---
node: garment_gat
type: garment
slug: gat
title: "Gat"
lead: "The gat is the brimmed hat of woven horsehair and bamboo worn by Joseon men, its wide translucent brim and tall cylindrical crown a mark of the yangban scholar-official. It topped formal male dress for centuries."
published: 2026-08-10
updated: 2026-08-10
image_file: gat.jpg
image_source: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Korea-gat-01.jpg"
image_author: "user:Daderot"
image_license: "CC BY-SA 3.0"
---

## Overview

A gat is a nearly transparent black hat woven from fine split bamboo and horsehair, with a high round crown and a broad flat brim. It was not weatherproof but ceremonial, showing that its wearer was a married adult man of standing.

## How it is worn

It is set over a topknot bound in a horsehair headband (manggeon) and tied under the chin with beaded cords, worn with the durumagi and formal robes. Its gauzy weave let air through and cast a fine shadow; it was handled and stored with great care.

## History

The gat reached its familiar wide-brimmed form in the Joseon dynasty and was strictly tied to rank and Confucian propriety. It faded after the 1895 Topknot Ordinance cut the topknots it crowned, surviving now as an emblem of the Joseon scholar.