A kasa (笠) is any of several sorts of traditional hats of Japan. When preceded by a word specifying the type of hat, the word becomes gasa as in the jingasa (war hat)(see Rendaku).
One kind of kasa for Buddhist monks is made overly large, in a bowl or mushroom shape and is made from woven rice straw. It does not come to a point like a rice farmer's hat, nor ride high on the head like a samurai's traveling hat. It is just a big hat covering the upper half to two thirds of the face. Thus, it helps mask the identity of the monk and allows him to travel undistracted by sights around him on his journey.
The samurai class of feudal Japan used several types of jingasa made from iron or leather.
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Here is a list of several types of kasa: