National Intangible Cultural Heritage, Republic of Korea The gat, a traditional Korean hat, was an essential item of attire for men whenever they went out in public. It was referred to by several different names including Heungnip, Chillip, or Pyeongnip. Gannil, the method of making these hats with fine bamboo strips or horsehair, involved a complex series of techniques in which the chongmoja (the cup-shaped upper part of the hat) and the yangtae (its brim) were produced first, and then combined in a process called ipja, which consisted in covering the headgear with silk fabric and lacquering. The demand for Korean bamboo hats declined sharply after the proclamation of the topknot decree and the introduction of Western culture including western-style clothing in the 20th century. The heritage is currently preserved in Tongyeong, Yecheon and Jeju.

National Intangible Cultural Heritage, Republic of Korea Men wore manggeon (horsehair headband) to keep their hair tidy before putting on gat (traditional hat). Manggeonjang refers to the skill of making manggeon, or to an artisan with such a skill. Manggeon is composed of dang (top fastening band), pyeonja (bottom fastening band), the net-like part covering the forehead, and the part covering the back of the head. Gwanja (ring-shaped button) and pungjam (hairband ornament) were used to indicate the person’s social status or for adornment. Human hair was also used to make manggeon.

National Intangible Cultural Heritage, Republic of Korea Tanggeon is an inner hat made of horsehair or cow tail hair, which was worn by men before putting on gat (traditional hat). Men used to wear it when staying home. Tanggeonjang refers to the skill of making tanggeon, or to an artisan with such a skill. Jejudo Island, where many horses were raised, was the main site for production of tanggeon. There are three types of tanggeon, depending on how they were woven, single-layer ones, double-layer ones, and those with square patterns. Tanggeon were made with square patterns for better appearance as they came to be used simply as hats.