Prince Shokai 55th Anniversary Yokosuka Sukajan, Triple Tiger, Mount Fuji and Bamboo, Navy Satin, Circa 2002

A commemorative jacket from one of Yokosuka's established sukajan houses, signed “By Prince Co. Anniversary 55th”. A roaring tiger rises before snow-capped Mount Fuji while two more prowl down the sleeves among bamboo, so three full tigers wrap the padded navy-satin body.

The Piece

This Prince Shokai / Prince Co. 55th Anniversary sukajan is dominated by one of the most iconic images in souvenir-jacket history, the roaring tiger. Made in deep midnight-navy satin, it carries an unusually ambitious composition that extends from the body onto both sleeves. The central back tiger rises vertically in a powerful attacking stance, claws extended and mouth open, with a snow-capped Mount Fuji behind it, turning a familiar animal motif into an unmistakably Japanese landscape. Above it runs the classic gold script “yokosuka”; beneath the scene, the embroidered line “By Prince Co. Anniversary 55th” places the jacket in Prince Co.'s 55th Anniversary commemorative series. Prince Co. was founded in Yokosuka in 1947, so the 55th anniversary corresponds approximately to 2002.

The central tiger follows the intentionally theatrical style of classic souvenir-jacket embroidery: oversized head, enormous paws, sweeping stripes and an aggressive expression, in golden ochre, cream, white, black, deep brown and scarlet red against the navy, so that the figure practically glows. Fuji, its snow-covered peak in white above reddish-brown slopes, acts almost as a geographic signature, drawing on the vocabulary through which postwar jackets presented an imagined Japan to overseas visitors and servicemen. Rather than adding unrelated sleeve decoration, Prince Co. repeats the animal: one dominant central tiger, one prowling tiger on the left sleeve, one on the right, each descending vertically with its striped tail curling toward the shoulder. With the arms relaxed the side tigers seem to guard the central one; in movement the composition comes alive. Small bright-green bamboo leaves accompany the sleeve tigers, breaking up the gold, cream and navy palette.

The front is beautifully balanced: two roaring tiger heads face inward across the chest, the sleeve tigers begin their descent toward the cuffs, and the body itself stays relatively uncluttered, so the front reads controlled and wearable while the back is explosive and theatrical. Under normal light the navy can read almost black; under stronger light it reveals a rich blue sheen that plays against the rayon embroidery, the two reflecting light differently as the wearer moves. Viewed flat, the jacket becomes an embroidered triptych, three tigers, tiger-head chest embroidery, Mount Fuji, bamboo, Yokosuka lettering and the anniversary inscription forming almost a concentrated dictionary of sukajan design.

Prince Shokai is a genuine Yokosuka specialist rather than a modern brand borrowing sukajan imagery. Yokosuka tourism information describes Prince Co. as established in 1947 and specializing in handmade sukajan using satin and velveteen, and Time Out has described Prince Shokai as a longstanding Dobuita Street destination where customers could choose colors and embroidery designs for individually made jackets; the shop is still identified with Yokosuka and Dobuita Street culture. The souvenir jacket developed in postwar Japan around the American military presence, decorated by Japanese artisans and sold to servicemen, and together with the dragon and eagle the tiger became one of its defining animals, standing for power, courage, physical presence, wildness, protection and martial energy. Prince Shokai's 55th Anniversary models are specifically recognized in the Japanese vintage market, with surviving tiger versions presented as commemorative limited pieces, and the period places the jacket within the late-1990s and early-2000s Japanese archive fashion era now sought by sukajan, Y2K, rockabilly, biker, tattoo and archive menswear collectors alike.

Details

• Maker: Prince Shokai / Prince Co. (プリンス商会)
• Line: 55th Anniversary commemorative series
• Era: Circa 2002
• Origin: Yokosuka, Kanagawa, Japan
• Material: Per the Japanese composition label: outer (表地) nylon 100%; lining (裏地) polyester 100%; padding (中綿) polyester 100%; rib (リブ) acrylic / nylon; embroidery thread (刺繍糸) rayon 100%; metal zipper
• Color: Midnight navy blue; navy-white-navy striped knit rib; pale silver-gray lining
• Size: Approximately Japanese M–L, judged from proportions; flat measurements available on request
• Construction: Padded, insulated satin bomber; full front zipper; striped rib-knit collar, cuffs and waistband; pale silver-gray interior lining
• Inscriptions: “yokosuka” in gold script across the upper back; “By Prince Co. Anniversary 55th” beneath the central scene
• Motifs: Central roaring tiger with Mount Fuji; prowling tigers on both sleeves with bamboo; two roaring tiger heads on the chest

Condition

• Genuine pre-owned vintage garment that presents beautifully in the photographs, with strong navy satin color, richly preserved embroidery, vivid tiger coloration, intact striped ribbing, a clean overall presentation and substantial thread density.
• As expected with vintage satin and embroidered garments, there may be creasing, minor surface rubbing, light discoloration, embroidery thread movement, lining wear, rib wear, zipper patina or other signs of previous wear.
• The photographs form part of the condition record.

Padded Construction

The internal padding makes this an insulated sukajan rather than a lightweight unlined satin shell, and padded sukajan have a distinctly different presence from lightweight acetate souvenir jackets. It gives greater body, stronger shoulder architecture, a fuller vintage silhouette, improved cold-season wearability and additional support behind the elaborate embroidery. The navy-white-navy striped ribbing links the jacket to American varsity and bomber aesthetics, capturing the hybrid identity that made the sukajan famous.

Fit Guidance

Visual proportions alone should not determine fit. Japanese vintage sizing often differs from contemporary US and European sizing, so actual flat measurements should be the primary guide; measurements are available on request.

Styling and Display

A white T-shirt, selvedge denim and engineer boots for Japanese Americana; black trousers, boots and vintage eyewear for rockabilly; wide black pants and understated sneakers for minimal streetwear; washed denim, silver jewelry and neutral footwear for archive fashion; or black denim, engineer boots and a plain inner layer with a motorcycle lean. The jacket carries so much energy that simple styling works best.

For a collector who will not wear it often, it makes a superb wall display: the centered tiger, Fuji and “yokosuka” script read from a distance while the sleeve tigers extend the artwork horizontally, and displayed open with the sleeves spread it becomes almost heraldic, suited to Japanese fashion collections, vintage boutiques, tattoo studios, Americana interiors, motorcycle collections, archive fashion rooms and Japanese cultural displays.

Authenticity & Care

Embroidered beneath the central scene: “By Prince Co. Anniversary 55th”; the Japanese composition label records nylon outer, polyester lining and padding, acrylic/nylon rib and rayon embroidery thread. 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. Every sale is final; please ask anything you wish to know 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.

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