Anniversaries, 30 Dec 2026
Korea's topknot ordinance
On 30 December 1895 King Gojong had his topknot cut under the Short Hair Ordinance, which banned the sangtu.
Under the Eulmi reforms of 1895, the Korean government issued the Short Hair Ordinance, which banned the sangtu, the topknot worn by married men. King Gojong had his own topknot removed on 30 December 1895, two days before the order came into force. Many Koreans saw the topknot as a duty to their parents under Confucian teaching, since the body and its hair were a gift from them, and the order caused anger and helped spark armed uprisings. It was enforced only gradually, and the topknot faded through the early 20th century.
Hairstyles tied to Korea's topknot ordinance
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Queue: Lai Afong, Public domain, source