinary citizens and

brim of the balip, the gat was altered to have a more cylindrical

low-level officials. In terms of appearance, the popular

crown with a narrow top and broader base, and was produced using

hat went through changes in shape, size, brim width, as

a more diverse range of materials. Having undergone phases such as

well as the materials used in production and decoration.

the pyeongnyangja and chorip, headgear in Korea culminated in the

Such alterations are evident not only from archaic documents

heukrip, which is representative of the Joseon period.

regarding the restrictions placed based upon social status, but

The heukrip is made by attaching the yangtae (brim) to the

also from existing paintings and artefacts. According

daewu (crown), wherein the former is somewhat curved at the rim,

to Gyeongguk Daejeon, the complete codification of

while the latter is cylindrical and broader at the base, with a flat peak.

Korean law from Goryeo to Joseon, officials from the

The crown and brim are meshed using fine bamboo threads cut to

first rank to third rank were to use silver for the embroidery

a hair’s breadth, and the heukrip is completed with a black lacquer

of their hats, while royal families including daegun were permitted to use gold; hat-top decorations made of jade were permitted for

29 ┃ Men’s black top hat 26

worn by the gentry in their daily lives, and was an indigenous

officials in the administrative divisions of saheonbu (oversight

invention of Joseon, seeing the most widespread use until

on government), saganwon (oversight on monarchy), as well as

the latter days of the dynasty. Despite the popularity

gwanchalsa (provincial governors) and jeoldosa (military chiefs),

of the black variety, different occasions required

while government inspectors wore crystals on top of their hats. This

the use of different colors. For example, the red-

would suggest that the late Goryeo-era policy of wearing decorated

lacquered jurip was worn as a part of the uniform

heukrip was in place, at least around the time of King Seongjong. Although the precise form of early Joseon gat is indeterminable, records exist regarding the gat, heukrip, gojeonglip, jungnip, and chorip. The shape of the gat was first discussed during the reign of King Seongjong, when it was named the ibche-wonjeong-icheomgwang, meaning that it had “a round top and broad brim”. It was decreed that all gat would be produced to follow this format.

finish; the hat was considered a part of comfortable dress, mainly

for a military dangsanggwan (senior official), 26 ┃ Men’s black top hat (brim: 14, crown: 33) 27 ┃ Men’s black top hat (brim: 64, crown: 20.4) 28 ┃ Men’s black top hat housed in Hakbong Jongtaek (brim: 66, crown: 19.4)

while the white baekrip was worn on occasions of national mourning. While in some cases, only bamboo threads were used for the hat crown and brim, some used horsehair for the crown. Further distinctions can be made through the cover enveloping the crown and brim; depending on the material and method of production, the heukrip can be subdivided into categories such as the

The King proclaimed that the modern form of the gat had a low crown and narrow brim, which was highly divergent from past varieties, and thus ordered the master of laws to decree that the old format must be upheld.(Gyeongguk Daejeon) 27

What is Gat ?

Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

jinsarip, eumyangsarip, eumyangrip, mamirip, and porip.

From the chronology of changes made to the gat, it is evident

As criticized by Yi Deok-mu, who blamed

that the headgear was initially round at the crown with a broad

the arrogant conduct of the nobility entirely

rim, with the crown becoming gradually higher and the rim

upon the gat, the translucent headgear

remaining broad. During the reign of King Myeongjong, the

could neither provide shelter from rain nor

crown was excessively low to the point of resembling a small

sunlight, and yet the reverence that men had

plate atop a larger plate, while the brim resembled

towards their gat was exceptional. The gat

a small umbrella. This trend was mocked for its

was an ornate affair, not only with regards to

similarity to the hat worn by monks (seungnip);

the body of the hat, but also with the strap

the variation created to compensate for

(gakkeun). According to the Gyeongguk

this shape was, in turn, ridiculed for its

Daejeon, only officials above the level of

disproportionately high crown and narrow

dangsanggwan were permitted to use gold

brim. Alterations such as these show the

and jade on the strap of their gat, while the

effect of the cultural trends of the period

lower-level danghagwan were prohibited

upon the development of headwear.

from using agate, amber, coral, or lapis lazuli.

The social disorder and instability of the legal

Indeed, the gat of the 16th century towards the end of

system at the time led to the emergence of the

Yeonsangun’s reign showed many changes regarding the height

class-based regulation of gat straps as a social

of the crown and width of the brim. Headgear policy during the reign of King Jungjong was variable to the point of frivolity. The

issue.

gat of this period began with a tall crown and wide brim, to the end of this period, when the hat became even higher while the

Amber gat straps are reserved exclusively for the dangsanggwan,

brim became narrower. King Myeongjong’s reign saw the crown

but the recent trend of excess is worsening by day, to the extent

lowered and brim broadened again.

that bureaucrats, hereditary officials, and military officers, as well as dangsanggwan and chamha (lowest-level officials) are insisting on

Subsequently, complaints were made during King Hyojong’s

using amber. (Gyeongguk Daejeon)

time on the throne that the gat brim was too wide to the point of being caught on doorframes, while King Sukjong saw that Furthermore, the gat straps used by the nobility were

both the crown and brim were reduced to an extent that caused

comprised of beads made from ivory, agate and bamboo, of such

controversy as it was said to be in violation of past policy.

a length that some drooped down below the waist, and some

The hat-brims of olden days could barely cover the shoulders,

the ears. Changes were also seen in gat straps, such as the use

sat cross-legged. At present, the design of the gat is deplorable and

of silk thread. During King Yeongjo’s sojourn at a hot spring in

strange, being neither aesthetically pleasing nor easy to use. The

Gwacheon-hyeon, silk thread was first used along with precious

excessive size errs on the side of extravagance and wastefulness,

stones for the gat strap.

and there is a dire need to instigate regulations and discontinue this already-familiar custom in order to resist further negative repercussions.

at case made of paper, 30┃ 31┃ H and horsehair hat

32 ┃ Peacock feathers, and amber strings

What is Gat ?

Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

examples have been found, of a lengthy gat strap curled around

but now, they are too broad as to take up more space than a person

and became a hindrance in entering doorways. At this time, the height of the crown was set at four chi and five pun (13.5cm) using a pobaekcheok, a special ruler used for measuring items of clothing. Around the time of King Yeongjo’s reign in the 18th century, the crown’s height was raised and the brim broadened once again. As apparent from the cultural remains from the period, the gat of Yeongjo and Jeongjo’s reign had relatively wide brims, while the straps made of materials such as cloudy amber, amber and turtle shell added to the glamour. igh-ranking military official’s 35┃ H felt hat adorned with peacock feathers

The custom of using both beads and silk for the gat strap began during the vacation in Onyang; for the most part, it was out of concern that the

33┃ Jade accessory adorning the crown of the hat

gat strap would snap, but it persisted to become a customary practice.

34┃ Top of the hat

(Gyeongguk Daejeon)

The competition over the size of the gat and the lavishness of the strap was not only the culmination of the nobility’s desire to display their wealth, but also the somewhat more subtle show of the availability of leisure time necessary for dressing properly. Such pursuits became the measure upon which the nobility compared each other’s fashion and elegant taste. Through King Seonjo’s reign, the height of the crown was raised to around eight chi (24.14cm, 1 chi = 3.03cm) with a narrower brim. This trend was reversed in Gwanghaegun’s reign. of gyemi (1643) and gapsin (1644), the gat crown was suddenly made taller and larger, with the brim following suit to become much broader.” Minutes for discussions regarding official What is Gat ?

Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

Records of King Injo’s reign indicate that “following the years

dress policy during Hyojong’s reign document the complaint that the crown and brim of the gat became too tall and wide,

37 36

In the late Joseon period, the range of robes became more diverse, with variants such as the dopo, jungchimak, chang-ui, and hakchang-ui worn in accordance with time and occasion.

36 ┃ Cheonggeumsangryeon (Resounding geomungo and praiseworthy lotus), 1758, Shin Yun-bok

Po made for daily wear would have a straight lapel and broad sleeves, with a thin cord tied at the chest; various types of po could be distinguished through the presence of a side slit, side flair or a tail slit. Although the prevalence of white po would suggest a lack of diversity in terms of color, the combination of a robust and elegant white and the more reserved shade of black used on the gat create a sense of grace and sophistication not seen in any other outfit.

The latter days of King Sunjo’s sovereignty in the 19th century was when the gat became even larger, so that the brim would surpass the diameter of a person sat cross-legged (70 – 80cm). Headgear policy towards the end of King Heonjong’s rule was characterized in the Joseon-era encyclopedia of Ojuyeonmunjangjeonsango as having changed suddenly to accommodate a larger head capacity with a shorter brim, to around a ja (30.3cm). Following the dress code reform in the 21st and 34th years in King Gojong’s reign, both the crown and the brim were reduced in size. What is Gat ?

Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

omen’s cloak-shaped veil 37 ┃ W worn when going outside

favor of the narrow-sleeved durumagi, to be worn by all regardless of social class; thus the equality of the right to dress was established in Korea. Following the Enlightenment Period in Korea and the mixed use of hanbok and Western clothing, the wide range of overcoats that men customarily wore throughout the four seasons were narrowed down to the durumagi alone, while the jokki (vest) and magoja (outer jacket) were newly invented. Instead of the traditional outerwear of jangot, a winter overcoat, or durumagi, was also created for women. This is evident of the changes in hanbok in accordance with the 38

times. As seen above, the extensive development in the types of casual hats in the Joseon period was likely related to the social rules

Amidst the turbulence facing the late Joseon era arising

permeating Joseon society at the time, which emphasized the dress

from the opening of the country and cultural westernization, the

code. The Chinese headgear of geon were closely related to their

dress culture of Korea entered the path towards modernization, as

Joseon counterparts, and were worn by Taoist scholars, literary

traditional clothing became simplified, practical, and westernized.

figures, intellectuals with no desire for office, as well as individuals

Enlightenment in Korea sprouted from the reformist

with an established livelihood. Indeed, there is no doubt that the

movement of the late-18th century, although the more direct

black gat is actually a low functional and impractical hat. However,

cause was the Korea-Japan Ganghwa Treaty, succeeded

the care taken towards the gat, such as the act of using beaded strings

by the Korea-US Treaty of Amity and Commerce and the

to fasten the hat to the wearer’s head, and using galmo (rain cover

Korea-France Byeongja Treaty.

for hats made of oiled paper) and a heavy leather case to protect it

The westernization of men’s dress code initially began

from the rain, have cemented the dress culture of the period as being

with official uniforms, followed by student uniforms and

representative of the entire culture.

everyday wear. However, the phenomenon of westernization was limited to a section of the urban elite, whereas commoners stayed loyal to hanbok. For western visitors in Korea a century ago, the sight of the waves of black gat and white robes made a striking impression. The hanbok of this period newly added the magoja, a which was an imitation of the western waistcoat, with the latter being more convenient than its traditional predecessor due to the presence of buttons and pockets, therefore becoming widely worn by the public. In addition, wide-sleeved overcoats such as the dopo or chang-ui, which were reserved for the nobility, were abandoned in

38 ┃ Men's Magoja Clothes putting on layers of Jeogori (upper garment) 39 ┃ Men's waistcoats Clothes putting on layers of Jeogori (upper garment)

40 ┃ Hats of family on the picnic 41 ┃ Gat on hanbok and felt hat on Western clothes

What is Gat ?

Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

modified version of the Qing Dynasty’s magoe, as well as the baeja,

Such interest and care put into the gat originated from the social rules of the time, which emphasized etiquette, as well as the admiration for the artistic expression of the gat, in its elegant blackness and translucence. Explaining the various changes of the gat as a mere phenomena of trends lacks credibility. The diminishing use of the gat is the result of a change in the livelihood and dress code in the five hundred years of the Joseon Dynasty. The induction of Western clothing meant that the gat is no longer worn with everyday clothing. However, even today, it is said that family ceremonies, Confucian rituals and traditional events are only complete with the participants dressed in dopo, durumagi and gat. Just as hanbok was established as the proper mode of ceremonious dress, the gat remains in use for ceremonial purposes, thus continuing the tradition. The gat was an essential for any adult in the Joseon period, while gat-making was a commonplace scene that could be found anywhere in Korea at the time. Along with the fact that gat-making was the first among Korean traditional craftsmanship techniques to be designated as an Important Intangible Cultural Heritage, one might hope for a day when the gat is not a mere ornament gathering dust atop a wardrobe, but an essential item to go with a hanbok durumagi on Korean New Yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day.

43 â&#x201D;&#x192; Overview of gat, fedora in Western and student hats

What is Gat ?

Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

and other headgear worn by 42 â&#x201D;&#x192; Gat the status and uses

갓일 [Gannil]

Gat craftsmanship and variations

The process of gat making

The gat is a horsehair hat that consists of two basic elements, daewu (crown) and yangtae (brim). Although originally made of thinly sliced bamboo strands, the daewu, also called moja, was later replaced with a horsehair crown, called chongmoja. Craftsmen of the chongmoja and yangtae are respectively called chongmoja-jang (crown maker) and yangtae-jang (brim maker), whose products are finally assembled by ipja-jang, the craftsman who completes the hat by adding various accessories. A chongmoja is woven with the fine strands of hair from horse mane or tail, while a yangtae is made by weaving together bamboo strands into a disk shape with a hole in the center. Using simple tools and materials, the processes of completing a gat as well as manufacturing its components are delicate and meticulous practices.

The anatomy of a gat

Yeongja

Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

Gat Craftsmanship and Variations

1. Making Chongmoja 1) Materials and tools Chongmoja is made of ultra-fine horsehair strands. When making the crown of a hat, long strands of horsehair are used for the warp while oxtail hair is used for the weft, which is less limited in terms of length. Horsehair is collected by horse tenders from two-year-old horses with approximately 50 cm-

long tail hair. Extracting 600 grams of horsehair requires the tail hair of three horses. Strands of horsehair collected in Jeju

Ilgol (chongmojagol) refers to a cylindrical hat block made of wood, with a wider base. The hollow inside of the block is set on a hat block stand, which makes it easier to weave strands together. The surface of the block top (called cheonbak in the dialect of Jeju) is coated with thick fish glue. The glue is melted to fix a horsehair plait knot into place, which is the start point of the crown.

