Chief Mourner’s Hat for Funerary Service

This is a hat worn by the chief mourner at a funeral. It is made by creasing hemp cloth and lining it with starched paper to make it stiff. The direction of the creases differed based on the occasion: the creases should be on the right side in untrimmed mourning (heaviest mourning specified in Ceremonials and Rites), trimmed mourning (second heaviest mourning) and the nine-month mourning, while in five- and three-month mourning, the creases should be on the left side. The band on the hat is made of hemp for untrimmed mourning, while the one for trimmed mourning and others is made of rough cloth. The hat shown here is made of hemp with three lines of creases, and both ends are folded upward and stitched in a shape. A string is inserted into the folded part to be used to tie the hat to the wearer’s head. A headband is also attached onto the chief mourner’s hat.