Kojima and Okayama: How Japan Came to Weave the World's Finest Denim

Ask denim enthusiasts where the best jeans in the world are made, and many will name a small town on the Seto Inland Sea: Kojima, in Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture. Together with the weaving towns of the surrounding Bingo region, Kojima has built a reputation for indigo dyeing, slow shuttle-loom weaving and meticulous sewing that draws visitors from around the world. For collectors of Japanese denim and Amekaji, the region is the source of the story.

This guide explains how Kojima became Japan's jeans capital, what makes its selvedge denim special, and how to judge a pair of Japanese jeans.

From school uniforms to jeans

Kojima's textile tradition is much older than jeans. The area was known for cotton cultivation, for making tabi and later for school uniforms, an industry that gave it skilled sewing workshops and heavy industrial machines. When American jeans became fashionable in Japan after the war, local makers had the skills to make them.

A Kurashiki clothing company, Maruo Hifuku, founded in 1940 and later known as Big John, became the first Japanese company to make jeans domestically. It began with American fabric and machines, then worked with the Kurabo mill to develop Japanese denim, and in 1973 produced jeans made entirely from Japanese-woven cloth. Other makers followed, and Kojima became the centre of the Japanese jeans industry.

The rise of the Japanese repro

In the late 1970s and 1980s, Japanese enthusiasts became fascinated by vintage American jeans, especially pairs from before the 1960s. As the American mills modernised and old shuttle looms were scrapped, Japanese makers bought looms, studied old garments and set out to recreate the cloth exactly, and then to improve on it. A small group of Osaka brands, often called the Osaka Five, led the way, including Studio D'Artisan, founded in 1979, and EVISU, founded by Hidehiko Yamane in 1991. Kojima and Okayama makers such as Momotaro, Pure Blue Japan and KAPITAL took the craft further, and the region's mills supply denim to many of the world's finest labels.

What makes Japanese selvedge denim

• Shuttle looms. Old-style shuttle looms weave narrow cloth slowly, with a self-finished edge, the selvedge, often marked by a coloured thread. The slower weave produces a denser, more textured fabric.
• Irregular yarns. Many makers use yarns spun with deliberate unevenness, which gives the cloth its characteristic slubby surface and fades with strong contrast.
• Indigo dyeing. Rope dyeing with many dips builds deep colour while leaving the core of the yarn pale, so that the denim fades beautifully with wear. Some makers use natural indigo.
• Construction. Chain-stitched hems, felled seams, hidden rivets, cotton thread and heavy-weight cloth are traditional details.

How to judge a pair

1. Check the maker and model. Identify the brand, the model number and, where printed, the fabric and weight. Early pieces from the founding brands are especially collectable.
2. Look at the selvedge and seams. The selvedge line on the outseam and the chain stitching on the hem indicate traditional construction.
3. Read the fades. Natural, high-contrast fading from long wear can add character and value. Artificial distressing is a different thing.
4. Measure, do not guess. Japanese sizing and shrinkage vary. Raw denim shrinks after the first wash, and many makers sell unwashed jeans. Ask for flat measurements.
5. Look for the extras. Original tags, leather patches and paper flashers add to completeness, especially for collectors of deadstock.

Beyond the five-pocket

Japanese denim culture reaches far beyond classic jeans. Heavy work jackets, chore coats, embroidered jeans, patchwork and boro-inspired pieces, and denim worn with sukajan and other Amekaji staples all belong to the same story. Our essays on ametora and Amekaji trace how Japan reinvented American clothing.

Browse Kojima jeans, Momotaro, Pure Blue Japan, KAPITAL, Studio D'Artisan and EVISU.

Questions collectors ask

Why is Japanese denim so highly regarded?

Because Japanese makers combined old American methods, such as shuttle looms and rope dyeing, with exacting standards of spinning, dyeing and sewing, and kept those methods alive when others abandoned them.

Is all Japanese denim made in Kojima?

No. Kojima is the best-known centre, but denim is woven, dyed and sewn across Okayama and neighbouring Hiroshima Prefecture, and many celebrated brands are based elsewhere, including Osaka.

Will raw denim shrink?

Unwashed, unsanforised denim can shrink noticeably when first soaked. Check whether a pair is raw, one-washed or sanforised before choosing a size.

Can you find a particular model or size?

Yes. Our Hunting Salon™ searches Japan for specific makers, models and measurements.

Continue reading

• Ametora: American style, Japanese precision.
• What Is a Sukajan?
• Amekaji and the Sukajan.
• American casual and wagara fashion.