Island come in different colors, thickness and sheen, from which only the quality specimens are chosen. 44笏イhongmoja 45笏イhongmojagol

Golgeori (jugaepan)

Only a few tools are needed to make a crown, including ilgol, golgeori, chongsabal, chongbaneul and meokgol.

refers to a hat block stand with a rounded tip that allows the block to spin when strands of horsehair or bamboo are woven into a cylindrical crown. Chongbaneul (banongdae, soeggeul) refers to an iron needle with 15 cm in length. The bottom tip of the needle is shaped like a thin hook, which is used to weave horsehair strands on the hat block. The round tip of the needle bar is used to cut off excess strands of horsehair from the weave. Chongsabal refers to a bowl, which is used to immerse horsehair in water in order to preserve its elasticity.

refers to a hat block used when boiling a completed 44

horsehair crown.

Gat Craftsmanship and Variations

Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

Meokgol

Cheonbak tteugi

2) The process of making chongmoja

Cheonbak tteugi is done by weaving ten rows with two The crown making process begins by selecting high-

braids made out of four strands, followed by space-weaving

quality horsehair.

with a braid of four strands. Jeorimjul, a weft of four strands, is interwoven with two strands of warp and cross a strand of warp over.

Saengibangseok The making of a crown begins by tying a knot at the center

Space-weaving leaves gaps between warp strands, so it is

of the crown top, called saengibangseok. The process of

necessary to place supplementary warps in between the warps for four rounds over the course of weaving. During the first and

weaving the crown tip is as follows: eight strands of horsehair are folded in half to make a bundle of 16 strands; a knot is tied

second rounds of weaving, a supplementary warp is placed in between every warp; in the third round, a supplementary warp

with four bundles to form a warp of 64 strands; four strands

is added between every two warps; and in the fourth round,

are tied together at the top with a simple knot and two strands are braided into one thread; three rows (the rows are called

one is added between every three warps. The body of the

dollimjul) are woven with the braided threads; and the weave

crown is woven by using a weft of braided strands.

is placed onto the glue-coated hat block to start weft-and-warp weaving, in a technique called cheonbak tteugi.

Momjul The woven lines around the crown body are called momjul. Prior to interlacing strands around the crown body, the supplementary warps, called neuiching, are added between every three warps. After four lines are woven, the supplementary warps are pulled to flatten. Momjul is woven in

clutches of four rows. The crown tip features about 100 rows of wefts, while the body has more than 200 rows.

The starting point of space weaving

46â&#x201D;&#x192;The knot of Chongmoja

47â&#x201D;&#x192;Knitting the momjul

Gat Craftsmanship and Variations

Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

Saengibangseok knot (outside)

Momjul ttegi Momjul ttegi is the process of spacing the wefts evenly apart by separating the four rows of weft into two.

Block 48┃ Golbaegi processing in chong moja

The woven crown is placed onto a block called meokgol, and dipped into water and boiled for about 30 minutes

49┃ A boiled horsehair crown

to solidify the shape of the crown. The boiled crown is

After evenly spacing the wefts around the body, the entirety

subsequently dried in the shade and coated with thick black

of the crown tip is soaked with water and then lightly flattened.

ink, later to be separated from the block.

The body of the hat is then tapped up to separate the crown from the block. Loose supplementary warps are trimmed from the edge of the crown and turned inward for ink-coating.

50 51 52 50 ┃Chetching

51 ┃Duching 52 ┃Seuiching 53 ┃Neuiching

Gat Craftsmanship and Variations

Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

50 49

2. Making Yangtae

Tools for making a brim include mureupjjang, a knife, a whetstone, bitdaekeul, yangtaepani, teng-e-gudeok, meoreoksoe,

1) Materials and tools

gochiltdae, banongdae, ssalyeokeumsil, and meoreok. As in the case of making a horsehair crown, the brim can also be made

Yangtae is a brim made of bamboo. The brim is

using only a few tools.

manufactured by cutting and splitting the culms of quality bamboos to make bamboo strips and fine strands. Then, the

woven strips are placed on the brim-making board, with which the fine strands are twined to make the brim. The method of weaving dollimjul is the same as that of making the dollimjul of a horsehair crown, and a particular characteristic of the brim is bitdae (a sliver of bamboo stuck diagonally between

55 ┃Brown bamboo

Mureupjjang Mureupjjang refers to a tool used when a brim maker places bamboo strands on their knees and strips off layers of bamboo strands. It is used by attaching cotton strings onto leather.

naldae and joeuldae, the warp and weft strips, respectively) which has a unique structure and method of production.

Knife and a whetstone A knife and a whetstone are widely used through the work

naldae bitdae joeuldae

of geolmok, the preparation of bamboo strips and strands— cutting, trimming, and peeling off bamboo, then rubbing and separating them into strands of bamboo. The knife has a flat blade with a blunt blade tip.

Bitdaekeul Bitdaekeul refers to a wooden stick with blades at the end placed in the shape of “八” This stick is used to strip 54

off bamboo to produce trimmed slivers, including bitdae and saldae, by letting them through the opening.

Yangtaepani

54 ┃ Various yantae

consist of giant timber bamboos (or green bamboo) and brown bamboos (yellowish bamboo with bamboo flour). Brown bamboos are over two hand-spans in length and generally located in Damyang of South Jeolla Province and in the Jinju area in South Gyeongsang Province.

Yangtaepani (yukji, yangpan) refers to a brim-making board, the round wood block made of cherry tree or zelkova. Its center has a small round wood block, called eok, attached onto it and in the center of eok, there is a square opening, called eokgomang. Eok serves the role of holding the warp in place in the work of ssalyeokkeum.

Gat Craftsmanship and Variations

Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

The majority of the bamboos used for making brims

Teng-e-gudeok

2) The process of making Yangtae

Teng-e-gudeok is a bamboo basket over which Yangtaepani The making of a brim begins with the preparation of

is rested. It is an application of Gudeok making, indigenous

bamboos. Thick bamboos of three to four years in age and

to Jeju Island. It is equipped with a partition in the middle,

over 10 cm in diameter are chosen and then the nodes of the

creating space that can contain tools and materials used for 56

brim-making.

bamboos are cut, halved lengthwise by a knife, and again split into eight to ten slivers. The outer and inner parts of those slivers are then separated, the outer parts placed into a caldron and boiled, to be later taken out and dried in the sun. This

Gochitdae

process is called basunda.

Gochitdae is a slender piece of split bamboo. This tool

Geolmok refers to the preparation of bamboo strips and

adjusts the direction of meoreok when sticking bitdae. 57

Banongdae

strands used for the work of saldae, dollimjul, and bitdae in brim making. First of all, the boiled outer slivers are soaked in water, then thinly stripped to match the purpose. This process is called irunda in the Jeju dialect.

Banongdae is an iron implement generally used when weaving the weft into between the warp as with a horsehair

For strands to be used for saldae, the ends of the outer

crown.

layers of bamboo are split by a knife at regular intervals. This process is called jaeginda. 58

Salyeokkeumsil

The process of making bamboo strands for joeuldae uses outer strips thinly scraped off like a sheet of paper. The

Ssalyeokkeumsil refers to cotton thread used when braiding

craftsman splits the end section of a few bamboo slivers off

bamboo splits. Two threads are weaved by alternately crossing

with the thinness of a hair strand and crushes them against the

each other.

knife. This is called dalunda. The strands are rubbed against the knife, splitting them into

Meoreok

individual pieces. This process is called daejukinda. These strands are pressed and rubbed against the knees several times

Meoreok is a bamboo tool designed to help insert bitdae by making space between warps and wefts. Meoreok is curve. The front is pointy and the end is split horizontally to enable bitdae to be stuck.

57 ┃ Ends of bamboo strands 58 ┃ Bamboo strips crushed into strands

to arrange them neatly. To produce bamboo strands for the uses of saldae and bitdae, they are hackled a few times with bitdaekle to adjust their thinness; flatter for saldae, and rounder for bitdae.

Gat Craftsmanship and Variations

Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

manufactured by trimming a bamboo on one side to create a

56 ┃Bamboo strands

Ssalyeokeum is a regional term derived from the tendency of the Jeju dialect to pronounce the term sal more strongly. It refers to the work of alternating two strands of cotton to interlace with saldae (warp). The texture of the brim depends on the thickness

of the thread used in the work. When the bamboo strands and cotton have been twined to a sufficient length, their fitness for eok is measured. If adequate, the leftover cotton threads are twisted

from the first saldae to 10th to 15th saldae to a round shape and put it into the eok. Then, saldae plaits are put onto yangpan and pressed by an iron, jideulsoe. The work of weaving saldae and joeuldae, corresponding to warp and weft, respectively, is called maewang jatgi. The process begins from jingmit brim to menggeut brim. The first row is woven by using fine strands of bamboo; this method is

called jimil, meaning “extremely thin.” By 30 rows, fine bamboo strands are used, and after that, the weaving is continued with thicker strands. The number of weaving joeuldae determines the quality of

a brim. A brim with over 98 rows is of high quality while, those with below 95 rows are of low quality.

The work of adding bitdae is to insert bitdae obliquely,

forming a diagonal line by using meoreok with a square formed

59 59 ┃ Crushing bamboo slivers into strands

by naldae and joeuldae, when the weaving of joeuldae is done and turned over. The number of bitdae is always the same as the number of joeuldae. After applying fish glue to the completed brim, it is left to dry.

Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

Gat Craftsmanship and Variations

3) Making yangtae

3. The process and tools of gat making

Teujib jabgi

Trimming the edge of yangtae

1) Materials and supplies for gat making

Applying mixture of fish glue and ink to

yangtae

Making eungak

Preparation of bamboo strips and strands

Golbaegi (chongmoja)

Teujib jabgi using an iron

Making jukdaewu

Making cheongae

Attaching cheoldae and jimitdae

Nulli hapjang

2) Finishing work on chongmoja

Finishing and decorating work

Attaching bamboo strands and covering silk cloth

Making jeongte A attaching geocheoldae Attaching jeongte onto cheongae

Attaching cheongae into the inside of chongmoja with an iron

Attaching chongmoja to yangtae with an iron

4) Gat assembling

Attaching engak onto jimitdae

Applying black ink and lacquer to the top of chongmoja Attaching bamboo threads in a cross shape

Pierce holes for straps in jimitdae

Covering with silk cloth

Attaching jeonggot

Applying black ink and dry

5) Applying ink and lacquer and attaching jukryeong

Gat Craftsmanship and Variations

Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

Attaching motte onto the edge of the top of chongmoja

Attaching ttamdae to jimitdae and dwisae to eungak

1) Materials and supplies for gat making Preparation of bamboo cuttings and strands Bamboo culms are prepared to make various frames attached to the crown and brim of a gat, including cheoldae, geocheoldae, jimitdae, jeongte (also called an-motte), motte and ttamdae.

2. Cutting both sides of the outer frame evenly

Bamboo strands are needed to make decorative supplies, such as cheongae and eungak. The process of preparing bamboo materials is called Geummok. Cheoldae refers to the outer frame attached to the brim of

1. Bending a bamboo sliver with a heated iron to make cheoldae (outer frame)

a gat. The process of making the frame is as follows: bamboo culms are cut with a knife into several slivers of a required size; two sides of a sliver are cut evenly after the sheaths are peeled off; one of the slivers is bent with a heated iron and the craftsman cuts off the upper side of the exterior, where the brim is attached, with the knife, and the ends are tied with a string. Jimitdae is the inner frame of the brim, made of a bamboo sliver and constructed in the same way as cheoldae. The remaining bamboo slivers are trimmed to make geocheoldae, (a frame added to cheoldae) and ttamdae (thinly sliced bamboo strip attached to the inner frame

3. Cutting off the upper side of the frame

of the brim).

5. Jimitdae

Gat Craftsmanship and Variations

Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

4. Bending a bamboo sliver to make jimitdae (inner frame)

Cheongae and eungak are accessories made with bamboo strands attached to the crown of a gat. The thickness of strands depends on their purpose. The strands are produced by cutting and splitting one-joint black bamboo culms. The following is the process of preparing bamboo strands: bamboo culms are cut into even sticks and split into outer and inner bamboo slivers; the

split outer slivers are boiled in hot water for about five hours and shredded with a knife to an appropriate size; several slivers are bundled together with string and the tip of the bundle is sliced into a V shape; the bundle is placed on the knife fixed into the block stand and crushed by thumbs to separate thin strands; and

1. Cutting a bamboo culm into slivers

2. Cutting a bamboo culm into slivers

the strands are trimmed by rubbing against knees or with hands.

4. Splitting bamboo sticks into outer and inner slivers

Gat Craftsmanship and Variations

Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

3. Cutting a bamboo culm into slivers

6. Outer and inner bamboo slivers

7. Slicing the tip of a bundle of bamboo slivers

5. Splitting bamboo sticks into outer and inner slivers

8. Crushing bamboo slivers into strands

9. A bundle of sliced bamboo slivers prepared to be made into strands

Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

Gat Craftsmanship and Variations

Making eungak Eungak refers to a decorative accessory attached to the inside edge of the crown as a stiffener after the crown is joined to the brim. The product quality of a horsehair hat depends on the number of bamboo strands (from one to four strands) used for this accessory and the patterns (diagonal cross or diagonal line pattern). The patterns made with bamboo strands are called eungaksae. The procedure undertaken for the making of eungak is as

1. Putting a long bamboo strip around the block to make eungakseon

2. Putting a binetdae stick in between the eungak and the block to separate

follows: an eungak block is hung on the block stand and bamboo bands are glued onto the surface of the block; a long strip of bamboo is glued in a spiral on the block (the long strip is called eungakseon); eungaksae patterns are made by putting together thin bamboo strands with fish glue and ironing; and a thin bamboo

stick, called binetdae, is used to separate finished eungak from the block. The bamboo accessory is dried on a shelf shaped like a grill basket, called beoreong, and coated with glue, to be cut out for use when needed.

4. A finished eungak 3. Making of eungak â&#x20AC;&#x201C; gluing bamboo strands to make eungaksae patterns Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

Gat Craftsmanship and Variations

Making cheongae Cheongae refers to an accessory added to the inside of a horsehair or bamboo crown top as a decorative stiffener. The process of making this accessory is as follows: bamboo strands are placed in a grid shape on a small square frame; the grid of

strands are coated with fish glue and separated from the frame; a heated iron is used to attach it to jeongte (the inner frame of the crown tip); and it is coated with black ink and dried on the

2. Before and after the process of golbaegi

shelf.

Golbaegi Chongnoja Golbaegi refers to a process of straightening a horsehair

1. G olbaegi â&#x20AC;&#x201C; momjul ttegi (spacing the weft strands evenly apart)

crown before attaching decorations and stiffeners. The process is as follows: a horsehair crown is placed on a hat block and a needle is used to evenly space the woven strands of its body; it is

then boiled in hot water for about five hours and coated with thin fish glue; and it is dried for a day and separated from the block.

Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

Gat Craftsmanship and Variations

Making jukdaewu Jukdaewu refers to a bamboo crown made by putting together fine bamboo strands one by one. It can be used for all types of

gat, ranging from those of the highest to the lowest quality.

The highest-quality gats use crowns with three to four layers of bamboo strands, while inferior gats use crowns made by gluing strands in a diagonal cross shape covered with hemp cloth. 1. Attaching bamboo strands to the crown block

2. Finished bamboo crowns

Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

Gat Craftsmanship and Variations

2) Finishing work on Chongmoja This process is not required for the making of bamboo crowns.

equal parts; and a thin frame (called motte) is attached to the

It is carried out prior to joining the crown to the brim after the

outer edge of the crown tip, coated with glue and then left on the

golbaegi process is completed. Horsehair hats have different

shelf to dry.

names depending on the materials attached to the crown during the finishing phase, such as jinsarip (silk threads attached to the crown), juksarip (bamboo threads attached) and porip (covered with silk or hemp cloth).

The process of covering the crown with silk or hemp cloth is as follows: water is sprayed evenly onto a sheet of raw silk fabric and he fabric is stuck onto the bottom half of the crown and attached to the surface of the crown by iron; the process is repeated for the top half of the crown; the point on the crown

Finishing and decorating work

body where the two pieces of cloth adjoin is pressed by iron; the remaining cloth is cut from the crown tip and then from

The process begins by decorating and stiffening the tip of the crown after the woven strands of the crown are evenly spaced. The following is the process of finalizing the crown: a bamboo stick is prepared to make the inner frame of the crown tip; the

stick is shredded into slivers and a heated iron is used to bend the slivers; the ends are tied together with a piece of silk cloth and

heated to fix the circular shape; the bent sliver is split into thinner pieces and one end of a sliver is sliced to make the joint smooth;

a frame is made to fit the inside of the crown tip; a pre-prepared cheongae is placed on the frame and pressed into place with a

glue is applied to where the cloths adjoin; the crown is covered with another piece of raw silk fabric; one more piece of silk is

stuck around the crown tip; the silk-covered crown is left on the

shelf to dry and trimmings are removed by knife and iron; and a motte is attached around the crown tip depending on the type of hat; glue is applied and dried. Jeonggot is a decoration made of hanji, which is attached to the inside of the crown tip.

heated iron, and excess strands around the frame are trimmed;

After the decoration and finishing touches, the finished crown

the cheongae-attached frame is coated with black ink and glue,

is placed onto the hat block and the bottom circumference of the

then left to dry on the beoreong; it is then glued to the inside of

crown is measured to make an inner frame of the brim. The inner

the crown and the crown is placed onto the block and the frame

frame is coated with black ink then dried.

is fixed to the inside of the crown tip with the iron; the crown is coated with black ink and glue, then left to dry on the beoreong;

two strands of bamboo are attached in a cross shape from the tip to the bottom of the crown, which divide the crown tip into four

Gat Craftsmanship and Variations

Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

adjoining point, by pressing the knife while pulling the cloth;

3) Making yangtae The manufacturing of a brim refers to the process of enveloping in silk cloth or attaching bamboo or silk strands one by one, according to the needs of each beoreong and type of hat. This process represents gatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s aesthetic characteristics and uniqueness. The gracious curve and fabric of yangtae is attributed to the process of bending the flat, bamboo-weave brim with a hot iron to give a gentle curved shape. The beauty of the brim is created by a complicated process of attaching hair-thin bamboo or silk

Teujib jabgi (curving the brim) A brim maker, yangtae-jang, cuts and trims the parts of bamboo strips that stick out from the edge of yangtae, while heating three irons in the brazier in preparation for this work. Next, fish glue mixed with the diluted solution made from the

inkstick is applied to the brim. The brim is allowed to briefly dry on the beoreong and put on the brim-making board, and then, the brim maker adjusts the temperature of irons and swiftly bends the brim.

strands one by one, by type of gat. In addition, by covering thin

Three types of irons are used in the process of bending the

hemp cloth over them, the combination of both fabrics of the

brim, called teujib jabgi. One with a small round base is used to

brim and textile, lending a newly refined, transparent sensibility

sear and bend the end of the brim. Another with a flat, long side

to the brim.

is used to make a gentle curve from the inner rim to the center and to the edge of the brim on the exterior surface. A mediumsized iron with a round front is used to press and bend the end of the brim. After finishing this work, the prepared cheoldae and jimitdae

frames need to be attached to the brim. For this, first, the size of the brim is adjusted with regards to those outer and inner frames, and the point at which these frames are joined is marked using an iron, and then the unnecessary ends and edges of the bamboo are promptly severed. Fish glue is applied, and the end result is left to dry in the beoreong. Using a hot iron, the brim is seared attached to the outer frame are scraped off with a knife. In order to have them linked smoothly, layers are cut off from both ends of the outer frame that are linked to each other, then fish glue is applied to be attached by a searing iron.

Gat Craftsmanship and Variations

Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

and attached to the outer frame. The remaining parts of the brim

For the work of combining the jimitdae with the brim, firstly, the circumference of the crown is measured and a curved inner frame is made accordingly. Then, it is placed beneath the brim and checked with the flat stick whether the intervals are regular, and marked in four points with a hot iron. As the brim is turned, it is seared and attached to the inner frame with the iron, and then the remaining interior section of the brim is cut off with the knife As the brim is turned, its balance must be checked and modifications must be made by searing and adjusting the outer frame with an iron. The end of the inner frame and corners of the outer frame are severed for smoothness. A sufficient amount of

fish glue must be applied onto the brim attached to the inner and outer frames, then left to dry in the beoreong, before Chinese ink is applied. 3. Curving the flat-bamboo-weave brim

2. Curving the flat-bamboo-weave brim

4. Curving the flat-bamboo-weave brim

Gat Craftsmanship and Variations

Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

1. Applying mixture of fish glue and ink

9. Trimming the remaining of the brim attached to jimitdae

6. T rimming the remaining of the brim attached to cheoldae

5. Attaching cheoldae to the brim

8. Attaching jimitdae to the brim 7. The linkage of both ends of cheoldae

11. Balancing the curves of a brim

Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

Gat Craftsmanship and Variations

Nulli Hapjang Nulli hapjang refers to the process of reinforcing cheoldae and jimitdae attached to the brim by applying sheets of traditional Korean paper cut to a regular size, with a searing iron. Following this process, Chinese ink and fish glue must be applied and the brim must be checked to have all openings sealed.

2. Nulli hapjang of cheoldae

1. Nulli hapjang of jimitdae

Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

Gat Craftsmanship and Variations

Attaching bamboo strands and covering silk cloth Hats vary depending on the main materials used over the crown and the brim. A hat called porip is made by covering silk or hemp cloth over the crown and the brim; jinsarip and juksarip by attaching fine strands of silk thread and bamboo, respectively.

The processes of covering silk or hemp cloth over the brim are similar: water is spread evenly over cloth which is then placed over the brim; it is attached to the outer frame, then the portion of jimit is singed and cut; the cloth is trimmed with a knife and then, using the heated iron, it is singed clean off from the outer and inner frame parts.

1. Attaching silk threads

2. Attaching bamboo strands

Deungsa refers to the work of attaching each strand of bamboo or silk thread over the brim. Generally, the strands are attached outward, with wider spaces in the upper part than in the lower. Using a heated iron, the strands are seared and attached only to cheoldae and jimit. After this work, the remainders from both parts are singed and cut with an iron and smoothed out. The work is finished by applying glue and ink.

Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

Gat Craftsmanship and Variations

Attaching geocheldae As a reinforcement, geocheoldae is added to cheoldae, the brim attached to which is already covered by silk cloth or attached by fine strands of bamboo. With the brim stuck between legs, by using a heated iron, the outer strip of bamboo is attached to cheoldae by gently pressing the stripâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s middle part and then the upper and lower parts, against cheoldae. After sticking the outer strip around cheoldae, the brim is placed on the board and checked while the frame is seared with an iron. This geocheoldae is trimmed with a knife, smoothed out and then coated with glue and paint. While doing this work, glue is applied underneath the inner frame, to which the hat is attached.

1. Attaching geocheoldae

Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

Gat Craftsmanship and Variations

4) Gat assembling The final step of making a hat is called gat assembling, or mot bakgi. Saliva is applied on the interior of jimit and the lower portion

1. Attaching a crown

2. Attaching eungak

of the crown is gently pressed onto the brim. Putting a hand inside the crown, the craftsman adjusts its height using binetdae. If it is balanced, four corners are marked with a heated iron, then pressed and seared. The portion sticking out from jimitdae is cut away and glue is applied to the interior of jimitdae to allow the eungak to be placed. The prepared eungak is cut to fit the circumference of jimitdae. The dwisae, made with traditional Korean paper, is placed where both ends adjoin. Subsequently, glue is applied and the hat is left to dry. The ttamdae is coated with Chinese ink and glue, then placed on the beoreong. Saliva is applied onto the portion on which ttamdae is to be hung below the decorative accessory of eungak, and then it is trimmed and smoothed. Holes are pierced for the string for gat, with a heated garakggoji (awl). 3. Applying ink to ttamdae

4. Attaching ttamdae

Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

Gat Craftsmanship and Variations

5) Applying ink and lacquer and attaching jukryeong First of all, an inkstick is ground against an inkstone to make dense ink, and the hat is turned, with black ink applied to every

Finishing lacquer coating on cheoldae by hand

part of the hat from the interior, including the behind ttamdae and jimit. It is then left to dry. After the ink coating dries, the lacquering process begins

from the interior of the hat. For the final step, the craftsman

turns the hat, while finger-coating cheoldae, ttamdae, motte, and jimitdae with lacquer. The lacquer coating must then dry for 24

hours in the chiljang. Several repetitions of this process allows for a graceful black coating on the gat.

Gat on the shelf inside chiljang

Gat Craftsmanship and Variations

Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

Attaching jukryeong(straps)

Tools for gat making

Malchong

Inksticks and glue

Horsehair

An inkstick is used to color the hat black prior to lacquering. The glue is used to put together parts of the hat, including bamboo strands, bamboo, yangtae, and cheoldae.

Bamboo

Traditional Korean paper, hanji

Used for making bamboo strands for yangtae, crown, eungak, and mojeong.

Used as a finishing material for the round top of the crown, and for nuli hapjang work of jimitdae and cheoldae, and used to make decorative patterns, such as jeonggot, dwisae, and floral decorations.

The thickness of bamboo strands can vary depending on their uses.

Bamboo

Traditional Korean lacquer, ot

Used for making jimitdae, eungakseon, jeongtae, ttamdae

Used for dying the interior and exterior of gat

The width and thickness of split bamboo can vary depending on its uses. Inner bamboo strips are used for ttamdae and geocheol.

Silk cloth, silk thread

For cheoldae (five culms in length)

Silk cloth is used in the finishing phase, or when making porip for covering the crown and brim.

Used for the manufacture of eungak, cheongae, and a bamboo crown. When making a juksarip, the fine strands of bamboo are attached over the brim.

Silk thread is used when making a jinsarip for attaching strands of silk thread over the brim.

Gat Craftsmanship and Variations

Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

Bamboo

Knife

Ssamjigol

Preparation of bamboo culms

With the upper narrow and the lower wide, this block has a groove which enables it to be hung onto a block stand.

Used for various purposes, including cutting bamboo culms, stripping them off, and separating them into individual pieces.

Golbaegi for making bamboo crowns is a crown block (hat block), while golbaegi to make eungak is called an eungak block.

Yangpan and Yangpandae Yangpan refers to a brim-making board on which a brim is placed when giving a brim a gentle curve by using a heated iron.

Binetdae This bamboo stick is used to separate a hat or eungak from the block.

A brazier and irons A charcoal brazier is used to melt fish glue or heat irons. Irons are used for the decorating and finishing work and beoreong, and to put together bamboo strands or attach the strands to cheoldae.

Garakggoji and chongbaneul

Various irons are used for a variety of purposes. When curving the brim, a medium-sized iron with a wide base is used. This process begins from the end of the brim and is finished with the wide iron.

A tool to make a hole in the stamped string of a gat. This needle is used for the process of golbaegi, to make eungak, or to adjust the space of cheongae

Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

Gat Craftsmanship and Variations

Beoreong Used to dry the ink- or glue-coated brim, cheoldae, and jimitdae. Made by weaving slivers of bamboo, beoreong is hung from the ceiling and its height can be adjustable.

Guiyal (brushes) Different brushes are used for applying glue, ink, and lacquer.

Chiljang (Lacquer equipment) A piece of equipment with a shelf inside that maintains proper moisture and temperature to help the lacquered hat dry inside it.

Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

Various types of gat

Classification by materials

Hats are distinguished according to the main material used in their production. The periodical changes in size and

Hats are classified based

materials, combined with the emergence of various symbols

on the main and additional

and decorations, have given way to a variety of the heukrip, or

materials used. The brim,

black hat. Even though they are manufactured based on the same

one of the major components,

materials and methods, hats can be classified by their purposes with the addition of different colors and embellishments.

For instance, baekrip, a white hat, is used for national mourning of royalty; jurip, a red hat, for civil and military officials of the senior third rank or higher, envoys dispatched to

foreign countries, or the royal bodyguards; jukjeonrip was worn

by high-ranking military officials when the king was dressed in

is affected by the thickness and the number of saldae, the number and density of

dollimjul and the number of bitdae. According to these variables, the brim can be thinly and gently woven or sparsely and stiffly woven. The difference in the width of brims does not influence the

quality of hats. A hat with a horsehair crown is called a horsehair

military uniform. Hats with jade ornaments are generally referred

hat. Whether the horsehair hat is loose or tight depends on the

to as heukrip or jurip, whose tops were decorated with jade, and

thickness of the horsehair strands and the number of dollimjul.

worn by active and former civil and military officials as a part of

Bamboo hats are constructed by attaching fine strands of bamboo together. The way they are attached decides the quality of hats and

their military uniform.

produces various brims with different characteristics in fabrics and density. Thus, hats vary depending on the main materials and complementary resources. The hats with silk and bamboo crown and brim include jinsarip, eumyangsarip, and eumyangrip; those covered by hemp cloth, silk, ramie fabric, or cotton are called 60

63 ┃The stucture of Chongmoja

porip.

