1950s Reversible Sukajan, Dragon and Tiger over Black-Gold Satin, Japan–Korea Map on Green, Padded

An original 1950s reversible souvenir jacket: dragon and tiger on black satin with golden sleeves on one side, an embroidered map of Japan and Korea on quilted green satin on the other.

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.

Maps of Japan and Korea

Map jackets are the clearest witnesses to the Korean War among souvenir jackets. Japan was the staging post for the United Nations effort, and men on leave from the peninsula carried home jackets embroidered with the outline of both countries and the names of the ports and bases they had passed through: Sasebo, Kobe, Yokosuka, Pusan, Seoul. Collectors value them for that direct link to the 1950s, and because each workshop drew its own slightly idiosyncratic map.

The Piece

This is a true 1950s souvenir jacket, padded and reversible, with the full vocabulary of the Korean War era. The black side, with saturated golden-yellow raglan sleeves, carries a red dragon in the clouds facing a tiger beneath Mount Fuji on the back, and a pair of dragons coiled around Fuji on the chest. Gold piping runs along the sleeves and edges the slanted pockets.

Reversed, the jacket turns to a diamond-quilted emerald satin with silver sleeves. The back is a map of Japan and the Korean peninsula outlined in gold chain embroidery, the cities stitched in red and white: Seoul and Pusan on the peninsula, Sasebo, Kobe, Osaka, Tokyo and Hakodate in Japan, with cherry blossom and Fuji at its heart and a phoenix in the lower corner. Map jackets of this kind were made for servicemen passing through Japan during and after the war in Korea.

The knit trims are striped in navy and cream on one face and burgundy and cream on the other. The jacket has no maker's label, as is usual for jackets made by small tailoring workshops of the period.

Measured flat: chest 53 cm, length 62 cm, sleeve from centre back 87 cm, roughly a modern small to medium.

Details

• Designer: Unlabelled Japanese workshop
• Season: 1950s
• Model / ref: Reversible padded souvenir jacket
• Material: Rayon or acetate satin; padded lining; knit rib
• Colour: Black and gold / green and silver
• Made in: Japan
• Tagged size: No size label
• Measurements: Chest (pit to pit) 53 cm · Sleeve from centre back 87 cm · Length 62 cm
• Included: Jacket only

Condition

• Overall soiling, most visible on the golden sleeves and cuffs.
• Embroidery on both faces full and well preserved.
• Satin intact; no major tears noted.
• Retail tag from Japan attached.

Condition grade B 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. Entrust it to a specialist cleaner for vintage satin, or simply air it; keep it out of direct sun to protect the colour.

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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