75 years ago, an American soldier from the Yokosuka base wanted to take home a souvenir to remind him of his years of service in Japan. So, he took his bomber jacket to a Japanese tailor, asking for a unique embroidery, with Japanese specific symbols. The idea spread fast, and soon appeared many jackets embroidered with drawings of geisha, sakura, dragons, koi or Buddhist deities.
In time, the Japanese tailors started producing such jackets from leftover parachute silk and other fabrics, naming them sukajan, with “suka” from Yokosuka and “jan” from jumper jacket).
Today, sukajan are almost everywhere in Japan, fashioned with embroideries featuring the original themes but also anime characters, mythological animals, Japanese patterns or writing. The originals are priced around 40,000 yen, but many cheaper variants can be found, especially around the tourist venues.
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Yesterday’s Japan Photo:Boso no Mura Open Air Museum |
