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Japanese school uniform garments -- cadet jackets
Japanese School Uniform Cadet Jackets: Styling
Figure 1.--These schoolboys from southern Japan wear the cadet uniforms with caps and collar-buttining jackets. We don't know if the white breast tags are name tags or identify the school. Thhe photograph is undated, but was probably taken in the 1970s.
These boys wear the white collars of their shirts outsude the jacket. The collars are done with slightly rounded points, with a Peter Pan look. This is a graduation photograph, notice the graduation sctoll holders. Put your cursor on the image to see the rest of the group.
We are not enirely sure what the gakuran was based on. Some sources suggest that the gakuran cadet jacket was mainly based on the army uniform. We are not sure avout that. The gakuran looks to us mote like it us bvased on the naval unifoirm, perhaps because of its colors. Less obvious is the use of hooks rather than buttons and the navy blue/black color.
Cadet jackets are are very simply styled and button at the collar, giving a rather military look. We do see military features like epaulettes. We do see some military features like brass buttons, but this is not as common as it once was. We also see flap pockets on some of the jackets. We see early cadet jackets with as many as seven buttons. More recently, three buttons seem standrd, at least for the younger boys. The jackets tend to be very plain. The ones shown here are three button jackets with out a breast pocket or badge. There appears to be two side pockets. The only embelishment the boys have on their jackets is a small pin on their left collar, presumably the school badge. Two of the boys here have a kind of fob attached to a button hole and ruinning into their side pockets (figure 1). We are not sure what this is, presumably a set of house keys so not afixed so they can't lose them. The principal variation in these jackets appears to be the collar. Early cadet jaclets had a kigh collar with no shirt like appendages. More ecntly they were still collar buttoning jackets with shirt-like pointed collars. We see a few boys wearing them as open collars with white shirts. This may have been a seasonal matter, but at any rate was not common. They were worn with the collar buttoned, in some cases with a hint of a white shirt underneath. We see a few schools with the collar of a white shirt worn showing over the jacket collar. The collar type of the white shirts varied, but this was not aeal common alternative either, perhaps because it took away from the military look.
Origins
The gakuran reflects the impression made on Japan by European militaries. We had thought that the model for the Japanese boys school uniform was the Prussian Army. (The girls' uniform as based on the uniforms of the British Royal Navy.) This is suggested by the caps. We note, however, that at the time, French boys were much more likely to wear militart style school uniforms than Prussian or other German boys. We are tgus not enirely sure what the gakuran was based on. Some sources suggest that the gakuran cadet jacket was mainly based on the army uniform. We are not sure avout that. The gakuran looks to us mote like it us bvased on the naval unifoirm, p;rrhaps because of its colors. Less obvious is the use of hooks rather than buttons and the navy blue/black color. Note that the gakuran was based on an offucer's jacket. The girls' outfit is more obviously a naval uniform, dpecifacally a British uniform, the but note it is the uniiorm of the enlisted (ratings) personnel. .
Military Look
Cadet jackets are are very simply styled and button at the collar, giving a rather military look. We do see military features like epaulettes in some of the gakuran.
Variations
There was not one single styke. There are some variations from school to school, but the basic style is very common. They were manufactyred by nmany differebnt cimapanies with all kinds of dufferences. We do see some military features like brass buttons, but this is not as common as it once was. We also see flap pockets on some of the jackets. We see early cadet jackets with as many as seven buttons. More recently, three buttons seem standrd, at least for the younger boys. The jackets tend to be very plain. The ones shown here are three button jackets with out a breast pocket or badge. There appears to be two side pockets. The only embelishment the boys have on their jackets is a small pin on their left collar, presumably the school badge. Two of the boys here have a kind of fob attached to a button hole and ruinning into their side pockets (figure 1). We are not sure what this is, presumably a set of house keys so not afixed so they can't lose them. The principal variation in these jackets appears to be the collar. Early cadet jaclets had a kigh collar with no shirt like appendages. More recently they were still collar buttoning jackets with shirt-like pointed collars.
Shirts
We see a few boys wearing them as open collars with white shirts. This may have been a seasonal matter, but at any rate was not common. They were worn with the collar buttoned, in some cases with a hint of a white shirt underneath. We see a few schools with the collar of a white shirt worn showing over the jacket collar. The collar type of the white shirts varied, but this was not aeal common alternative either, perhaps because it took away from the military look.
