Tailor Toyo KOSHO TT11201-170 Bulldog × Tiger Reversible Sukajan, Wine Velveteen & Yellow Quilted Satin, 2006

From Tailor Toyo’s 2006 Collectors Selection Limited Edition, the KOSHO & CO. TT11201-170 preserves the name, dates and unusual animal pairing of a personalized 1950s souvenir jacket. A roaring tiger and the name Ronald Landrum fill the golden quilted face; a bulldog and the dates 1954–1958 stand on deep wine velveteen.

The Piece

Archival retailer documentation identifies TT11201-170 as the padded Bulldog × Tiger Special Edition, style number NO-341, produced in wine and yellow with velveteen on one face and quilted satin on the other. It is not an anonymous reproduction built from generic motifs: Tailor Toyo kept the name Ronald Landrum, the word “Japan” and the dates 1954–1958 from the historical design, evoking the highly personal jackets commissioned by American servicemen and overseas personnel in the postwar period, when names, stations, dates, beloved animals and memories of Japan were translated into thread. The result is a two-sided portrait of strength: the tiger for wild movement, danger and command; the bulldog for loyalty, stubborn courage and companionship.

The golden-yellow face is dominated by a large tiger seated dynamically on a slender bamboo branch, chest lifted and head thrown back in a full roar. Its wide mouth is worked in brilliant orange, white and black, with sharply embroidered teeth and a curling tongue; the body is rendered in yellow, cream and black, long directional stripes following shoulders, torso and tail, while silver-gray bamboo leaves curl around it. Caught mid-motion rather than posed heraldically, it seems ready to leap from the jacket. Above it “Japan” is embroidered in flowing orange-red cursive, the hand-scripted destination of postwar tour jackets, and beneath it the name Ronald Landrum in matching script, which turns the design from a conventional animal jacket into a reproduced personal artifact made, it seems, for one particular wearer. Across the front, two opposing tiger heads roar inward toward the zipper, mouths filled with orange thread and framed by fine white whiskers.

Broad diamond quilting covers the whole yellow face, giving the satin structure, insulation and depth; light moves across each panel so the surface shifts between golden yellow, mustard and amber, and the padding gives a fuller silhouette than an unlined spring sukajan, suited to a substantial transitional layer. Warm brown rib-knit trim at collar, cuffs and waistband echoes the tiger’s stripes and keeps the bright body from appearing theatrical, lending a convincingly aged, 1950s-inspired palette.

The reverse is quieter, warmer and unexpectedly affectionate. A broad, muscular bulldog stands squarely across the wine-red velveteen back, legs planted, head turned toward the viewer and shoulders pushed forward, its heavy jowls, broad chest and paws defined in cream, white, tan, brown and black thread. Its expressive, slightly eccentric proportions keep the warmth of mid-century souvenir embroidery; the face is stern yet affectionate, more remembered companion than generic mascot. Below it the dates 1954–1958 appear in large golden-yellow numerals, which within the reproduced narrative may commemorate a period of service, travel, ownership or personal significance, a time capsule that gives this face the character of a personal tribute. On the chest a smaller bulldog head with wrinkled face, broad muzzle and alert eyes is lifted from the pile in pale thread, and the opposite side carries the surname Landrum in golden-yellow cursive, tying the two faces into one story.

The wine-red velveteen nap shifts from burgundy and crimson to darker oxblood as it catches light, emphasizing the sculptural embroidery, and is framed by rib-knit in warm coral, rust and brown that connects visually with the yellow reverse. The bamboo bending around the heavy tiger suggests resilience and flexibility beside power; the bulldog, compact and planted rather than fluid, speaks of persistence and refusal to retreat. The tiger is motion and the bulldog endurance: one roars through a brilliant Japanese landscape, the other stands in a field of wine velvet like a loyal guardian.

