The Korean traditional ceremony marking a man’s transition into adulthood with a topknot and hat was Gwallye.
Gwallye was a Confucian coming-of-age rite for young men in Korea. Its name is connected with the ceremonial cap, and the rite involved changing the initiate’s hairstyle and clothing to signify adult status. The young man’s hair was gathered into a topknot, and he was presented with an adult head covering and formal garments.
The ceremony developed within the social and ethical world of Confucian Korea, where adulthood included duties to family, ancestors, and society. It was generally performed for young men from families able to conduct the formal rite. A related ceremony for young women was gyerye, which marked womanhood through changes in hairstyle and dress.
Gwallye is sometimes confused with Japan’s genpuku because both were East Asian historical rites influenced by elite traditions. They belonged to different societies and had distinct names, clothing, and ceremonial systems.