Script Hanatabi Gakudan Butterfly Chrysanthemum Sukajan M Reversible Japanese Souvenir Jacket SSJ-704

Japanese Classic SCRIPT “Chō Nagare Kiku” Rayon Sukajan with Flowing Butterflies, Chrysanthemums and Pink Jacquard Reverse

A garden in motion, embroidered across an entire jacket.

This richly decorated SCRIPT Hanatabi Gakudan reversible sukajan presents oversized butterflies drifting among flowing chrysanthemums, leaves and curling white trails. The design covers the front and back in unusually generous embroidery, transforming the black rayon body into a dark textile canvas alive with lavender, coral, pink, blue, ivory and muted green.

Turn the jacket inside out and its personality becomes softer and more restrained. The reverse is fashioned in pale pink and champagne-toned jacquard, woven with delicate Japanese landscape imagery and framed by patterned black sleeve stripes. The shift is dramatic: one side is theatrical and densely embroidered, while the other feels quiet, luminous and almost ceremonial.

The original label identifies the jacket as Japanese Classic SCRIPT, and the official model corresponds to Hanatabi Gakudan’s SSJ-704 蝶流菊刺繍スカジャン, translated as the Butterfly and Flowing Chrysanthemum embroidered sukajan. The model was produced in black with a rayon outer face and polyester reverse.

Design Character

Many sukajan concentrate their embroidery on a single central back image. This model takes a more immersive approach.

The chrysanthemums spread from the shoulders toward the lower hem, while multiple butterflies travel across the torso and back. Their elongated white flight lines sweep through the composition, connecting each insect and flower into one continuous visual current.

The asymmetrical arrangement gives the jacket an almost hand-painted rhythm. Flowers cluster densely along one shoulder, disperse across the back and reappear near the hem. Butterflies overlap the floral field at different angles, creating the impression that the garment has captured a moment of movement rather than a static decorative pattern.

The palette is especially distinctive:

• Black satin-rayon ground
• Champagne-gold raglan sleeves
• Lavender and ivory chrysanthemums
• Coral, rose and vermilion accents
• Purple, blue and silver-gray butterflies
• Sage and olive foliage
• Black, ivory and gray striped ribbing
• Dusty pink jacquard reverse

The result is ornate without becoming visually chaotic. The black ground gives every embroidered color room to glow.

Identification

Brand: SCRIPT / 花旅楽団 Hanatabi Gakudan
Parent Company: Switch Planning
Label: Japanese Classic SCRIPT
Model: SSJ-704
Japanese Model Name: 蝶流菊刺繍スカジャン
English Theme: Butterfly and Flowing Chrysanthemum
Garment Type: Reversible sukajan / Japanese souvenir jacket
Tagged Size: M
Approximate Fit: Japanese men’s M, generally suited to a trim Western S–M depending on body shape and preferred layering
Primary Color: Black with champagne-gold sleeves
Reverse Color: Dusty pink, ivory and black
Closure: Reversible metal zipper
Sleeves: Raglan construction
Pockets: Angled hand pockets on both wearable faces
Origin: Japanese brand production
Condition: Pre-owned

Butterfly and Chrysanthemum Motif

The Japanese butterfly, chō or chōchō, is a motif of movement and metamorphosis.

Its brief, delicate life has made it a natural emblem of transformation, beauty and the changing nature of existence. When butterflies appear in pairs or groups, they can also carry associations with companionship, harmony and lives moving together.

Here, the butterflies are not represented with strict naturalism. Their wings resemble richly layered textile ornaments, with scalloped edges, floral interiors and vivid blocks of color. Some contain red and violet panels, while others combine silver-gray, coral, blue and pink.

The embroidered lines trailing behind them exaggerate their movement. These pale ribbons curve around the chrysanthemums, cross the jacket’s central field and lead the eye from one embroidered cluster to another.

The chrysanthemum, or kiku, introduces a second layer of meaning. Long associated in Japan with autumn, refinement, longevity and renewal, the flower has appeared throughout Japanese court art, textiles, ceramics and decorative design.

The flowers on this jacket range from nearly white to lavender and coral-tipped varieties. Their countless radiating petals are rendered with tightly controlled stitching, creating texture and dimensionality without relying on heavy padding.