Details

• Maker: Tailor Toyo (Toyo Enterprise Co., Ltd., Japan)
• Model: TT11201-170
• Archival Style Number: NO-341
• Line: KOSHO & CO. / 港商 Special Edition
• Edition: 2006 Collectors Selection Limited Edition
• Motif Pairing: Bulldog × Tiger
• Era: Released 2006; reproduces a personalized mid-1950s souvenir jacket (the 1954–1958 dates are part of the artwork)
• Material: Velveteen; quilted satin; padded interlining; embroidery thread; rib-knit trim; metal reversible zipper; woven pocketing
• Color: Wine velveteen with coral, rust and brown ribbing × golden-yellow quilted satin with brown ribbing
• Size: The model was offered in Japanese Small, Medium, Large and Extra Large; flat measurements available on request
• Original Retail: ¥58,000 plus tax
• Construction: Fully reversible; padded; embroidered artwork on both faces; raglan sleeves; reversible zipper; rib-knit collar, cuffs and waistband; angled front pockets
• Yellow Face: Back: roaring tiger on bamboo with “Japan” and “Ronald Landrum” script. Front: twin tiger heads
• Wine Face: Back: standing bulldog with 1954–1958. Front: bulldog head portrait and “Landrum” script

Condition

• Pre-owned collector jacket with visible age, wear and storage character; both embroidered faces remain visually powerful.
• Yellow quilted face: pronounced natural wrinkling and quilting compression, surface rippling across body and sleeves, tonal variation within the yellow fabric, possible faint marks and age-related discoloration, gentle wear near the cuffs, collar and waistband, light flattening along folds and high-contact areas, and natural stitch and thread irregularities.
• The tiger’s black stripes, orange mouth, pale highlights and bamboo retain strong contrast, and the embroidered lettering remains clearly legible.
• Wine velveteen face: natural movement and variation in the nap, light flattening where folded or handled, soft creasing through sleeves and body, subtle tonal changes with the direction of the pile, normal wear around the rib-knit trim and possible minor surface marks from use and storage.
• The bulldog embroidery remains substantial and expressive, with the Landrum name and 1954–1958 dates prominent.
• No major holes, severe tears or structural damage are apparent in the full-garment photographs; smaller marks, pulls, loosened threads, rib irregularities or signs of age may be present.
• Built with historically inspired, delicate components, it should be handled with more care than an ordinary mass-produced synthetic bomber.

KOSHO Lineage

KOSHO & CO. (港商) was the predecessor of Toyo Enterprise and played an exceptionally important role in the original production of postwar souvenir jackets; Toyo Enterprise states that Kosho supplied approximately 95 percent of the souvenir-jacket market during the genre’s 1950s peak, a history preserved today through the Tailor Toyo name and the KOSHO woven label.

The KOSHO & CO. Special Edition is Tailor Toyo’s most historically intensive reproduction line. Toyo describes these jackets as elevated reproductions of early postwar souvenir pieces, made with experienced embroidery craftspeople, vintage-style wool ribbing and reversible zippers recreated on restored old machinery, so that materials and hardware age like an original jacket rather than a lightweight fashion bomber. Now about twenty years old, this early KOSHO-era collector reproduction has itself become scarce and discontinued.

Fit & Display

Archival sizing ran in Japanese Small to Extra Large with short vintage-inspired body lengths; actual garment measurements should take priority over size conversion, and flat measurements are available on request. The useful figures are chest width armpit to armpit, back length from the base of the collar, hem width across the ribbed waistband and sleeve length from center back collar to cuff. The silhouette is compact and rounded, with full raglan sleeves, a broad chest, short bomber length, fitted ribbed waist, softly rounded shoulders and visible padded volume; Japanese sukajan fit shorter through the torso than many Western bombers, so allow room for layering over a sweatshirt or knit.

Displayed yellow side out, the jacket is a vivid emblem of Japan and the roaring-tiger tradition; wine side out, a personal tribute centered on a bulldog, surname and dated memory. Use a broad padded hanger and avoid prolonged direct sunlight to protect the yellow satin, velveteen and embroidery colors.

Authenticity & Care

Archival retailer documentation records TT11201-170 as the Bulldog × Tiger KOSHO Special Edition, style NO-341, in wine velveteen and yellow quilted satin, released in the 2006 Collectors Selection Limited Edition. It is a 2006 reproduction, not a garment made between 1954 and 1958. 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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