64 ┃Gat worn by Jeong Tak 65 ┃ Horsehair hat from Geoheon Gotaek, a Joseon-era residence (Sosu Museum) 66 ┃ Black hat (Seoul National University Museum) 67 ┃ Gat of Pungsan Kim clans (Sosu Museum)

naldae bitdae joeuldae

60 ┃Weaving joeuldae 61·61-1 ┃ Dollimjul (100, 300) 61-1

62 ┃ The structure of yangtae

Gat Craftsmanship and Variations

Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

Jinsarip Jinsarip refers to a bamboo hat of high quality with

Juksarip

70 68

The production process of juksarip is the same of jinsarip, but

a refined brim manufactured through the repeatedly

use fine strands of bamboo instead of silk threads, which

attaching fine strands of bamboo over three

are attached to the crown and brim. The value of this hat

or four times. Craftsmen making

is similar to that of jinsarip.

crowns and brims use heated irons to sear and put together Eumyangsarip

silk threads one by one. As

Eumyangsarip is a horsehair hat constructed to a high quality.

for the crown, strands from the main body are put together to the

The quality of eumyangsarip depends on additional materials and

crown top and in particular, strands of thread

the width of the silk thread put together over the brim. A hat with

on the top must be placed at a regular interval. To ensure the

the highest grade is constructed through the golbaegi process

splendor of the hat, hanji embellishments called jeonggot and

along with the addition of cheongae and jeonggot; the next grade

eungak are added to the inner frame of the crown and the braid of

down is made through the golbaegi process and the addition of

silk threads is attached around the part where the crown and brim

68 ┃ Jinsarip (Seoul National University Museum)

join. This hat was generally worn by the king and noblemen.

69 ┃ Attaching of strands on the ungi

70 ┃ Gat of Jeong tak(1526-1605) (Korean Studies Advancement Center) 71

┃ Eumyangsarip

collection)

(private

72 ┃ Comparison of the attachment of bamboo strands and silk threads

only jeonggot; another grade lower refers to hats made solely by the golbaegi process. Low quality eumyangsarip is constructed by hand with a sparsely woven horsehair brim. The braid thread used for this type of hat is blue.

Gat Craftsmanship and Variations

Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

Eumyangrip

Baekrip

Eumyangrip is a hat of lower quality than eumyangsarip,

Baekrip refers to a white hat worn during occasions such

constructed with a medium-quality brim and a bamboo or

as when one was in mourning for a deceased family

horsehair crown. The brim is covered with silk cloth,

member or when the nation was mourning the passing of a king. White hats were worn

while bamboo or silk threads are put together one by one on the exterior of the crown. Green braided

as early as the early Joseon period. While

threads are attached underneath the crown.

the Five Rites of the State (state protocol and etiquette) required the use of a white

hat during the mourning period, various Porip

historical records show that it was not the

Porip is made by covering the brim and crown with cloth. It

only hat worn in mourning. People often wore

is for everyday wear and easier to construct. The product quality

black hats in mourning, but the controversy over the use of black

of this type of hat depends on the kind of cloth cover, the

hats continued until the reign of King Myeongjong. White hats

width of the brim and the height of the crown. Men

were made in the same way as cloth-covered hats: covered with

of the ruling class in the 18th century favored cloth-

cloth but not coated with lacquer or black ink. The crown was

covered hats with a wide brim measuring

made simply by attaching bamboo strands in a diagonal cross

around 72cm in diameter. The brim was

pattern and covering the surface with white cloth. More simply,

densely woven and the crown was made

it was made only with hemp or ramie cloth. This kind of white

by attaching three to four layers of bamboo

hat did not feature decorative stiffeners, such as eungak, as used

strands. The porip was likely regarded as among the highest

in the usual cloth-covered hat because it was made in haste

quality types of covered hats.

during the period of mourning. Instead, a ttamdae (a thinly sliced bamboo strip) or a piece of hanji was attached to the inner frame of the brim. When the mourning period ended, some of the white

73 ┃ Goeheon Gotaek House (Sosu Museum)

hats worn by mourners were coated with black ink and used for

74 ┃ Porip

everyday wear.

75 ┃ A horsehair hat belonging to the Pungsan Kim clans

77·77-1 ┃ Jeongmyo heukrip (baekrip coated with black lacquer)

77-1

Gat Craftsmanship and Variations

76 ┃ Baekrip

Jurip

Okrorip

Jurip looks similar to heukrip (black hats).

The name okrorip comes from the heron-shaped jade ornament

It was made by covering the surface of a gat

(the Korean-adapted Chinese characters of ok and ro refer

with red silk or coating it with red lacquer.

to jade and heron, respectively) attached to the top of

Red hats with no joints on the horsehair-woven brim and

black or red horsehair hats. To be precise,

crown were considered to be of the highest quality. Civil and

okrorip should be regarded as a style of

military officials of the senior third rank or higher

hat ornament, not as a type of horsehair

wore this hat as a part of the ceremonial uniform

hat. Such jade ornaments could only

for trips abroad as envoys or attendance with the

be attached to the top of highest quality

king during royal trips. The red hat was usually

horsehair hats with a silk layer, such as

decorated with three kinds of accessories: two or three

jinsarip or eumyangsarip. Usually, bell-shaped crowns were

white plumes, beaded straps and a crown-top ornament, which

decorated with the jade ornaments.

shows the official rank of the wearer.

According to the Seonghosaseol, the Collected Works of Seongho, the use of okro ornaments was strictly regulated: only the officials higher than the junior second rank could wear jade

Jukjeonrip

ornaments. Daejeonhoetong, the national code published during

Jukjeonrip is an official

hat, which was worn by the officials of a high rank. The overall shape of this hat

the late Joseon period, also required active and former civil and

military officials to use the jade hat ornaments when they wore

their military uniform. This shows that the wearing of okrorip

looks similar to an ordinary horsehair hat,

continued through to the end of Joseon Dynasty. The difference

with a round or flat crown tip and a slightly

curved brim. As with other kinds of horsehair hats, it is uses a crown and a brim woven with bamboo strands. The exterior of

┃ Okrorip

(Chang Pudeok Memorial Gallery, Ewha Womans University)

the crown and brim is covered with a layer of silk or sheets of

Name

cloth, depending on the official rank of the wearer. The decorative

Jinsarip

accessories such as crown-top ornaments, peacock feathers and

Eumyangsarip

plumes, are also distinguished according to the status of the 81

wearer. The red tassel attached to the crown tip looks similar to 78 ┃ Jurip (Onyang Folk Museum)

79 ┃ Jurip (Sungkyunkwan University Museum) 80 ┃ Jukjeonrip (Seoul National University Museum) 81 ┃ Jukjeonrip in the portrait of King Cheoljong (r.1849-1863) (National Palace Museum of Korea)

attach okro ornaments or not.

Materials for crown

Stiffening supplies for crown and brim

bamboo threads

horsehair

silk threads

bamboo crown

√

bamboo threads

Color

Hapsa (decoration)

Hat ornaments

cloth

black

red threads

jade, plumes

√

black

blue threads

plumes

√

black

green threads

Eumyangrip

bamboo crown

horsehair crown

√

Porip

bamboo crown

horsehair crown

√

black

white

jade, plumes, crown-top ornaments

red and purple threads

jade, plumes, crown-top ornaments

Baekrip

bamboo crown

√ ramie and hemp

Jurip

bamboo crown

√

red (inside: black)

vcrown

√

black

jukjeonrip

Gat Craftsmanship and Variations

Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

that of mojeonrip, a luxurious official hat made of pig hair.

between jukjeonrip and okrorip is whether a hat has a loop to

장인 [Skill holder]

Transmission and Preservation of Gat: People Weaving Tradition

Horsehair crafts and artisans

Gat or horsehair hat served as a symbol of formal costume that represents the personality of classical scholars in the past. Different materials used led to creating the hat with unique and distinctive flavor. As a handicraft with exceptional beauty, its diverse shapes reflected the change in the trend over time. Such beauty and charm can be said to be derived from gat-making process; the traditional hat is the fruit of a great deal of time and effort by three skilled artisans into a meticulous process of over 50 steps.

Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

Transmission and Preservation of Gat : People Weaving Tradition

100

101

Gat is made of diverse materials such as horsehair, bamboo, silk thread and silk cloth. It requires the delicate producing techniques and scientific precision to create its unique shape. Making the hat is divided into three main parts: making chongmoja, a cylindrical crown; weaving yangtae, a brim; and joining the two parts to complete the hat. In other words, three skilled artisans are required: chongmoja-jang who weaves the crown; yangtae-jang who makes the brim; and ipja-jang who assembles the crown and brim and coast it with silk. The creation of a single piece of the hat involves a thorough process that requires deft craftsmanship during each of its 51 steps: 24 steps to make the brim by splitting bamboo to make a bamboo thread finer than a hair; 17 steps for the crown made of horsehair; and 10 steps to properly join the two parts. Although each component is made by going through different process just like division of labor, it is artisans’ exquisite skills embedded in each step that brings about completion of a piece of work. The history of gat can be viewed as gat artisans’ history. According to Gyeonggukdaejeon (National Code), there were 116 artisans making official hats in 7 categories at the beginning of the Joseon Dynasty. The figure increased to 1,524 in 26 categories in the late Joseon Dynasty, the record from Uigwe (records of court banquets). As the type of official hat craftsmen time, the number of artisans significantly increased; yangtaejang divided into yangtae-jang and yeonjuk-jang, moja-jang into moja-jang, dugeon-jang and ieom-jang. In addition, manggeon-jang, who makes manggeon or Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

102

headband, was divided into mami-jang handling horsehair; mangsu-jang, making a front part of the headband; eomangjang, specializing in making a king’s headband; and gwanjajang making mainly the ornament of headband. Although Jeju

Province, Jeongpyeong in Hamgyeong Province, Gadeok Island in Gyeongsang Province, Jeolla Province and Jeju Island. By the end of the Japanese colonial period of the early 1900s, a fair number of gat workshops were in business in some regions including Gimje, Yecheon, and Daegu. However, after the liberation of Korea from Japanese colonial rule in 1945, reduced demand for the hat resulted in a remarkable decline in the number of workers, and only a few artisans were engaged in the business. In those days, men had to dress up in traditional custom, including an overcoat (dopo) and traditional long coat (durumagi) along with the gat, at formal occasions such as ancestral rituals and weddings, which led to some modest demand for the traditional hat. However, in the 1960s the traditional ceremonial costume gradually disappeared, thereby bringing about another drop in the demand for the horsehair hat. In 1964, the Korean government, determined to safeguard disappearing traditional craftsmanship, designated Korea’s national craft technique as Important Intangible Cultural Heritage and began fostering the

Island serves as the center of horsehair crafts at present, the

transmission of craft skills to the next generations. As a part of

handicraft was commonplace all over the nation during the

the effort, three types of gat making artisans—chongmoja-jang,

Transmission and Preservation of Gat : People Weaving Tradition

was broken down in the late Joseon era compared to the earlier

Joseon Dynasty including Jeongju and Taecheon in Pyeongan

103

yangtae-jang and ipja-jangâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;were designated as skill holders of Important Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 4 with an aim to preserve and transmit their unique skills and techniques. Currently five active masters are designated in gannil or gat making by the central government and details are tabulated as follows. They include honorary master Kim In and Kang Sunja as chongmoja-jang; Jang Sun-ja as yangtae-jang; and Chung Choon-mo and Park Chang-yeong as ipja-jang. In addition, there are masters designated by local governments; Song Ok-su (1925, gobun yangtae-jang of Jeju Island Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 12) and Jang Jeong-sun (1947, yangtae-jang of Gyeonggi Province Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 51). They are all endeavoring to hand down the tradition of gat making.

Gender

Address

Date of Designation

Note

Kim In (1920)

Female

Dodu 1-dong, Jeju City, Jeju

Feb. 1, 1985

Honorary skill holder

Kang Sun-ja (1946)

Female

Jocheon-eup, Jeju City, Jeju

Sept. 25, 2009

Skill holder

Name (Birth Year)

Chongmoja-jang Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

104

Chung Choon-mo (1940)

Male

Opo-eup, Gwangju City, Gyeonggi -do Province

May 1, 1991

Skill holder

Park Chang-yeong (1943)

Male

Soha 1-dong, Gwangmyeong City, Gyeonggi -do Province

Jul. 22, 2000

Skill holder

Female

Jocheon-eup, Jeju City, Jeju

Jul. 22, 2000

Skill holder

Ipja-jang

Yangtae-jang

Jang Sun-ja (1940)

Current Masters of Gannil, Important Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 4

Transmission and Preservation of Gat : People Weaving Tradition

Category

105

Chongmoja-jang

Kang Sun-ja

Kim In

Born in 1946 Date of Designation: September 25, 2009

Awards: 1980, 1981 and 1884 won awards at the 5th, 6th and 9th Korean Annual Traditional Handcraft Art Exhibition

Awards: 1987 awarded at the 12th Korean Annual Traditional Handcraft Art Exhibition

Activities: 1985- presented works to exhibitions for traditional crafts of important intangible cultural heritage

Activities: 2009- presented works to exhibitions for traditional crafts of important intangible cultural heritage

Kim In, born in Dodu-dong, Jeju Island, started learning the

Kang Sun-ja is a daughter of Kim In, the honorary master of gannil,

skills of weaving the chongmoja of gat as living together with Oh

the Important Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 4. She has inherited

Song-juk, the first skill holder generation. On February 1, 1985,

skills of making the chongmoja from her mother and served as a skill

she was designated as a chongmoja-jang of gannil, Important

holder since she was designated in September 2009. Her daughter Yang

Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 4.

Yun-hee (37), designated a scholarship apprentice, is ready to carry on a third generation family business.

