Sukajan: The Japanese Souvenir Jacket That Conquered the World

Photo: “Lightning June 2025 Issue”

In October 2025, Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi presented a custom-made sukajan jacket to the visiting U.S. Secretary of Defense.
Featuring an embroidered eagle on blue and burgundy satin, the chest bore the names “Shinjiro” and “Pete.”
Its appearance at this diplomatic occasion marked a moment when a culture born in postwar Japan returned to the spotlight.

The “Souvenir Jacket” Born in Postwar Yokosuka

The prototype of the Sukajan originated in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, immediately after World War II.
It is said to have begun when stationed American soldiers ordered jumpers embroidered with Eastern motifs like eagles, tigers, and dragons as mementos of their stay in Japan.
Soon, these appeared as “Souvenir Jackets” in base PX stores and became a piece of Japanese culture “taken back” to America.

At the time, the supplier of these garments was Minato Shōkai (now Tailor Toyo). By the 1950s, it boasted a 95% market share in supply, making it the driving force behind Japan’s first postwar fashion exports. Today, it continues this legacy as “TAILOR TOYO,” with artisans embroidering each piece by hand.

What Makes a Sukajan

Sukajan are jackets made from glossy satin or velvet fabric. Their backs feature bold embroidery depicting Japanese symbols like tigers, dragons, Mount Fuji, and cherry blossoms.
There are two theories about the name’s origin. One suggests it’s short for “Yokosuka jumper,” while the other claims it derives from the embroidered motif “sky dragon.”

In the 1950s and 60s, its popularity spread in Japan, becoming a garment among youth that simultaneously symbolized both admiration for American culture and a rebellious spirit.
At the same time, it was associated with “Yankee culture” and “delinquent fashion,” facing a period of societal disapproval.
However, this very disapproval also served as proof that the sukajan was a “symbol of freedom.”

The Craft Behind the Shine

The embroiderers of Yokosuka and Kamakura have been the backbone of the sukajan.
Surprisingly, many were women doing embroidery as home-based side jobs, using sewing machines in a corner of their homes. Though called machine embroidery, it wasn’t automated; it involved manually operating a treadle sewing machine, stitching like drawing a picture.
The delicate movement of the thread and the three-dimensional expression were truly artisan craftsmanship. At the time, cotton and silk were scarce, so ingenious solutions emerged, like reusing scraps and cotton waste for quilting.

Creative adaptations born from postwar material shortages—like reversible designs and quilted insulation for warmth—live on in today’s designs.

Street Rebellion Fashion

In the 1990s, the sukajan jacket returned to the spotlight alongside the American casual fashion boom. Young people lined up at vintage shops in Yokosuka and Ameyoko to hunt for vintage pieces.

By the 2000s, K-POP artists and Hollywood actors wore them, reviving the jacket as a symbol of the “Japanese × Street” style. Their reversible design, featuring different patterns on each side, is sometimes described as embodying “dual-sided self-expression.”

Street styles from Tokyo and showing the modern Sukajan revival.

Even as eras change, the “free and powerful aesthetic” radiating from sukajan remains timeless.

From Street to Runway

Sukajan jackets are now being reinterpreted on the global fashion scene.

GUCCI unveiled its “Oriental Bomber” featuring ukiyo-e motifs and Donald Duck embroidery, while Louis Vuitton released a jacket combining glossy satin and quilting. Both designs convey a respect for the “Asian aesthetic and craftsmanship” inherent in sukajan.

Moreover, in Western vintage markets, they trade under the name “Souvenir Jacket,” sometimes selling for hundreds of thousands of yen in vintage shops in L.A. and Paris.
Postwar souvenirs have now evolved into collector’s items.

Where to Buy Sukajan

For the authentic Sukajan experience, Yokosuka is the place to go. Dobuita Street, right in front of the U.S. Navy base, is lined with long-established shops like TAILOR TOYO, and some even offer custom embroidery. In Tokyo, Ameyoko in Ueno and America-mura in Osaka also have many shops handling vintage models. Online, you can purchase from the TAILOR TOYO official website.
Prices range widely from around ¥10,000 to several hundred thousand yen, with value varying based on design and the complexity of the embroidery.

The Jacket That Spoke for Japan

Born in postwar Yokosuka, a single embroidered jacket spread from American soldiers’ souvenirs to Japanese streets, then onto global runways.
The Sukajan embodies the very spirit of remake and creation born in postwar Japan.

Now, the Defense Minister wears it on the diplomatic stage.
This is no coincidence—perhaps a reaffirmation of the artisan culture and identity that Japanese people cherish. Eagles, dragons, tigers—all speak the same truth on their backs: “This nation will soar freely once more.”

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