Together, butterfly and chrysanthemum create a lyrical contrast:

The chrysanthemum is rooted and enduring.
The butterfly is weightless and continually moving.
One anchors the composition while the other carries it forward.

Embroidered Face

The primary face uses a deep black body as the setting for extensive multicolor embroidery.

Front

The front is unusually complete for a sukajan.

Rather than relying on two small chest emblems, the design continues across nearly the entire torso. Large butterflies occupy both sides of the zipper, surrounded by chrysanthemums and foliage. White flight lines curve behind the insects and cross the center opening, allowing the composition to remain visually connected when the jacket is zipped.

The champagne-colored sleeves offer a subdued counterpoint to the dense black panels. Patterned black textile bands run from the neckline along the raglan seams and continue down the sleeves, introducing a narrow brocade-like border.

Back

The back expands the same imagery into a larger panoramic field.

Chrysanthemums grow from the shoulder line, cascade diagonally and gather again across the lower half. Several butterflies appear at different heights, with long embroidered trails moving between them.

There is no central dragon, tiger or eagle commanding the composition. Instead, the entire surface behaves like a Japanese textile garden, with no single motif overwhelming the rest.

This makes the jacket particularly attractive for collectors drawn to floral wagara, kimono-inspired ornament and the more poetic side of sukajan design.

Pink Jacquard Reverse

The reverse offers a completely different wearing experience.

A dusty blush-pink body is woven with subtle tonal scenery, including trees, distant architecture and landscape elements. These images emerge gradually as light moves across the fabric, giving the reverse a quieter richness than a plain satin lining.

The sleeves shift to pale champagne or ivory jacquard, also carrying woven landscape details. Black patterned stripes travel along the raglan sleeve lines, echoing the dark borders visible on the embroidered side.

Pink and gray ribbing completes this face, replacing the black-and-ivory appearance of the primary side.

The reverse works beautifully as a softer standalone bomber. From a distance it reads as a pale pink Japanese jacquard jacket; closer inspection reveals the woven scenes, patterned sleeve panels and reversible construction.

Construction and Materials

The official SSJ-704 specification identifies the primary face as 100% rayon and the reverse as 100% polyester.

Rayon gives the embroidered face its characteristic fluid drape and deep, liquid sheen. It also allows the black ground to shift subtly between charcoal and jet black depending on the direction of the light.

The polyester jacquard reverse is slightly more structured and showcases tonal woven imagery that would be difficult to achieve on a plain lining fabric.

Construction details include:

• Fully reversible design
• Multicolor machine embroidery
• Woven jacquard reverse
• Raglan sleeves
• Reversible metal zipper
• Two sets of functional pockets
• Striped knitted collar, cuffs and waistband
• Patterned textile sleeve inserts
• Lightweight, unpadded construction
• Classic compact sukajan silhouette

SCRIPT Hanatabi Gakudan

Hanatabi Gakudan, commonly presented under the SCRIPT label, is a Japanese wagara fashion line produced by Switch Planning.

The brand has specialized in Japanese-pattern sukajan since its foundation and describes a catalogue exceeding 150 souvenir-jacket designs. It is particularly recognized for intricate embroidery, designs that cross garment seams and other elaborate methods of translating Japanese imagery into contemporary clothing.

SCRIPT jackets often explore imagery beyond the conventional dragon, tiger and eagle vocabulary. Their catalogue includes courtesans, goldfish, birds, Buddhist subjects, famous Japanese artworks, flowers and seasonal landscapes.

The SSJ-704 belongs to this more decorative and textile-oriented branch of the brand. Its inspiration feels closely connected to kimono design, yet the format remains unmistakably sukajan: cropped, reversible, raglan-sleeved and built around embroidery as its central visual language.

Period Assessment

This is a modern Japanese revival sukajan, created within the contemporary continuation of the souvenir-jacket tradition.

Its construction pays tribute to postwar Japanese sukajan, but the extensive floral arrangement, advanced machine embroidery, patterned jacquard reverse and branded model identification place it within the later Japanese wagara fashion movement rather than the original 1940s or 1950s souvenir-jacket period.