Transmission and Preservation of Gat : People Weaving Tradition

Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

106

Born in 1920 Date of Designation: February 1, 1985

107

Ipja-jang

Chung Choon-mo

Born in 1943 Date of Designation: July 22, 2000

Awards: 2001 received the Appreciation Plaque from the Prime Minister, 1984 won the Prize of the Minister of the Culture and Information at the 9th Korean Annual Traditional Handcraft Art Exhibition, 1978 won the Silver Award at the Korean Annual Traditional Handcraft Art Exhibition

Awards: 1973-1989 won prizes several times at the Korean Annual Traditional Handcraft Art Exhibition Activities: 2000- presented works to exhibitions for traditional crafts of important intangible cultural heritage, 2004 donated the gat to the Lee Young Hee Museum of Korean Culture in New York

Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

Chung Choon-mo, born in Yecheon, North Gyeongsang Province,

Park Chang-yeong was born to the family who had been involved in

first learned the skills of making the gat in 1958 under the guidance of

gat making for four generations in Yecheon, North Gyeongsang Province.

Lee Jong-guk who ran a gat workshop as a family business for three

His family members all ran a gat workshop by making Yecheon gat and

generations in Yecheon. Between 1976 and 1978, he was apprenticed to

its compartments including the chongmoja and yangtae. Since he was

Go Jae-gu, a chongmoja skill holder to learn the skills for making the

designated as a skill holder of the Important Intangible Cultural Heritage

chongmoja, and then by 1980, he mastered the methods of making the

No. 4 in 2000, he has been more active in making and presenting a

yangtae as well.

diversity of traditional hats including jurip, baekrip and heukrip.

Transmission and Preservation of Gat : People Weaving Tradition

Born in 1940 Date of Designation: May 1, 1991

Activities: 1991- presented works to exhibitions for traditional crafts of important intangible cultural heritage, 1984 donated the gat to Vatican Museum in Rome and Yonsei University

108

Park Chang-yeong

109

Yangtae-jang

Jang Sun-ja Born in 1940 Date of Designation: July 22, 2000

Activities: 2000- presented works to exhibitions for traditional crafts of important intangible cultural heritage, 2000 appointed as the Sinjisikin (pioneer) by Jeju Province

Jang Sun-ja has taken up a career as a third generation yangtaeGat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

110

jang, following the footsteps of her maternal grandmother Kang Sun-il and her mother Go Jeong-saeng. At her motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s suggestion, she once worked in the bamboo business by supplying bamboo to brim makers from the age of 23. When she turned 43, her mother was designated as a skill holder of Important Intangible Cultural Heritage by the Korean government and then Jang began learning the work of making the yangtae in earnest.

Transmission and Preservation of Gat : People Weaving Tradition

Awards: 1992 received the Plaque of Meritorious Services from the Governor of Jeju Province, 1982- won awards eight times in the yangtae category of the Korean Annual Traditional Handcraft Art Exhibition

111

The designation and transmission of Gannil

1. Chongmoja-jang Chongmoja or the crown of the gat is made of horsehair. The crown was first produced in Tongyeong but it was later made in Jeju Island, an area of horsehair production, because the main material for the hat was more easily obtained there. Go Jae-gu of Tongyeong was a first generation skill holder of chongmoja-jang, designated in 1964. In 1967, there were several active female artisans, centering in Dodu-ri, Jeju Island, who could weave the crown, including Yeom In-ja. After the death of Go Jae-gu, there were no more crown makers on the mainland. Oh Song-juk on Jeju Island was recognized as a skill holder in 1980. When Oh passed away in 1984, Kim In became a skill holder . At present, no one can make the crown on the mainland and the weaving skills and techniques are transmitted only on Jeju Island. The first chongmoja-jang, Go Jae-gu (1897-1979), was from Tongyeong and was renowned for his outstanding skills of weaving horsehair and cow tail, materials used for Tongyeongstyle gat in his time. At the age of 15, the young Go Jae-gu entered into the chongmoja workshop run by Gwon Myeong-sik and started to learn the techniques amid 100 skilled artisans. As first and then the side band of the crown. Also, he had to acquire golbaegi, the skill of adjusting warp and weft spacing evenly after boiling the newly woven crown, called saengjjabaeki or an unboiled crown. The task is known as kkaenda on the mainland. After Koreaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s independence from Japanese colonial rule, he was

Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

112

responsible for warp and weft spacing at the gat workshops run by Jeon Deok-gi and Kim Bong-ju in Tongyeong. In his spare time, he made crowns by himself at his cottage in order to make a living. It is said that, because of his exquisite skill, it took him five days at the most to weave the upper part of the gat.

Transmission and Preservation of Gat : People Weaving Tradition

an apprentice, he was given the task of weaving the crown tip

113

Thanks to distinct regional characteristics, Jeju Island has become the center for breeding horses in Korea. Horsehair produced on the island has facilitated the birth of horsehair crafts, including the weaving of the tanggeon, or headgear, and manggeon, or headband. Specifically, this is the reason that Jeju is home to many artisans who make the crown of the gat. The number of crown artisans significantly declined in the 1960s. It was discovered in 1967 that Yeom In-ja (1902), the oldest among chongmoja-jangs in the town of Dodu-ri, was still weaving the crown. She had been making the crown, mainly during the agricultural off-season, since she was seven years old. At around 23 she began weaving the tanggeon and the brim of the gat. However, her specialty was still making the crown. Kang Wonim (1907) and Mun Gi-saeng also learned the skills of making the crown at the age of seven or eight and kept weaving the crown of the hat during the agricultural off-season as they got older. This shows that many people were involved in making the crown in the Dodu-ri area, the western part of North Jeju-gun. In addition, a folk song that people used to sing while weaving the crown has been handed down in Aewol-eup, which demonstrates that the work of making the crown was also popular in that region. Since 1970, the crown has been produced mainly in Bangdi, Oei-do, Dodu-ri, Ora-ri and Molraemol on Jeju Island.

Oh Song-juk (1904-1983) began to produce the crown of the gat at the age of 10 while residing in Dodu-ri. Around 1980, having no family, she lived with Kim In to make Kim In's niece and daughter-in-law her apprentices. As a result, Kim Yeong-ja and Kim Chae-ok were designated as scholarship apprentices in July 1981 Kim In (1920- ) was born to a family involved in farming and fishing at Dodu-dong, Jeju City. She worked as a diver in her youth. By the early 1970s, she was producing the crown generation skill holder, she started learning weaving techniques again and resumed weaving the crown in earnest for years with tools and materials fully equipped. As a result, she was recognized as a chongmoja-jang of gannil, Important Cultural

Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

114

Heritage No. 4 on February 1, 1985. Later, she transmitted her skills to her daughter Kang Sun-ja (1946- ), who had worked as a teaching assistant and was then designated as a skill holder in September 2009 when her teacher and mother Kim In became an honorary skill holder. Kang Sun-jaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s daughter Yang Yun-hee, as an apprentice graduate, sat at her grandmother Kim Inâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s feet.

Transmission and Preservation of Gat : People Weaving Tradition

in her home. As she lived together with Oh Song-juk, the first

115

Mo Man-hwan was selected among male artisans in the Tongyeong area as the first generation yangtae-jang of Important Intangible Cultural Heritage. Since 1971, when Mo passed away, brim makers have not been found on the mainland. Based on the survey conducted in 1967, Go Jeong-saeng on Jeju Island succeeded Mo Man-hwan and served as a skill holder in the 1980s. At present, the traditional skills and techniques of making a gat brim are kept only by brim skill holders on Jeju Island. The earlier yangtae-jang, Je Hak-jin (1880), was born to a family that had been engaged in the gat-making business since his great-grandfather's time, and he also worked in making the brim of the gat in Misu 1-dong, Chungmu City, South Gyeongsang Province. When he was eight years old, the young Je was taught the skills of making the brim from his uncle Je Mun-won, who was 40 years older than Je Hak-jin and was then a famous artisan. From that time, Je Hak-jin was involved in traditional hat making for approximately 70 years. As he aged, he stopped working.

2. yangtae-jang

brim of the gat by using bamboo strips as thin as a thread. These skill holders mostly resided around Chungmu and Geoje in South Gyeongsang Province in 1964. Later, in 1967, a considerable number of female yangtae makers were discovered in Whabuk, Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

116

Sinchon, and Waheul as well as in Samyang, on the eastern side of Jeju Island.

Transmission and Preservation of Gat : People Weaving Tradition

A yangtae-jang is an artisan who specializes in making the

117

Mo Man-hwanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s brim is said to be made with 150 wefts of bamboo thread and a finer one with 200 wefts. At his peak, he could make one brim in 10 days. On Jeju Island, the brim making business was a fairly good source of income, which significantly benefited the family economy. The brim was made in large quantities in Whabuk, Sinchon, and Waheul, centering in Samyang on Jeju Island, where many brim makers resided. The 1967 survey shows that there were brim makers in Samyang-dong, including Jang Gap-saeng (1903) and Yeom MuMo Man-hwan (1887-1971) carried out the yangtae business in Geoje-gun, South Gyeongsang Province, but he originally came from Chungmu City. He was ten years old when he started learning how to make the brim because his maternal uncle Go Deok-yun, who was 50 years older than him, lived together with his family and made brims. From then, he continued the job for some 70 years. Mo Man-hwan was capable of making the brim of jinsalip, a kind of gat worn by aristocrats. Jinsalipâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s brim is made by the following process. First, a piece of bamboo with long joints is chopped. A cut is made at the joints and the bamboo is split

saeng (1908). According to the 1980 records, Kim Nan-saeng (1909) and Han Mun-ok (1905) along with Go Jeong-saeng were alive as brim artisans at that time. Kim Nan-saeng, who used to be a woman diver, had long woven the tanggeon and the crown of the gat as well as the brim. Han Mun-ok was also considered a skillful brim maker in the Samyang-dong area. Go Jeong-saeng (1904-1980) was born in Doyeon-dong, Jeju City, a place where brim making has long been common. She lived in Jocheon-myeon, North Jeju-gun. At the age of eight, she began to learn the skill of making the brim from her mother Kang Gun-il. Since the brim was in high demand by the time of

lengthwise into finger-width strips. The strips are boiled and then is tough. A bamboo sheath is peeled with a knife after its inside has been scraped out. Then it is rubbed against a piece of leather laid across the knee. The bamboo sheath, as thin as a piece of paper, is placed on the thick bamboo and cut into thin pieces Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

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at one end with a small, sharp knife. Each piece is shredded along the grain by hand to make a strand. In order to make sure the bamboo strands have the same thickness, they are passed through the joreumdae, a device with a piece of perforated iron attached to a block of wood. Finally the bamboo strands are made. A thicker strand is used for the warp and the finest one is for the weft and the bitdae, a diagonally laid bamboo strand.

Transmission and Preservation of Gat : People Weaving Tradition

soaked in water for 15 days to smooth the grain because bamboo

119

became a staple product in a traditional five-day interval village market. Bamboo, the main material of the brim, was imported in large quantities to Samyang from Hadong, Jinju and Damyang. Wholesale dealers of the traditional hat supplied bamboo to Jeju, and collected the finished brim products to take them to gat workshops in various regions, including Chungmu. The ordinance prohibiting topknots brought about a sharp decline in demand for the brim. However, its demand skyrocketed on the occasions of the national funerals for King Gojong in 1919 and King Sunjong in 1926. Since all ordinary people had to wear baekrip, a white gat, during the national mourning, brim makers produced coarse brims for mourners in large quantities and thus earned a lot of money. Before Koreaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s independence from Japanese colonial rule, the horsehair hat was in great demand. A brim artisan earned more than a woman diver on Jeju Island, which made the occupation of making the brim quite popular. Korean independence, brim makers were short-handed. Those

Thanks to her long and nimble fingers, Go Jeong-saeng could

who were nimble and dexterous were highly recognized at that

weave a finer and more delicate brim than others. During the

time. Thanks to her mother, Go Jeong-saeng was able to acquire

periods of peak demand from August to November, she made

a highly skillful technique, making a brim in two days at most

brims ordered by merchants from the mainland who had paid

at the age of ten. From the age of 15, she was known as a good

in advance.

yangtae-jang and even took special orders for brims. In the days when Go Jeong-saeng wove the brim, each village

War, resulting in Go Jeong-saeng taking only a few orders a

had a yangtae-cheong, a communal workshop in which five to

year. It is common that most brim makers lose their sight in their

six people gathered to make the brim together. She said â&#x20AC;&#x153;When

50s and can no longer weave the brim. However, she could make

I was young, we gathered in the yangtae-cheong to weave the

a brim as fine as a spider web even when she was over 70. In

brim competitively.â&#x20AC;? This traditional work had a great deal of

November 1980, she, aged 70, was designated as a skill holder of

influence on the lives of Jeju women and their family economy

Important Intangible Cultural Heritage. Her outstanding skills

as well. Samyang and Jocheon in the eastern part of Jeju Island

were handed down intact to her youngest daughter Jang Sun-ja.

were famous producers of the brim of gat because those areas are geographically close to Jocheon Port and Hwabuk Port, which served as portals to Jeju Island. Every single household in Samyang village was engaged in making the brim, which

Transmission and Preservation of Gat : People Weaving Tradition

Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

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Demand for the brim dropped dramatically after the Korean

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Jang Sun-ja (1940- ) has taken up a career as a third generation yangtae-jang, following the footsteps of her maternal grandmother Kang Sun-il and her mother Go Jeong-saeng. As far as Jang remembers, her mother Go Jeong-saeng dedicated her life to weaving the brim. For example, she never let go of the yangtae-making board and a basket of tools and materials, and she continued weaving the brim even when a problem arose in the family or while visiting neighbors. Her skills were said to be superb. Jang Sun-ja, who was born in Myeonchon, Doryeon 2-dong, Jeju City, worked in the bamboo business by supplying bamboo to brim artisans in Jeju Island for 10 years from the age of 23, at her motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s suggestion. When she turned 43, her mother was designated as a skill holder of Intangible Cultural Heritage by the Korean government, and then she began learning the work of making the brim in earnest. In 2000, Jang Sun-ja was designated as a second generation yangtae-jang, succeeding her mother Go Jeong-saeng. This appointment resulted in Jang quitting her tangerine firm and being fully occupied with learning the skills of brim making while staying with her mother. Just as her mother had done, Jang began passing down her yangtae-making skills to her daughter Yang Jeong-mi, who was then a third year college student. preserving the traditional skills of brim making.

A folk song about the brim used to be popular in several places on Jeju Island, which proves that Jeju is the home of the brim and brim artisans. The production of the brim had a great influence on the economic life of Jejuâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s women. Gat dealers such

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122

as Choi Sang-geun and Jang Jae-geun collected and purchased crowns and brims at the five-day markets on Jeju Island and then sold them back on the mainland. However, since the 1970s, when the demand for the traditional hat declined, ipja-jang Park Chang-yeong has personally visited Jeju Island to purchase or make orders for the crown or brim of the gat.

