I've visited the "Sukajan (Souvenir Jackets) Exhibition"!
Hello everyone! This is HINOYA staff Fujiwara.
I went to the
Sukajan (Souvenir Jackets) exhibition at the YOKOSUKA MUSEUM OF ART, which I
announced the other day, and I hope I can tell you a little bit about its
charms!
Please see the information about the Sukajan exhibition. Click
the image below. (Jump to the outside of HINOYA's website.)
Exhibits
Entering the exhibition room first, visitors find a section that
introduces the culture and customs of Yokosuka, the U.S., and U.S.
soldiers in the past.
Around 1954, Dobuita-street was lined with souvenir stores, gentlemen's
clubs, and bars for U.S. soldiers called "Souvenirs", and the entire
street was crowded with many U.S. soldiers and related people.
Portraits painted for U.S. soldiers at that time, and handkerchiefs and
bags with Japanese-style pictures are on display.
And there are photo exhibits of the E.M. Club (Enliste Men's Club), an entertainment facility for U.S. soldiers with a theater, movie theater, basketball court, beer hall, etc. Many exhibits, such as coins used in the club and photos of the theater, show the bustling atmosphere of the time.
There is also a section that introduces the custom culture of U.S. soldiers, which leads to the Skajan, including patches that were produced at the time and custom sweater jackets embroidered with place names, year, stars and stripes, and other information.
Let's see Sukajan exhibits
In 1951, the bases were gradually eliminated from all parts of the country. At this area, there is the exhibits of vintage Skajans, including dead stock skajans from the collection of MIKASA, which was founded in that year.
And, at the next area, there were many vintage Skajans owned by Toyo Enterprises Co., and I was so engrossed in the descriptions of the age and characteristics. I spent a lot of time looking at them in this area.
Skajans Today
In the next area, many Skajans revived by Toyo Enterprises, Co. as
"Taylor Toyo" in the modern age, and works by artists active today that
were created using the "horizontal swing embroidery" used on vintage
Skajans are on display.
There are some of the embroidered patterns that I found in the vintage
Sukajans area, and these are also worth looking at. I recommend that you
take the time to look at them as well.
After enjoying the museum, I took a 30-minute bus ride back toward
Yokosuka station, ate tacos, and ended my trip to Yokosuka.
Although I was not able to go there this time since I didn't have enough
time, I recommend that you also visit Dobuita-street and enjoy the
atmosphere of the city that you saw at the Sukajan exhibition!
This special-order model features the especially popular Maiko and EAGLE
patterns. The "H" embroidery casually placed on the side of each pattern
is proof of Hinoya's special order.
For those who want to try Sukajan, or for those who already have a Sukajan
but are looking for a rare pattern, how about this special Sukajan?
Cool Skajans will definitely come in the 2023 spring and summer collection. Stay tuned for next year's new stuff!