The piece is nevertheless highly relevant to collectors of Japanese Americana. It demonstrates how the sukajan evolved from military souvenir imagery into a wider form of wearable Japanese decorative art.

Tagged Size and Fit

Manufacturer’s Tag Size: M

Published reference sizing for this model places the M at approximately:

Body Length: 59 cm
Chest Width: 52 cm
Raglan Sleeve Length: 83 cm

Individual pre-owned garments can vary slightly through manufacturing tolerance, wear and storage.

The silhouette is expected to fit more compactly than many contemporary Western bombers. It is likely best suited to:

• A fitted Western men’s medium
• A more relaxed Western men’s small
• A women’s medium to large depending on styling
• A unisex cropped or archive-inspired fit

The raglan construction provides flexibility through the shoulders, while the knitted waistband creates the rounded blouson shape traditionally associated with sukajan.

Condition

Pre-owned condition with natural signs of previous wear and storage.

The embroidered artwork remains visually strong, with vivid color and substantial coverage across both the front and back. No major areas of embroidery loss are apparent in the photographs.

The jacket displays the natural creasing expected from rayon and jacquard souvenir-jacket fabrics. Subtle tonal variation, light surface wear, small thread irregularities and minor marks may be present, particularly on the pale reverse and sleeve areas.

The ribbing, reversible zipper and overall structure appear intact. The sheen of the fabric changes according to lighting and pile direction, creating darker and lighter areas that are characteristic of the material rather than uniform discoloration.

Please examine all photographs carefully, as they form an essential part of the condition description. This garment is offered in its existing pre-owned state, with its age and wear contributing to its individual character.

Visual Presence and Styling

The black embroidered face is a statement piece that requires very little additional decoration.

It pairs naturally with:

• Black wide-leg trousers
• Dark indigo denim
• Cream or ivory jeans
• Minimal monochrome clothing
• Japanese selvedge denim
• Leather boots
• Simple canvas sneakers
• Long skirts or fluid trousers

The pink reverse creates a gentler look and works especially well with:

• Charcoal trousers
• Faded blue denim
• Ivory knitwear
• Dusty rose or gray layers
• Neutral workwear
• Antique textile accessories

Because the embroidery extends across the entire front and back, the jacket is equally compelling worn open or fully zipped. When displayed, it benefits from a broad padded hanger that allows the floral arrangement and raglan construction to settle naturally.

Collector Relevance

This model offers several qualities that distinguish it from more conventional souvenir jackets:

• Identifiable SSJ-704 model
• SCRIPT Hanatabi Gakudan branding
• Full-front and full-back embroidery
• Multiple butterfly compositions
• Flowing chrysanthemum imagery
• Kimono-inspired visual language
• Black rayon primary face
• Pink woven jacquard reverse
• Decorative sleeve-panel construction
• Fully reversible wearability
• Collectible Japanese size M
• Strong unisex styling potential
• Crossover appeal between sukajan, wagara and textile-art collecting

The imagery is especially suitable for collectors who prefer botanical, feminine, romantic or kimono-derived sukajan over military and tattoo-style subjects.

It also works as a bridge piece within a collection. Beside a tiger or dragon jacket, its butterflies and chrysanthemums introduce softness without sacrificing the density and craftsmanship expected from serious Japanese embroidered outerwear.

Shipping and Shop Policies

This is a pre-owned garment sold as is and as photographed. Natural wear, wrinkles, tonal variation and minor textile irregularities are part of its condition and history.

Please review the photographs, tagged size and published reference measurements carefully before purchasing. Fit preferences vary, particularly with compact Japanese bomber silhouettes.

All sales are final. Returns, exchanges and post-purchase condition claims are not accepted.

Reasonable offers are welcomed and considered individually. Pricing flexibility depends upon rarity, condition and current collector demand.

Worldwide shipping is available from Japan through Japan Post EMS within supported service regions.

Orders are generally prepared within 3 to 5 business days. Tracking information will be supplied after dispatch. Delivery times vary according to destination, customs clearance and local postal processing.

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Material Tags

Rayon satin, polyester jacquard, multicolor embroidery, embroidery thread, woven brocade, knitted ribbing, metal zipper, patterned textile panels