Transmission and Preservation of Gat : People Weaving Tradition

The four generations of her family have devoted themselves to

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3. Ipja-jang An ipja-jang is an artisan who assembles the two parts, crown and brim, to complete the gat by repeatedly ironing it, applying fish glue, smearing it with ink and varnishing it with lacquer hundreds of times. In 1964 when the survey was carried out, ipja-jangs were mostly found to work in Tongyeong and Yecheon. The manufacturing methods between the two regions were deemed different, and they were named Tongyeong gat and Yecheon gat, respectively. However, it is hard to tell the distinct difference between the two types of gats. Tongyeong has long been famous for traditional craftworks such as the craft of mother-of-pearl called najeonchilgi, sets of tableware, and encased ornamental knives. Although the region failed to meet an essential prerequisite for the development of craft because it was not the producer of materials for crafts, various crafts flourished in the area, centering on the naval command post for the three southern provinces during the Joseon Dynasty. In addition, Yecheon has been well known for diverse craftworks like bows for the royalty, encased ornamental knives, brassware from Tongmyeong, and earthenware from Ugedong and Seonbon-dong. As an important traffic center in the easy access to further inland areas, including Andong, where aristocrats, the main consumers of gat, clustered together. This is the reason that household industries developed in Yecheon, which is an unusual phenomenon for an inland village. In Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

124

particular, Cheongbok-dong of Yecheon, also known as Doltae village, was a gat production center in which 80 percent of the households were engaged in gat making. It is a unique handicraft village which keeps the tradition of Yecheon gat alive together with Tongyeong gat. For this reason, the first generation of ipja-jang was mainly from the Tongyeong area. Its second generation consisted of

Transmission and Preservation of Gat : People Weaving Tradition

inland of North Gyeongsang Province, Yecheon was a place of

125

Chung Choon-mo and Park Chang-yeong, each representing Tongyeong gat and Yecheon gat, respectively. Being recognized as an ipja-jang of the Tongyeong gat, Chung Choon-mo ran Ipja Manufacturing Company, a large-scale gat workshop in Daegu, starting in 1964 and worked as a nation-wide gat wholesale dealer. In 1974, he moved to Chungmu to be an apprentice under ipja-jang, including Kim Bong-ju and Go Jae-gu, in an earnest, systematic manner. He was designated as a skill holder in 1991. Meanwhile, Park Chang-yeong, designated as ipja-jang of the Yecheon gat, was born to parents whose families were both engaged in gat making for four generations in the Yecheon area. He was trained by first generation skill holders and has been committed to gat making in Yecheon and other regions, leading him to be recognized as a skill holder in 2000. Chung Choon-mo (1940- ) came from Yecheon, North Gyeongsang Province. There was a gat workshop in his neighborhood when he, as a child, lived in Yecheon-eup. He became a friend with a younger brother of the owner of a gat workshop and used to play at the workshop. In 1958, he first learned the skills of making the horsehair hat under the guidance of Lee Jong-guk who ran a gat workshop as a family business for three generations in Yecheon. In 1959, the following year, Chung Choon-mo moved to Although Park Yeong did not have the skills of gat making, his considerable wealth enabled him to hire from the first generation of renowned skill holders such as Kim Bong-ju and Go Jaegu. Therefore, under the lead of the best, most outstanding Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

126

technicians, Jeong was able to learn the skills in a systematic fashion at the workshop, the largest in the nation. Chung Choon-mo was registered as an apprentice to ipjajang Kim Bong-ju in 1974, after moving to Chungmu. Two years later when Kim Bong-ju died, Jeong succeeded the business of

making the crown as an apprentice to Go Jae-gu, and then by 1980, he mastered the methods of making the brim as well. He mastered the whole process of making a gat in order to complete the making of the Tongyeong gat. In total he learned for 16 years from Kim Bong-ju, a skill holder of ipja-jang, for 20 years from Go Jae-gu, a skill holder of chongmoja-jang, and for 21 years from So Mun-do, a yangtae-jang. By acquiring all techniques necessary for gat making, including ipja, chongmoja and yangtae, which are usually made through the division of labor system, he came to be well equipped with a diversity of abilities as well as basic knowledge.

Transmission and Preservation of Gat : People Weaving Tradition

Park Yeongâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gat workshop located in Daesin-dong, Daegu City.

his teacher. Between 1976 and 1978, he learned the skills for

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Currently, Chung Choon-mo is handing down the three skills of yangtae, ipja and chongmoja to his wife, son, and daughter-inlaw, respectively. He is preparing to return to Tongyeong with the aim to devote the rest of his life to the transmission education of gat making for the next generations by establishing gat training facilities along with a gat museum. Based on the Tongyeong Yeongji Restoration Plan pursued by the Tongyeong City Office, 12 craft workshops are under construction which used to be located behind Sebyeonggwan, the naval command post for the three southern provinces 400 years ago. It is expected that the significance of the gat, which Confucian scholars of the Joseon Dynasty treated as if it were as valuable as their own lives, will be revived at these newly built workshops by the efforts of the next generations of gat artisans. Park Chang-yeong (1943- ) was born in Yecheon-eup, Yecheon-gun, North Gyeongsang Province and his family had been involved in gat making for four generations in Yecheon. His great-grandfather Park Hang-gil launched the gat-making Since Chung Choon-mo began to learn the whole process of gat making, encompassing chongmoja, yangtae and ipja, under the tuition of the first generation of skill holders of Important Intangible Cultural Heritage, he has presented his works to the Korea Annual Traditional Handcraft Art Exhibition starting the exhibition in 1974, and the award of Minister of Culture and Public Information in the third year of the exhibition in 1978. Starting with hosting an invitational exhibition and practice demonstration at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

128

Washington, D.C, U.S. in 1982, he has been endeavoring to elevate the awareness of gat making by presenting demonstrations personally at home and abroad.

succeeded the family business. His uncles Park Ju-hae (18911949) and Park Wol-hae (1894-1959) and his father Park Gyeonghae (1900-1952) all made the horsehair hat. They settled around Yecheon and ran their own gat workshops to conduct the work of chongmoja, yangtae, and ipja. His uncles Park Hae-ju and Park Wol-hae made the hat in Cheongbuk-dong, Yecheon, and Yeongju, respectively. Meanwhile, his maternal grandfather Kim Yeong-il also ran a large gat workshop in Yecheon in which his father and his friends, including Lee Jongguk and Kim Do-am as well as An Su-bong, worked together to produce the traditional hat. In short, the Park familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s business flourished enough to become representative of Yecheon gat.

Transmission and Preservation of Gat : People Weaving Tradition

from 1973. He won the participation award in the second year of

business and his grandfather Park Hyeong-seok (1867-1930)

129

When Park Chang-yeong finished middle school at the age of 16, he, having been raised in an environment familiar with gat making, came to learn the skill of gat making under his father’s guidance at his older brother Park Ho-yeong’s suggestion. Unfortunately, his father passed away before he mastered the skill. He was apprenticed to his father’s friend An Su-bong at his workshop. As a first task, the trainee performed golbaegi, a warp and weft spacing of the crown covering mojagol, a hat block, or sujang-il or preparing the crown to be joined with the brim. Ever since he was little, Park Chang-yeong was praised for his dexterity. At the age of 18, he left An Su-bong’s gat workshop and moved to Park Yeong’s gat workshop in Daegu City, which produced and supplied gats nationwide. He started over by learning sujangil first there. At that time, the horsehair hat was made through the system of labor division in which several skill holders were responsible for each part of the gat or for their specialty. For sujang-il, Park Chang-yeong was paid based on job performance by the number of pieces he did. The gat was so rare in those days that the sky was the limit for its price. Sujang-il was a well-paid job, much better than the salary at a large company. There were five employed artisans working at Park Yeong’s gat workshop in Daegu. Park Chang-yeong worked together with addition, Kim Bong-ju, Go Jae-gu, So Mun-do, Park Jeong-sil, Park Jae-ho and Chung Choon-mo once worked there, and then some started their own business and the others ceased to work. After working in Park Yeong’s gat workshop for five years, Park Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

130

returned to his home town of Doltae village in Cheongbok-dong, Yecheon in April 1967 to set up his own gat workshop. At that time, there were a lot of gat workshops in Cheongbok-dong since the gat business was booming in Yecheon, with customers or dealers who wanted to order a new gat or repair it flocking into the region from all parts of the country.

As industrialization swept the country and the Saemaeul Movement or New Community Movement was launched into full operation, the traditional hat gradually lost its demand. In 1978, Park Chang-yeong moved to Seoul and continued his business. However, there was no viable market for the hat. In search of a new market, he contacted the Korean Broadcasting System to supply his product as a prop to be used in TV historical dramas. He has made the horsehair hat for TV dramas and films.

Transmission and Preservation of Gat : People Weaving Tradition

Kang No-in, Lee Ong-rim, Yun Gan-ik and Choi Jong-ik. In

131

the Arumjigi Culture Keepers Foundation, and a demonstration of gat making under the title “Museum and Intangible Cultural Heritage” at the ICOM-ICME Conference. As part of an effort to introduce unfamiliar aspects of Korean traditional culture to northern Europe, the gat was exhibited at the Design Museum in Helsinki and the Craft Museum in Jyvaskyla, Finland in 2011. In addition, Park has continued to study the extinct traditional techniques of gat making by restoring the Jeonrip, or hat of a military officer, of King Cheoljong, the 25th king of the Joseon Dynasty and the gat of Jeongtak whose penname was Yakpo. In order to make diverse gats, he has sought different production techniques and methods. In 2011, he participated in making a piece of work titled “Shadow of Wise Man” as a collaboration between a craftsman and a designer for the project “Craft and Design Consulting,” which was organized by the Korea Craft & Design Foundation with the aim of creating encounters between tradition and modern design. The project drew extensive public attention to a new usage of tradition in modern society and to the Park Chang-yeong has been given a variety of awards at the

Currently, all of his family members are inheriting his

the award of President of the Association for the Preservation of

techniques, thus succeeding the family business for five

Korean Cultural Properties in 1985, the award of Administrator

generations. His sons Park Hyeong-bak and Park Hyeong-eon are

of the Cultural Properties Administration in 1988, and the award

inheriting the skill of ipja and his daughter-in-law Kim Seong-a

of President of the Korea Arts & Culture Education Service in

and her mother Kim Su-a are also scholarship apprentices.

the West Japan General Exhibition Center in Kyushu in 1986 and held a special exhibition in Los Angeles, U.S. in 1988 and 1989. In 2000, he was designated as a skill holder of the Important Cultural Heritage No. 4. Since then, he has been more active in Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

making and presenting a diversity of traditional hats including jurip, baekrip, and heukrip. He has also endeavored to display the delicacy and precision of gat making at various events, including gat donation to the Lee Young Hee Museum of Korean Culture in Manhattan, New York, U.S. in 2004, a gat exhibition under the theme “Legacy: Looking for Beauty in Life” hosted by

Transmission and Preservation of Gat : People Weaving Tradition

Korea Annual Traditional Handcraft Art Exhibition including

1989. He gave a demonstration of gat making for seven days at

132

unique encounter between tradition and modernity.

133

Manggeon is a kind of headband which is put on before the gat to prevent oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hair from falling down. It is woven with horsehair. It was first used in the late Goryeo and early Joseon Periods. Manggeon consists of four different parts: dang (salchum), the top fastening band; pyeonja (seondan), the bottom fastening band; ap, the forehead covering net; and dwi, a part covering the back of the head. A pair of ornaments called gwanja are placed on the left and right sides of the manggeon to adjust its length and to show the status of the wearer. There is also another ornament, called pungjami, on the front head, which functions as a gat fastener. The main material for the headband is horse tail or sometimes human hair. The human hair was

The designation and transmission of manggeon

considered so precious that it was used mainly when repairing a broken headband. In order to make the headband, each part is woven in order: pyeonja, ap, dwi and then dang. The newly woven manggeon is boiled to make it softer and then dyed and

The manggeon, or headband, and tanggeon, or indoor

assembled.

headgear, are worn under the gat and are the quintessence of Korean traditional horsehair craftsmanship. This section tanggeon.

Category Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

134

Name (Birth Year)

Date of Designation

Gender

Address

Lee Su-yeo (1923)

Female

Samyang 2-dong, Jeju City, Jeju

Jan. 5, 1987

Honorary skill holder

Kang Jeon-hyang (1943)

Female

Samyang 2-dong, Jeju City, Jeju

Sept. 25, 2009

Skill holder

Kim Gong-chun (1919)

Female

Whabuk 1-dong, Jeju City, Jeju

Nov. 17, 1980

Honorary skill holder

Kim Hye-jeong (1946)

Female

Samyang-dong, Jeju City, Jeju

Sept. 25, 2009

Skill holder

Manggeon-jang

Tanggeon-jang

Note

Current skill holders of Manggeon-jang (no. 66) and Tanggeon-jang (no. 67) of Important Intangible Cultural Heritage

Transmission and Preservation of Gat : People Weaving Tradition

offers brief information on artisans who make manggeon and

135

During the Joseon Dynasty, manggeon-jang, artisans who

Seo Je-gyu from Gimje of South Jeolla Province was the first

make the headband, showed different levels of skill depending

recognized manggeon-jang who worked as not only an artisan

on region, thus the completed product of the headband having

of making the headband but also a manggeon dealer. Im Deok-

distinctive regional characteristics. It was said that manggeon

su (1905-1985) from Wanju of North Jeolla Province was first

makers from Seoul were good at weaving pyeonja, those from

designated as a skill holder in 1980. He was given the Prime

the Nonsan area had a specialty in weaving the back part and

Minister’s award at the Korea Annual Traditional Handcraft Art

those from the Gimje area were adept at weaving dang. At

Exhibition and also won prize money by submitting his piece to

the end of the Joseon Dynasty, the famous producers of the

the exhibition of Lotte Department Store the following year.

headband included Seoul, with a lot of manggeon consumers, and Jeju Island and Gimje, where horsehair, the main material, was readily available. As the producer of horsehair, Jeju Island’s manggeon production was particularly popular.

