Japanese Boys' Clothes: Types of Pants


Figure 1.--We begin to note Japanese boys playing in athletic training pants after school in the mid-1980s. These boys were photographed in Tokyo during 1986.

Japanese boys first began wearing Western-style pants in the late-19th century. It did not become common, however, until well into the 20 century. We do not believe that knickers were ever commonly worn. Knee pants may have been worn in the early-20th century, but we have little information at this time. Japanese boys have mostly worn short and long pants. Short pants were very common in the 20th century for primary-age boys. Secondaty-age boys wore long pants. Long pants became more common in the late-20th century, bith for general an school wear. .

Knee Breaches

As far as we know, Japanese boys have never worn 18th century knee breaches. Japan at the time was still closed to the West.

Knee Pants

Kneepants may have been worn in the early 20th century, but we have little information at this time.

Knickers

We do not believe that knickers were ever commonly worn by Japanese boys.

Short Pants

Japanese primary-age boys have traditionally worn short pants with a sharp age divide. This was the generally pattern in the 20th centurty. We see tradiotional clothes at the beginning of the 20th centurty amd more long pants at the end of the century, but for the kost part boys wire short pnts diring the 20th century. Primarily boys usually wore short pants of varying styles depending on the time period. This was the case both in uniform and non-uniform schools. As soon as they graduated from elementary school at about 12 years of age they immediately syopped wearing short pants. Only in the 1990s have older boys begun wearing shorts, but only casual shorts--never dressy ones. Since the 1950s, Japanese boys have worn short, rather trim fitting shorts. Longer shorts began to become popular in the mid-1990s, although shorter shorts are still commionly worn with school uniforms. Many boys wore short pants all year long, although by the end of the century they were becoming inreasiongly seasonal wear. Japan ttends to have somewhat more moderate winters than the United States so the seasonl factors were not quite as oronounced.

Long Pants

Japanese boys at about 12 years of age began wearing long pants. They tended to be dressy pants, usually school uniform pants. Almost all Japanese junior and senior high schools require uniforms. Besides their school uniform pants, Japanese boys would wear slacks. Younger Japanese boys began to more commonly wear long pants in the 1980s. Only in the 1980s did Japanese boys begin to commonly wear jeans. We notice Japanese boys wearing jean shorts in the 1960s and 70s, but apparently Japanese mothers did not like the idea of jean long pants. We also notice boys wearing athletic training pants in the 1980s as shown in the photograph here (figure 1).

Stirup Pants

A reader writes, "I noticed on this page the training pants have an underfoot stirrup, which I believe was a characteristic of training pants in general in the 1980's. Do you know of any other times or circumstances in which stirrups on pants for boys ever were popular?" I'm sorry, this is not a topic we have addressed yet. We will be pleased to load any information which readers may forward to us.






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Created: May 9, 2004
Last updated: 5:31 AM 1/31/2007