| Gache | |
|---|---|
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 가체 |
| Hanja | 加髢 |
| Revised Romanization | gache |
| McCune–Reischauer | kach'e |
Gache is a big wig worn by Korean women. Women of high social backgrounds and gisaeng wore wigs (gache). Like their western contemporaries Koreans considered bigger and heavier wigs to be more aesthetic. However, there is a record of an incident where a heavy gache wig led to the death of a 13-year-old bride as the heavy wig compromised her neck as she was getting up to greet her father-in-law entering the room. Also due to its costliness, some lower class families took up to 6–7 years preparing a new gache wig for their new daughter-in-law.[1]
However, the gache also flourished in other Korean dynasties like the Goryeo, Goguryeo, Baekje, Silla, Balhae, Gaya, and Gojoseon. They were decorated with silk objects, gold, jewels, silver, coral, jade, etc. Certain decorations were reserved for royalty.
Such was the women's frenzy for the gache (and the death of the bride) that in 1788 King Jeongjo prohibited and banned, by royal decree, the use of gache, as they were deemed contrary to Confucian values of reserve and restraint.[2] In 19th century yangban women began to wear jokduri, a small hat that substituted the gache. However gache still enjoyed vast popularity in gisaeng circles. Inclusive of its decorations,and traditional weddings. A gache usually weighs about 3 to 4 kg.
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