There were two disciples of Im Deok-su: Kim Hyeon-suk and Yang Jin-suk. Yang proceeded step by step as a teaching assistant and scholarship apprentice. She is still actively presenting her works to the Korea Annual Traditional Handcraft Art Exhibition and fostering the upcoming generation at Hanyang University. The tradition of manggeon on Jeju Island has been handed down by Lee Su-yeo in Samyang-dong. After the death of Skill holder Im Deok-su, Lee was designated as a skill holder. Kang Jeon-hyang, a daughter of Lee Su-yeo, has learned her mother’s

Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

136

skill and currently serves as a skill holder.

Transmission and Preservation of Gat : People Weaving Tradition

Kim, on the other hand, has ceased manggeon making.

137

boiled to keep its shape. After being boiled, the hat is dried and dyed with black ink. Since the making process of jeongjagwan, a different type of black horsehair hat, is similar to that of tanggeon, tanggeon artisans also make jeongjagwan as well. Jeongju and Anju of Pyeongan Province, Nonsan and Gimje of the Honam area and Jeju Island have long been known as production areas of tanggeon. Among them, the hat made on Jeju Island is divided into several types: a single folded one, a double folded one, and a delicate cross patterned one with a square

The designation and transmission of Tanggeon

design created through double, triple, or quintuple knitting techniques. This can be interpreted to mean that the tanggeon came to serve as a hat by itself, and thus had more decorative features. At the end of the Joseon Dynasty, tens of thousands of

Tanggeon is a kind of official headgear put under a gat and was also called tanggeun on Jeju Island. It serves to cover the sangtu or topknot, as well as the hair, and support the gat. Along with the chongmoja and manggeon, it is made of horsehair.

tanggeons were produced a year on Jeju Island alone. After the ordinance prohibiting topknots in 1895, however, the demand for the traditional hat was on the decline, and in the end its production continues only on Jeju Island.

Tanggeon is made by knitting horsehair on tanggeongol or a wooden tanggeon frame, which is placed on chetdaegwi a cylindrical workbench cushioned with a used soft felt hat. Unlike the typical order of weaving chongmoja or crown of gat starting from the top to bottom, tanggeon is adversely knitted from the bottom, altong to the top, uttong. After completing each warp to hem the edge. Before the finishing process called gugap, tanggeon is boiled to keep in shape. After boiling it, the Tanggeon is made by knitting horsehair on tanggeongol, a wooden tanggeon form, which is placed on chetdaegwi, a Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

138

cylindrical workbench cushioned with a used soft felt hat. Unlike the typical order of weaving the crown of the gat starting from the top to bottom, the tanggeon is knitted from the bottom, altong, to the top, uttong. After completing the weaving, several threads of horsehair are bound and cut at each warp to hem the edge. Before the finishing process, called gugap, the tanggeon is

Transmission and Preservation of Gat : People Weaving Tradition

weaving, several threads of horsehair are bounded and cut at

139

Manggeon-jang

Lee Su-yeo

Born in 1943 Date of Designation: September 25, 2009

Awards: 1986- awarded 11th Korean Annual Tradition Handcraft Art Exhition, 1980- won participation prize at the 5th Korean Annual Tradition Handcraft Art Exhibition

Awards: 2004, 2005 and 2007 won Korean Annual Tradition Handcraft Art Exhition Activities: 2008- presented works to Bucheon International Intangible Cultural Heritage Expo, 2010- presented works to Insa-dong Joint Exhibitions

Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

Lee Su-yeo was born and lives in Samyang-dong, Jeju, and begun to

Kang Jeon-hyang was born in Jesu Island in 1943, and she begun to

produce manggeon since she was thirteen. She has taken up a career

learn the work of manggeon making from her mother, Lee Su-yeo. She

as a artisan of manggeon as she was born in the family of manggeon

was designated as a skill holder of Important Intangible Cultural Heritage

artisans. Since premiere skill holder Lim Deok-su deceased in 1985, Lee

of manggeon-jang in 2009, since her mother turned to be a honorary skill

Su-yeo was designated as a skill holder of important intangible cultural

holder of manggeon-jang. She is currently doing transmission activities

heritage of manggeon-jang in 1987 after the designation survey of skill

of manggeon making, and actively participating public events as well as

holder.

exhibition activities.

Transmission and Preservation of Gat: People Weaving Tradition

Born in 1923 Date of Designation: February 24, 1985

Activities: 1987- presented works to exhibitions for traditional crafts of important intangible cultural heritage

140

Kang Jeon-hyang

141

Tanggeon-jang

Kim Hye-jeong

Kim Gong-chun

Born in 1946

Date of Designation: November 17, 1980

Date of designation: September 25, 2009

Awards: 1982 - awarded the appreciation plague of Korea Annual Traditional Handcraft Art Exhibition in the celebration of the hundred year diplomatic relationship between the Republic of Korea and the United States of America, 1980 - awareded the prize of the 5th Korean Annual Tradition Handcraft Art Exhibition,

Awarded: 1987- certificated as apprentices of transmission education, 2009- presented works to Tamra Cultural Festival Activities: 2009- presented works to Bucheon International Intangible Cultural Heritage Expo, 2010 gave lectures to the Training Center of Intangible Cultural Heritage and Jeju Traditional School

Activities: 1980- presented works to the exhibitions for traditional crafts of important intangible cultural heritage Girls in Jeju Island usually started to learn the tanggeon knitting in Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

142

Korea is currently in the middle of the specified of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;gatilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; craftsman 5 people and activities, and the details are shown in thmade by going through different process just like division of brings about completion of a piece of work.

tanggeon-cheong at the age of ten. Thus a daughter of honorary skill holder Kim Gong-chun, Kim Hye-jeong alo begun to learn tanggeon knitting from her mother at the age of ten. Kim Hye-jeong was designated as a skill holder of Important Intangible Cultural Heritage tanggeonjang in 2009, after her mother Kim Gong-chun became a honarary skill holder of tanggeon-jang.

Transmission and Preservation of Gat: People Weaving Tradition

Born in 1919

143

Proposals for the development of gat making

Horsehair crafts are well developed all over Jeju Island.

In order to address this difficult situation, the Korean

Each region has its own specialty: manggeon and yangtae in

government devised a supporting system that designates

Samyang-dong; tanggeon in Whabuk-dong; and chongmoja in

skill holders of gat-making skills in order to provide

Dodu-ri. Kim Gong-chun (1919- ) was a female tanggeon-jang

them assistance for living, thus helping

representing Whabuk-dong, Jeju City. She was the only skill

them maintain the tradition. However as

holder who acquired the skills to weave a singled folded, double

the first generation of skill holders from

folded, and square patterned tanggeon as well as a jeongjagwan.

Tongyeong passed away in the 1970s, and

She was designated as a skill holder of the Intangible Cultural

their daughters or the disciples who inherited

Heritage No. 67 in 1980. Currently her daughter Kim Hye-jeong,

the skills are recognized as new skill holders, a new means

residing in Samyang 2-dong, Jeju City, has succeeded her mother as a skill holder.

for the transmission of gat making skills is being sought. Craft skills have traditionally been passed down via the apprentice system; primarily from father to son and mother to

methods so unique that they are difficult to find anywhere else

daughter within a family, or from artisan to apprentice. This

in the world. The skills of this traditional craft have been handed

traditional training method heavily depends on direct one

down through cooperation between chongmoja-jang, yangtae-

on one teaching, which is painstaking and time-consuming.

jang and ipja-jang. Gannil or gat making was designated as

Furthermore, skill holders of Important Intangible Cultural

Important Cultural Heritage No. 4 in 1964, the first in the craft

Heritage are working and teaching in a poor environment. Their

category. This demonstrates that the traditional hat enjoyed a high

private home, normally a living space, turns into a workshop

degree of public awareness and was considered an endangered

with tools and materials displayed when making a gat or

cultural element that needed to be preserved intact. However,

providing a training class. Except for the time to make one

in the 1960s and 1970s, only a few skill holders were alive in

or two pieces of the crown or brim of the gat for compulsory

Tongyeong and Jeju Island, and it was realistically difficult for

submission to the annual event of Korea Annual Traditional

them to concentrate on gat making because they had to make

Handcraft Art Exhibition, skill holders rarely put time and effort

their own living.

into gat production because they have to do odd jobs or other work unrelated to the traditional craft for a living. Improving their working and living conditions is believed to be the only way to ensure the development of Koreaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s traditional crafts in the future. Therefore, there are several suggestions to

Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

144

be made.

Transmission and Preservation of Gat : People Weaving Tradition

The gat possesses exceptional beauty and production

145

Although people consider it important to designate skill holders and provide transmission education in order to revitalize First, it is urgent to set up a suitable workshop in which a master can concentrate on transmission education and making a piece of work. It is difficult to lay out dozens of tools in such a small space as a personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s home. In addition, the place is used as both a private home and a workshop, so that it is impossible to provide proper education there.

traditional craft arts and preserve traditional techniques, they believe that a decline in the number of traditional craftsmen is a natural phenomenon. Even if the importance of tradition is emphasized in modern industrial society, reality is harsh for craftsmen of traditional crafts, who bear all burden and responsibility for tradition transmission. The government is expected to devise more aggressive and constructive alternatives

Second, in order to procure quality materials in a smooth

to draw the attention of the younger generation of craftsmen

manner to make a high-quality gat, it is essential to build

to the traditional crafts. Every master in the craft category

a network with producers of the main materials. Various

shows strong commitment to hand down their skills through

materials are necessary to make a gat, including horsehair,

education and training. To this end, several prerequisites should

bamboo, silk cloth, silk thread and charcoal. It is extremely

be addressed: securing space for transmission education, proper

impractical for the gat artisans to personally visit Jeju Island,

supply of materials and tools for transmission, and constant

Damyang, and Sangju to get these materials.

financial support to the students who are inheriting the skills.

Third, another precondition of gat making is to be equipped with the fine quality traditional tools and devices needed. For example, an iron necessary to gently curve the bamboo brim can be purchased only through a special order to a traditional forge. Goldingi, a tool for golbaegi or beorangil can only be made-to-

Multilateral efforts should be made to provide a proper place for workshop and education, procure a constant supply of materials and tools, and plan and produce new products through integration with modern crafts. Such a move will help the traditional craft be handed down in the future.

order by a carpenter who is capable of making the tool. Fourth, traditional craft skills need to be developing as an industry. Integration between traditional art and modern ideas and state-of-the-art technology, in other words the encounter between the skills of traditional crafts and modern creative imaginations, can lead to the birth of new craft and Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

146

design visions that can be applied to modern times. To this end, artists who major in modern art and craft will inherit traditional skills from local artisans. Based on their learning, they will seek an opportunity for the traditional cultural industry to open a new future via education focusing on the planning and producing of new craft products.

Transmission and Preservation of Gat : People Weaving Tradition

modified to meet the needs of modern society, thus

147

Appendices Korean Official Hats in Paintings Gallery of Various Korean Hats

Korean Official Hats in Paintings base is designed to fully cover the forehead, ears and back of the neck. The hat was originally favored by old men as winter headgear worn underneath the horsehair hat to cover their ears. Derived from a formal winter cap of the early Joseon period called ieom, it initially saw everyday usage by the upper class, but later spread to commoners, worn along with formal dress as well as with military uniforms under the beonggeoji (soldier’s or military slave’s hat).

New Year’s Shopping, Seoul, 1921, Elizabeth Keith

Nambawi as seen by foreigners

Different materials were used for different ranks: silk and marten fur were used for hats worn by senior officials while for subordinate officials of the third to ninth ranks, materials used were restricted to silk tabby and rat hide. The common people initially used otter hide, later replaced with weasel skin due to high costs. There was another type of nambawi worn in spring or autumn for old people living in luxury and those in poor health. Typically the nambawi was worn in wintertime under a horsehair hat, and sometimes under golden coronets and the official hat called samo that government officials wore in court.

Appendices

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This image is a woodcut by the English artist Elizabeth Keith who visited Korea around 1920. It depicts the scene of a mother and her two little daughters holding hands and walking in front of Gwanghwamun Square with a statue of haetae, a mythical unicorn lion, in the background. The nambawi was used by both men and women of all ages, with other names such as pungdengi (meaning “beetle”), nani (literally “warming ears”) and ieom (literally “covering ears”). It is also said that the hat was initially named after its inventor, Nam Ba-wi. The traditional winter hat with a fur-lined

The hat is usually open on the top and the lower part is curved in three parts. The edge of the hat is lined with 4 to 7 cm of fur and there is approximately a 4.5 cm slit in the middle of the back of its crown. It is decorated with tassels, knots and jewelry made of coral cords and jade on its front and back, while there are two straps attached on both sides to connect the front and back parts of the hat. Sometimes it also had detachable fur-lined flaps to cover cheeks and chin, especially in the case of those designed for women. Although the usual combination of materials involved thick silk for the exterior and cotton flannel for the interior, it was at times substituted in favor of cotton for the inside and wool on the outside. The common color for the outer fabric was black, while black, green or red was used for the inner part. Sometimes navy, purple, maroon, light violet and light green were used for the outer surface and a yellow-dyed fabric was used for the inner. The fur lining was usually black, dark brown or red-black in color, and the tassels were mostly pink or bold pink. Nambawi for females were colorfully and luxuriously adorned with gold-gilded decoration of cranes, butterflies, oriental phoenix, chrysanthemums and other auspicious patterns.

151

boy’s longevity and fortune. The old man in the other picture, who appears to be a scholar, is also wearing the same kind of headdress. Joseon-era scholars wore such hats along with white overcoats, such as simui and hakchangui.

2 2┃Song Si-yeol (1607-1689)

1┃ Korean Boy in Holiday Dress, 1919, Elizabeth Keith

Bokgeon, a headdress for both children and adults A little boy, maybe two or three years of age, is in a children’s jacket with multicolor-striped sleeves and a sleeveless coat with a bokgeon on his head. This appears to be an outfit for New Year’s Day: the gilt decoration imprinted across the headdress is presumably composed of letters and patterns conveying good wishes for the

Appendices

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Bokgeon is a type of traditional headgear. The rear part is curved, and there are two pleats above each ear. Two straps sewn inside the lower pleats are tied at the back. The hat is made of black silk or silk gauze, and it is called bokgeon, literally meaning “fullwidth hood” as the full width of a piece of cloth is used to make one. During the Joseon Dynasty, it was worn by noblemen and Confucian scholars together with simui and hakchangui, and some young men wore it above their topknot before putting on a straw hat. Today, it is usually worn by baby boys on their first birthday or traditional holidays. A passage regarding hats in Random Expatiations of Oju, a vast volume of books describing various objects from all eras written by the 18th century scholar Yi Gyugyeong reads: “In the Chinese Han Dynasty, many kings and the nobility admired the attire of scholars and considered wearing the bokgeon an elegant way of dressing. Consequently, the bokgeon, which used to be worn by people of humble origins, became part of scholarly attire by the end of the dynasty.”

