1950s Okinawa Collared Velveteen Souvenir Jacket, Red, Eagles and Dragon Sleeves, Tiger on Ivory Quilted Satin
1950s Okinawa Collared Velveteen Souvenir Jacket, Red, Eagles and Dragon Sleeves, Tiger on Ivory Quilted Satin
- Dispatch
- Prepared and sent from Tokyo within 7–14 days, often sooner, or as arranged
- Arrival
- Vereinigte Staaten · usually 4–7 days after dispatch, insured and tracked
- Import
Duties and customs · View the estimate
A guide for this piece: about $149, based on the 10% US charge on the declared value of goods made in Japan.
The final figure is set by US Customs and depends on where the piece was made and the kind of object it is. Many antiques over a century old carry no ordinary duty; most jewellery and leather goods add a single-digit rate.
With EMS, any charge is collected by your postal service on delivery. For pieces of significant value we can often arrange duties prepaid before dispatch.
How the estimate is reached · Ask for a figure on this piece
- Sizing
- Measured flat by hand, pit to pit and length, in centimetres · Find your size · Ask before you buy
- Replies
- Within one Tokyo business day · Ask the curator team
- Guarantee
- Authenticity guaranteed · How we grade
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A scarlet cotton velveteen Okinawa jacket with a shirt collar, embroidered eagles front and back and dragons climbing both sleeves, reversing to ivory quilted satin with a seated tiger.
The Piece
Okinawa remained under American administration until 1972, and its base towns developed their own souvenir trade alongside mainland Japan. Velveteen jackets with a turned-down shirt collar, rather than the familiar baseball rib, are among the most distinctive products of that trade in the 1950s, and red is the most striking colour in which they were made.
The front carries a pair of white and gold eagles with spread wings, and the collar itself is embroidered with small dragons, a detail that only appears on the better jackets. On the back, 'OKINAWA' is stitched in white block capitals above a large eagle gripping a pine branch, its feathers worked in cream, gold and green. Long dragons wind down the outer sleeves among stylised clouds.
Inside, the jacket turns to diamond-quilted ivory satin embroidered with tiger heads at the chest and a crouching tiger on a rock with bamboo across the back, so it can be worn either way. The sleeves close with a buttoned cuff and the hem is gathered on a soft elastic band, giving the blouson shape typical of the type.
Measured flat, the chest is 53 cm and the length 52 cm; it is a compact, cropped fit, closest to a modern small to medium.
Details
- Designer: Unsigned Okinawan souvenir workshop
- Season: Attributed to the 1950s
- Model / ref: Collared reversible velveteen souvenir jacket
- Material: Cotton velveteen; acetate satin quilted reverse; rayon thread embroidery
- Colour: Scarlet red / ivory
- Made in: Japan (Okinawa)
- Tagged size: No size label (approx. modern S to M)
- Measurements: Chest (pit to pit) 53 cm · Length 52 cm
- Included: Jacket only
Condition
- A hole on the left front below the collar exposes the padding, as pictured.
- Spotting, small stains and light fraying to the velveteen and edges.
- Some marks and discolouration to the ivory satin side.
- Embroidery on both sides is complete.
- Zip and cuff buttons present.
Condition grade BC on the Japanese scale; see Japanese condition ranks, explained.
Authenticity & Care
The labels, materials, stitching, hardware and construction are examined together and documented in Japan before dispatch; anything that cannot be confirmed is stated plainly in the description. Every piece carries the Japonista authenticity guarantee. Brush the velveteen gently along the pile and hang on a broad padded hanger; repairs should go to a specialist in vintage souvenir jackets.
Delivery from Japan
Packed by hand in Japan and shipped insured and tracked by EMS or an equivalent express service. Import duties and taxes, where applicable, are payable on arrival. Every sale is final; please ask anything before you buy, and see our published policy.
Every figure above is taken by hand with the garment laid flat, in centimetres. Lay a shirt or jacket you already love beside them and allow a centimetre or two of margin, the quiet safeguard on a final sale. Our size guide to tops and jackets turns pit-to-pit figures into US, UK, EU and Japanese sizes, and for anything it leaves open the curator team replies within one Tokyo business day.
Considered offers are welcome through Send an Offer, and each one is reviewed personally. Pieces over $1,000 may be reserved over several payments with Layaway Privilege™.
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Island-Made Rarities
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