Kacho Fugetsu Oiran Sukajan, Tiger and Koi Irezumi, Cherry Blossoms and Cranes, Crimson Satin, Size M

A courtesan's portrait becomes a sukajan's entire back: the oiran glances over her shoulder as her robe slips to show a tiger-and-koi tattoo, cherry blossoms and cranes drifting around her on crimson satin. From Kacho Fugetsu, it is a rare feat of storytelling embroidery, a tattoo within a portrait within a jacket.

The Piece

An extraordinary archival Kachō Fūgetsu sukajan built around one of the most ambitious and visually complete female portrait compositions in modern Japanese souvenir-jacket design. Rendered in luminous crimson red and pale champagne satin, the jacket turns its entire back into an embroidered tableau of an oiran-inspired courtesan looking over her shoulder. Her elaborate coiffure is crowned with combs, hairpins and floral ornaments, and her robe has slipped from one shoulder to reveal an immense irezumi-style tattoo of a fierce tiger framed by koi, scales, fins and drifting cherry blossoms. Falling petals, flowering branches, cranes and patterned textile imagery surround her; the face is built from dense pearl-toned thread, the black hair sharply outlined with silver and gold ornament, and the tattoo worked almost entirely in restrained monochrome against the saturated crimson ground. The front offers a quieter counterpoint, with blossoms and petals across the upper chest and shoulder, leaving red satin open so the jacket stays wearable.

The back is conceived almost like a vertical Japanese screen painting, and the image unfolds gradually: first the face and hairstyle, then the tiger-and-koi tattoo across the shoulder blades, and only afterward the cherry blossoms, cranes, patterned robe and scattered gold petals. The figure is shown in three-quarter profile, her face turned toward the viewer while her body angles away, so the tattoo becomes a second artwork within the composition. Her expression is deliberately restrained, with fine black lashes, narrow brows, red lips and softly shaded skin creating poise rather than caricature. Though such imagery is often described as geisha or maiko art, the towering coiffure, decorative hairpins, broad comb, exposed shoulder and richly patterned robe evoke the heightened theatricality of the oiran in ukiyo-e, tattoo art and modern wagara fashion.

Within the tattoo, a fierce tiger occupies the center, head angled outward and jaws open, its eyes, striped forehead, muzzle and teeth defined in dark outline and surrounded by scaled fish forms, fins, curling movement and small pink blossoms, like a complete Japanese tattoo panel. Worked largely in silver, ivory, charcoal and black, it has the character of sumi shading or black-and-grey irezumi. The tiger brings courage and untamed force, the koi endurance and transformation, the cherry blossoms beauty and transience, and the tattoo's placement suggests a concealed identity made suddenly visible.

Cherry blossoms descend from the upper shoulder in pale pink and ivory, some fully open, others loose petals in motion, with small gold leaves flashing against the red satin; on the front they cluster on one shoulder before thinning across the chest in a deliberate diagonal asymmetry, as if a branch extended beyond the garment. The hairstyle uses dense black fill, gold satin stitching for the comb, pale outlines, fine linear stitching for the hairpins, layered red, white and gold floral ornaments and small trailing blossoms and leaves at the right side of the head. The lower back becomes the oiran's loosened robe: large peony-like blossoms, smaller cherry blossoms, black leaves outlined in gold, white and silver cranes sweeping diagonally, crimson fields, blush-pink panels and metallic borders that rise and fall to suggest folds and layered fabric.

The palette is unusually sophisticated: crimson as the emotional center, champagne and blush ivory softening the sleeves, pearl white and silver for skin and tattoo, black anchoring hair, outlines and borders, and gold used selectively for points of light. Under direct light the satin turns ruby and scarlet; in shadow it deepens toward wine and garnet. The skin is shaped by changes in stitch direction along jaw, shoulder, neck and cheek, and notable passages include the raised gold comb, individual petals, layered tiger face, repeated koi scales and fine crane outlines. Simpler dragon, tiger and floral jackets appear with some regularity in Kacho Fugetsu production; this portrait-and-tattoo composition is far less often encountered, particularly in the red colorway and size M, and its scarcity lies in the totality of a design that integrates portrait, tattoo, kimono pattern, seasonal flowers and symbolic animals into one program.

