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Japanese primary school children through World War II (1941-45) and into the 1950s. They were commonly worn with the generally long knee-length short pants, especially during the winter. We are not sure about the chronology, in part because we have very little 19th century information. We believe that long stockings began to be worn at the same time that Western-style school clothing began to be adopted. We still see long stockings after the War in the 1940s and 50s. They seems to have disappeared as shorter cut short pants began to become in the late-50s. Also tights appeared about the same time. We are not entirely sure about the age conmventions, but they were mostly worn by younger children. Younger children began wearing tights during the winter. The stockings were apparently not very popular with the children, they were worn by both boys and girls. They were primrily seaonal garmnts worn during the colder months, but a degree of formality was also involved. Yukio Mishima wrote in his autobiographical novel, Confessions of a Mask. The time would have been the late-1930s. "It was well into the winter of my second year in middle school. By then we had become accustomed to long trousers and to calling each other by unadorned surnames. (In lower school we had never been permitted to leave our knees bare below our short pants, not even in the height of summer, and thus our joy at first putting on long trousers had been doubled by the knowledge that never again wold we have to garter our thighs painfully. In lower school we had also had to use the formal form of address when calling each other by name.)"
Japanese primary school children through World War II (1941-45) and into the 1950s. Long stockings were commonly worn with the generally long knee-length short pants, especially during the winter. We are not sure about the chronology, in part because we have very little 19th century information. We believe that long stockings began to be worn at the same time that Western-style school clothing began to be adopted. We have no evidence of this, but believe it is a fairly safe assumption. We do not have many images of the 19th century. And it is a little difficult to assess the hosiery being worn with traditonl garments. We see numerous examples of Japanese children wearing long stockings with school garments during the early-20th century, mostly on a seasonl basis. Long stockings were very common in colder weather because so many boys wore short pants. Lighter color stockings were common. There were also dark long stockings. The dark stockings were worn with dark uniforms, both the boys' cadet uniforms and the girls' sailor dresses. We still see long stockings after the War in the 1940s and 50s. This was the last decade that we commonly see long stockings. We see them both at the uniform and non-uniform schools, but they may have continued to be worn a little later at the private uniform schools which were a little more conservative.
Long stockings seem to have disappeared as shorter cut short pants began to become in the late 50s. Also tights appeared about the same time. The two developments seem to have been related. It seems to us fewer older boys wore tights than long stockings, but not when tights were first introduced. Here our assessment is stoll preliminary as we have relstively few images.
We are not entirely sure about the age comventions, but they were mostly worn by younger children. Younger children began wearing tights during the winter.
The stockings were apparently not very popular with the children, they were worn by both boys and girls. Elastic bands were used to hold the stickings up and many children found this uncomfortable.
Most of the images of Japanese children wearing long stockings seem to be wearing lighter-colored stockings. Girls mihjt wear white long stockings, but as far as we can tell, nit the boys. we do see dark long stockings, but only with the dark-colored cadet uniforms.
They were primrily seaonal garmnts worn during the colder months, but a degree of formality was also involved. At the uniform schools they might be worn seasonally as well as for formazlity as part as school regultions. At the non-uniform schools they were worn seasonally at the desgression of the parents.
We notice some differences depending on the types of schools. Private schools were more likely to require uniforms. and uniform schools were more likely to have rules concerning the hosiery. Before Japan's surrender ending the Pacifuc War and the American occupation, Japanese school children commonly wore uniforms or traditional clothing to school (1945). After the War, many public schools dropped uniform requirements.
Yukio Mishima wrote in his autobiographical novel about his childhood in the late-1950s. "It was well into the winter of my second year in middle school. By then we had become accustomed to long trousers and to calling each other by unadorned surnames. (In lower school we had never been permitted to leave our knees bare below our short pants, not even in the height of summer, and thus our joy at first putting on long trousers had been doubled by the knowledge that never again wold we have to garter our thighs painfully. In lower school we had also had to use the formal form of address when calling each other by name.)" [Mishima]
Yikio Mishima. Conessions of a Mask.
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