153

He is saying something while pointing with his index and middle fingers put together. Despite her social status, the woman sucking away at her pipe looks even more confident than the man in a horsehair hat. This is the period when the popular fashion trend among women was to wear the skirt lifted up to show the under-drawers, thereby accentuating the fullness of the skirt. The servant boy on the right is holding a lamp and a fur hat. Despite the low official rank, the byeolgam was in a position to assist the king from up close, and their attire was outstanding in color. They wore an orange-colored straw hat, which stood out even from a distance, and their dallyeong (official’s robe with a round collar), jingnyeong (man’s coat with a straight collar), and cheomni (man’s coat with pleats) were all red-colored. Furthermore, the various styles of belts worn by the byeolgam were enough to represent their prerogatives.

Yaguemmohaeng (Sneaking out despite of thee curfew at night), 1758, Shin Yun-bok

Byeolgam in a chorip and a vivid red uniform

Appendices

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154

This painting is the famous artist Shin Yun-bok’s “A Secret Trip at Night.” In the dead of night when a crescent moon adorns the eastern sky, the scene depicts the gathering of four people outside of a gisaeng house; a gisaeng (female entertainer or prostitute), a yangban (aristocrat), a byeolgam (title of a low-ranking official) and a servant boy. Both the aristocrat with a black horsehair hat and the woman with a long tobacco pipe in her mouth are wearing finely sewn quilt jackets, under-drawers and wristlets. The way the moon has waned indicates it is a late winter night. In contrast to the aristocrat in a white coat and a broad-brimmed horsehair hat, the byeolgam is wearing a straw hat called chorip and a red uniform.

Worn by boys after their coming-of-age ceremony, chorip was a popular hat for Confucian scholars and commoners until heungnip (nobleman’s outdoor black hat) came into common use. The hat is narrow-brimmed, its edges bent up, and the crown part is quite small. It can be even said that the hat is just placed on the top of the head rather than being fully worn. Therefore, the headband worn around the head to fix the topknot hair style and accessories attached to it were bound to be seen under the straw hat and as a natural consequence hair decorations became increasingly elaborate. When heungnip came in, however, chorip became a distinctive hat of male servants including byeolgam. In particular, its orange color gives the impression of liveliness, pleasure and openness. As its high saturation makes the color distinctive everywhere, it elicits positive emotions at events held outside the royal palace. Accordingly, when byeolgams escorted a royal carriage, the orange-colored straw hat, as part of their everyday uniform, was presumably sufficient to vitalize the event by showing off the grandeur and creating a festive atmosphere.

155

Empire that succeeded the Joseon Dynasty. Previously, Korean royalty and officials were customarily held at two ranks below their Chinese counterparts: for example, the Korean king was considered on the same level as a Chinese feudal lord, who ranked below the prince imperial, and a Korean first rank official was considered equal to a Chinese third rank official. However, in the period of the Korean Empire, all official ranks were elevated to the same level as those of China. The golden coronet is adorned with yang (meaning “vertical line”) that indicates different ranks, so the coronet is also called yanggwan (lined coronet). According to historical records regarding the official dress code of the 16th year of Taejong’s reign (1416), first rank officials wore a five-line coronet, and those of the second rank, third rank, fourth to sixth ranks and seventh to ninth ranks wore a four-line, three-line, two-line, and single-line coronet, respectively (March, 16th year of Taejong’s reign, The Annals of the Joseon Dynasty). In the meantime, crown princes wore a six-line coronet together with the ceremonial red robe called gangsapo.

Heungseon Daewongun (1820-1898)

Heungseon Daewongun in a five-line coronet

Appendices

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156

The man in the picture is Heungseon Daewongun(1820-1898) in jobok (ceremonial attire for kings and officials) and a golden crown. Jobok was worn when greeting foreign envoys, proclaiming royal edicts, or presenting tributary prose to emperors on New Year’s Day, Winter Solstice Day and holidays. Nowadays, ritual specialists wear a seven-line coronet on the Royal Ancestral Memorial Rite of Jongmyo. This is based on the changed standard of the Korean

The coronet is engraved with gilded arabesque patterns at the lower part of the front and the whole of its back. Sometimes the binyeo, or the traditional long hairpin inserted through the coronet, was also gold-plated, hence the name golden coronet. Traditionally in China, the hairpin was designed to be put in through the topknot and coronet, to fix the coronet and prevent it from falling off when the wearer bowed down. Korea largely adopted the Chinese style, except that the Korean variation attached strings to the coronet that were connected to the hairpin and tied beneath the wearer’s chin. This was because, unlike the Chinese topknot which was big and soft, it was impossible to put a hairpin through a Korean-style topknot. During winter when the nambawi was worn under the coronet, the strings had to be loosened.

157

and back, are so large that they are close to touching. Picture 2 is the portrait of King Sejong wearing a red royal robe. This robe also has large patches, and the part around the collar is somewhat looser than King Taejo’s robe. Picture 3 shows the bust of King Yeongjo in a red royal robe. Compared to the previous two pictures, now the crown part of the hat is taller and its wings are larger. The collar on the robe has become more loose-fitting as well. Picture 4 features King Gojong wearing a yellow dragon robe after he declared himself an emperor. His crown is smaller than that of King Yeongjo, and the size of the patches on the robe is also reduced. The fiveclawed dragon motif here is embroidered with gold thread. The dragon in the patches sewn on the chest and the right shoulder is carrying a red cintamani in its mouth as a symbol of the sun, while the dragon in the patches on the back and the left shoulder is holding a white cintamani, symbolizing the moon, by its mouth. This yellow dragon robe has wide sleeves called the duri sleeve.

1┃King Taejo (r.1392-1408) 2┃Sejong the Great (r.1418-1450) 3┃King Yeongjo (r.1724-1776) 3

King’s everyday uniform and ikseongwan Picture 1 is the portrait of King Taejo, born Yi Seong-gye, in the royal everyday attire. He is wearing a blue royal robe, or gollyongpo, and a black ikseongwan. The patches of the five-clawed dragon design, drawn on the robe with gold gilt paint on shoulders, chest

4. Emperor Gojong (r.1863-1907)

Appendices

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Ikseongwan is the official crown for the king and crown prince of Joseon worn with their everyday attire gollyongpo, corresponding to the official hat and uniform called samogwandae worn by court officials. The hat was also coupled with the crown prince and his eldest son’s study clothes. It is shaped as a two-tiered crown, the back part higher than the front, with two flaps sticking out from the back, which represent the wings of a cicada. The blue threads sewn onto the front were used to tie the two wings together. The crown was usually made with purple silk gauze, but black fabric was used to make one to be worn with clothing for the mourning period. The wings on the silk hat worn by court officials as part of their official attire point toward the earth while the wings on the royal crown point skywards, distinguishing the king and his retainers. Unlike the golden crown and ceremonial coronet, the system concerning ikseongwan did not change until the very end of the Joseon Dynasty, so the hat was still used as it was even after the accession of Gojong as emperor.

159

Emperor Gojong wearing tongcheongwan Kings wore the royal crown of wonyugwan, and the ceremonial red robe of gangsapo, when performing small ancestral rites on the first day of the month or full-moon day by the lunar calendar, receiving greetings from subjects, or conducting brief royal ceremonies such as birthday ceremonies and visits to queen dowagers following felicitous ceremonies. After the proclamation of the Korean Empire, monarchs wore the tongcheongwan, or the emperor’s crown, instead of the king’s crown. Differences between the two are the number of vertical lines on the crown, the number of cicada-shaped ornaments, the material of the ornamental hairpin and whether a decoration called sansul adorned the forehead or not. Whereas the king’s crown has nine cicadas on nine lines with a gold hairpin and no sansul decoration, the emperor’s crown, as seen above in the portrait of King Gojong, has 12 cicadas on 12 lines with a jade hairpin and sansul decoration.

Emperor Gojong (r.1863-1907)

Appendices

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Gangsapo, like the royal robe in the portrait, consists of an outfit with red pants, an inner robe and other accessories including a decorative panel, a jade waist chain, and a large belt, shoes, socks, and a jade stick. It is the same with the royal robe in shape and components but has different color and no royal coat of arms which is characteristic of the royal robe.

161

2┃Yi Gui (1557-1633) 3┃Chae Je-gong (1720-1799)

1┃Ju Se-bung (1495-1554)

Samo, the symbol of court officials Dallyeong, the official’s robe, was always paired with samo, the official’s hat, and gakdae, the belt. The shape of the official’s hat underwent dramatic changes over time as the horsehair hat did. The differences in the height of the crown part of the hat, the size and shape of wing-shaped decoration show the trends of the times. Officials were required to wear them all the time except on rainy or snowy days so that they could retain their courtly dignity. Ju Se-bung (1495-1554) in picture 1 is wearing a hat with a relatively low crown and small wings on both sides and Yi Gui (1567-1633) in picture 2 a hat with a low rear crown and wider wings. Chae Jegong (1720-1799) in picture 3 is wearing a hat with a high crown and long narrow wings compared with the former two pictures.

shape of the hat changed with time. In the early period, hats were decorated with strings hung from both sides or with soft wings. The latter were replaced with hard wings around the reign of King Myeongjong and from the middle period, the wings became wider and horizontal while the crown became much taller. In the late period, the wings grew shorter and curved forward with the width unchanged, and the crown was lowered again. The very first record of the official’s hat can be found in Goryeosa (The History of the Goryeo Dynasty), which states that an official’s hat and robe were bestowed upon Seol Jang-su by Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty in May 1387 (the 13th year of King Wu of the Goryeo Dynasty) and upon his return officials of all ranks followed this mode of dress from June of the same year. In December 1417, the 17th year of his reign, King Taejong of the Joseon Dynasty accepted the suggestion of his retainers and ordered that every official wear the official’s hat instead of the horsehair hat at court. In February 1426 (the 8th year of King Sejong), as the hat was included as a part of official’s everyday uniform, it became the most widely used hat for officials until the end of the Joseon Dynasty. Replacing other official hats, it was worn with various kinds of official attire. Even after the dress code reform by King Gojong, officials still wore the hat with ceremonial attire or everyday uniform. Appendices

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Court officials in the Joseon Dynasty usually wore the official’s hat with everyday attire, but commoners were allowed to wear them at wedding ceremonies. The official’s hat is composed of a low front crown and a tall rear crown, with two wings at its back. The name samo, meaning “silk hat,” refers to the silk cover enveloping the exterior made of bamboo strips and horsehair. The

163

A docile bride wearing hwagwan A fancy coronet with floral decorations called hwagwan beautifully matches the bride who is seated in a modest manner casting down her eyes. It is a kind of headdress worn by women with ceremonial costume and also has a significant aesthetic value. First introduced with Chinese costumes during the reign of King Munmu of the Silla Dynasty, it was coupled with court dress during the Unified Silla period and with upper class women’s ceremonial costumes during the Goryeo Dynasty. Its size became smaller in the Joseon Dynasty. The ban on hairpieces issued by King Yeongjo and King Jeongjo recommended the use of ceremonial coronets such as jokduri, a ceremonial coronet, or hwagwan, a ceremonial coronet with floral decorations, instead of the voluminous ceremonial hairstyle using fake hairpieces, and both the courtly class and commoners began to wear the coronet. The book titled Yebok (meaning “ceremonial costumes”) also recommends wearing the two types of coronets with women’s formal and semi-formal costumes. Only gisaeng, female shamans and dancers wore them at court feasts in the earlier days, but the hairstyle reform allowed the upper class to wear coronets instead of hairpieces, as well as commoners to wear them at weddings.

Appendices

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164

The Bride, 1948, Paul Jacoulet

Making a hwagwan first requires a crown-shaped paper or fabric frame, on which floral paper decorations and paper strings are added, and then the flower-shaped jade board is decorated with orpiment, amber, jade and pearl. It is finally secured on the top of the head using two small hairpins. In the late Joseon era, women wore jokduri with formal attire, and hwagwan with elaborate ceremonial robe or jacket.

165

Gallery of Various Korean Hats

Men’s black top Hat

Appendices

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166

Men’s black top Hat

167

Men’s black top Hat

Official’s Hat

Men’s black top Hat

Official’s Hat

Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea

Appendices

168

169

Scholar’s Headdress

Black official Hat

Noblemen’s indoor Headdress

Inner Hat for Noblemen

Men’s black top Hat

Hat case made of paper, and horsehair hat

Appendices

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170

Noblemen’s indoor Headdress

171

High-ranking military official’s felt hat adorned with peacock feathers

Official’s golden coronet

Women’s Ceremonial Coronet

Men’s topknot covers Appendices

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172

Official’s ritual coronet

King’s Crown fot Attending to Government Affairs

173

Beret

Fedora

Officialâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s white Hat

White Hat

Fedora

Appendices

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174

White Hat

175

Gat, Traditional Headgear in Korea Publisher

National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage

Producer

Song Min-sun, Head of division of Intangible Cultural Heritage

Planning

Lim Hyoung-jin, Pang In-ah, Kang Bo-seung

Written by

Choi Eun-soo, Park Hyeong-bak

Translated by

Hwang Eunhee

Proofread by

Bill Sharp

Design & Edition

Graphic Korea Co, Ltd

Photo’s Provided by Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea

National Museum of Korea

National Palace Museum of Korea

The National Folk Museum of Korea

Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation

Gansong Art Museum

Printed by

Graphic Korea Co, Ltd

Publication Date

October. 31. 2012

Published by

National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage

132 Munji-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 305-380, KOREA

Tel +82-42-860-9245 Fax +82-42-861-4927

www.nrich.go.kr

ISBN 978-89-6325-987-1 93630 Government Publication Number 11-1550011-000523-01 Copyright©NRICH(National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage), All rights reserved Cover Paper : Shinfunshi Natual 209g/㎡ Inner Paper : Montblanc Natural 103g/㎡ Book Binding : Soft-Cover Size : 180×240/㎜ The number of pages : 180 Not for sale