Details

• Maker: Kachō Fūgetsu (also romanized Kacho Fugetsu or Kaccho Fugetsu)
• Label: Woven label inside the pocket reads “The Japanese Tradition”; separate size tab marked M
• Era: Likely 2000s-era revival; early twenty-first century (estimate)
• Origin: Japanese brand and design tradition
• Material: Satin-like synthetic textile; multicolor and metallic embroidery thread; rib-knit trim; synthetic pocket lining
• Color: Deep crimson body; pale champagne, blush ivory and rose-beige sleeves; embroidery in pearl white, silver, charcoal, black, gold, pink, red and pale green
• Size: M (tag); unisex, compact Japanese sukajan silhouette
• Measurements: Body length 62 cm / 24.4 in · Chest, armpit to armpit 53 cm / 20.9 in · Chest circumference approx. 106 cm / 41.7 in · Sleeve from collar 65 cm / 25.6 in · Underarm sleeve 51 cm / 20.1 in (approximate)
• Construction: Satin bomber with extensive machine embroidery; raglan sleeves; full-length metal front zipper; two angled front welt pockets; crimson-and-ivory striped rib-knit collar, cuffs and gathered waistband; elasticized cuffs; narrow crimson strip along the outer sleeves; not reversible; lightweight, fluid body
• Motifs: Oiran-inspired courtesan with tiger-and-koi tattoo; cherry blossoms; cranes; floral kimono; kanzashi hair ornaments

Condition

• Exceptionally well-preserved archival condition, with light characteristics associated with storage and the nature of embroidered satin.
• Visible features include natural creasing and rippling throughout the satin, mild compression from folded storage, subtle waviness around densely embroidered sections, occasional fine or loose embroidery fibers, minor thread irregularities around selected floral outlines, light surface handling consistent with age, gentle softening to the rib-knit collar, cuffs and waistband, small variations in sheen with the direction of the satin, and minor localized pulls or fine surface marks visible under close inspection.
• The portrait, tattoo, cherry blossoms, cranes, hair ornaments and robe embroidery remain exceptionally vivid and complete; the crimson satin retains strong color and luster and the champagne sleeves remain bright.
• No major tears, severe stains or substantial losses to the principal embroidery are apparent in the photographed areas; the zipper, pockets, collar, cuffs and waistband remain present.
• Natural puckering, surface variation and thread texture are part of the construction of an intricate embroidered satin garment.

Fit Guidance

The jacket has a compact Japanese bomber silhouette with a moderately roomy chest, short body and tapered ribbed hem. The embroidery adds structure and weight to the back while the satin body remains fluid. Fit depends on shoulder width, torso length, layering and preferred styling; compare the measurements with a similar jacket that fits comfortably.

• A fitted modern unisex M
• A relaxed women's M–L
• An oversized women's S–M
• A compact men's S–M

Display Guidance

Displayed flat, the jacket functions as a large embroidered portrait, the crimson satin acting as a textile ground for figure, tattoo, flowers, cranes and robe. It suits a specialist sukajan collection, a tattoo-art display, a fashion or textile archive, a Japonisme-inspired interior, a gallery installation or a shadow-box presentation. Support it on a broad padded hanger and avoid long exposure to direct sunlight to preserve the crimson satin and delicate thread colors.

Authenticity & Care

Pocket label reads “The Japanese Tradition” with a separate M size tab. This exact red size-M example is documented in the Japonista archive with matching measurements. It is a later Japanese fashion interpretation and is not represented as a 1940s or 1950s occupation-era sukajan. Every piece is examined and documented in Japan before dispatch and is offered with the Japonista authenticity guarantee.

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. Returns follow our published policy.

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