Circa 1965 Camp Yamada (Kokura, Japan) drinking Jacket (2 Viewers)

[Carrotcake]

Hello.
I am 28 years old, from Japan. About a year ago I have come across this jacket online, in a scene on a YouTube video about vintage clothes. Ever since, I have been obsessed with this particular jacket and have been hunting down the information about it. So far so have found 2 of the identical jacket and partially have tracked down the temporary owners of them. But both pieces have different owners and I have no idea where they are now… From what I have gathered so far about the piece is that, they were so-called "drinking jackets" that were worn by the U.S. military personnels who had served at the Yamada Ammunition Depot located in Kokura, Japan. Likely were worn around 1965-1967. I would love to know if anyone on the site knows about or has the jacket today.

Thank you so much.

Carrotcake

 

[Jadera]

Wow great find, I hope it finds it way back to its owners. Also where did you find those photos?

 

[Carrotcake]

Wow great find, I hope it finds it way back to its owners. Also where did you find those photos?

Wow great find, I hope it finds it way back to its owners. Also where did you find those photos?

Hi Jadera, these photos were from another post from back in 2011 and were not mine. I am looking for the same jacket. My guess is that there are at least 10 of these made maybe more… I also wonder what the purpose of a "drinking jackets" is. Although I am lured by the piece from an aesthetic point of view, I now find myself in a forest of history and questions..

 

[Jadera]

Hi Jadera, these photos were from another post from back in 2011 and were not mine. I am looking for the same jacket. My guess is that there are at least 10 of these made maybe more… I also wonder what the purpose of a "drinking jackets" is. Although I am lured by the piece from an aesthetic point of view, I now find myself in a forest of history and questions..

Your guess is as good as mine, but this seems cool so I'll help you find these jackets. A good ebay search could possibly find you some answers, and I would also ask reddit.

 

[Jadera]

Found this, Sukajan - Wikipedia, apparently less than 30ish were made, but there are some Sukaman dealers in Japan where you live.

 

[Carrotcake]

Found this, Sukajan - Wikipedia, apparently less than 30ish were made, but there are some Sukaman dealers in Japan where you live.

Hello,
Thank you for providing the information. Would you mind telling me where you got the number 30ish?

 

[Jadera]

That was a historical estimate, because most Sukajan were ordered in small batches, and also, most of those units were pretty small. Yamada Depot also probably was not that large. I think accessing the personel roster might help.

 

[Jadera]

Sorry I couldn't get more, there is like basically nothing specifically on them outside of this forum.

 

[Jadera]

Wait wait, found something really cool: Yamada Ammo Depot