1950s Okinawa Reversible Souvenir Jacket, Roaring Tiger on Black Satin, Eagles across Silver Quilting, YKK

A 1950s Okinawa souvenir jacket: a roaring tiger under OKINAWA on black satin with tiger heads on the chest, turning to quilted silver satin with eagles in flight.

From Occupation Bases to Collector Cabinets

The souvenir jacket was born in the years after 1945, when American servicemen stationed in Japan began commissioning embroidered satin jackets from local tailors near the bases, Yokosuka above all, which gave the garment its Japanese nickname, sukajan, from Yokosuka and jumper. The motifs were chosen for an American eye: tigers, eagles, dragons, Mount Fuji and the word Japan in looping script, stitched by craftsmen who had worked on kimono and obi embroidery before the war.

The Korean War of 1950 to 1953 turned the souvenir jacket into a record of service. Men on rest and recuperation leave in Japan ordered jackets with maps of Japan and Korea, city names and unit details, and the jackets went home as keepsakes. Original 1950s examples survive in far smaller numbers than the reproductions that followed, and collectors read them by their details: reversible construction, hand-guided embroidery, rayon or acetate satin and velveteen, and the zip makers of the period, TTS among the most sought after.

Okinawa Jackets

Okinawa was administered by the United States from 1945 to 1972, and its bases supported a local embroidery trade that made jackets naming the islands. Black satin with a tiger was one of the most popular combinations, and surviving examples are prized for their place in that particular chapter of post-war history.

The Piece

This is a straightforward and characterful Okinawa jacket. The black satin side carries OKINAWA in white capitals above a tiger rearing among bamboo, its stripes worked in gold and cream, with two roaring tiger heads in orange and gold on the chest.

Reversed, the jacket is diamond-quilted silver-white satin, with an eagle among pine on the back and a pair of eagles on the chest. The cream rib knits serve both faces. The brass zip is a YKK type.

The jacket has been mended in several places, with visible hand repairs including along one sleeve, and there are small holes in the black satin, one beside the chest tiger. These are part of its honest history and are shown in the photographs.

Measured flat: chest 55 cm, length 55 cm, sleeve from centre back 74 cm. It is short and wide, a boxy fit for a modern small to medium.

Details

• Designer: Unlabelled Okinawa workshop
• Season: 1950s
• Model / ref: Reversible satin souvenir jacket
• Material: Rayon or acetate satin; padded lining; knit rib
• Colour: Black / silver-white
• Made in: Okinawa, Japan (US administration era)
• Tagged size: No size label
• Measurements: Chest (pit to pit) 55 cm · Sleeve from centre back 74 cm · Length 55 cm
• Included: Jacket only

Condition

• Several old repairs, including hand stitching along a sleeve.
• Small holes in the black satin, one beside the chest tiger.
• Fading and wear to the satin; embroidery bright.
• YKK zip working.

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. Avoid washing; air it and store it on a padded hanger.

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.

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