Front and Back: A Showa Striped Noragi and Its Two Faces
The first three photographs show the reverse side. This is not an accident — it is a choice, and it tells you something about the noragi. The reverse of a striped cotton noragi is not a lining in the conventional sense; it is the same fabric, the same weave, the same cotton, seen from the other side. The stripe that runs vertically on the front runs vertically on the back. But the reverse has a different quality: the surface is slightly different, the light falls differently, the fabric reads differently. The maker of this noragi knew both sides of the cloth. The photographs show both sides because both sides are worth showing.
This noragi jacket was made during the mid-Showa period — around the 1940s to 1960s. The material is striped cotton. The miyatsuguchi — the traditional side-body opening under the arm — is present, providing ventilation during physical work and ease of movement for the arms. The length is 73cm, the chest 56cm, the shoulder 60cm, the sleeve 31.5cm, the sleeve width 33cm, the cuff 18cm. The condition is good vintage — the fabric has aged without significant damage, developing the particular depth and softness that only decades of use can create. Washed twice in-house.
The Miyatsuguchi: An Opening That Changes Everything
The miyatsuguchi — the side-body opening under the arm — is one of the defining structural features of traditional Japanese garments. In a noragi, it serves a practical function: it allows air to circulate through the garment during physical work, preventing overheating; it allows the arms to move freely without pulling the fabric across the back; it allows the garment to be worn over multiple layers without binding. The miyatsuguchi is an opening that makes the garment breathe.
It also changes the silhouette. A noragi with miyatsuguchi has a different drape than one without — the side seam is interrupted, the fabric falls differently at the hip, the garment has a slight openness at the side that is visible when the arms are raised. In contemporary wear, this detail reads as a design feature: the side opening gives the noragi a distinctive silhouette that distinguishes it from a conventional jacket. The miyatsuguchi is both functional and aesthetic, both traditional and contemporary.
Good Vintage Condition: What It Means for a Showa Noragi
Good vintage condition, for a mid-Showa noragi, means that the fabric has aged without significant damage — that the cotton has developed the depth and softness of decades of use without the tears, holes, or major staining that characterize heavily worn pieces. It means that the stripe pattern is still clear, that the fabric structure is intact, that the garment can be worn as it is rather than requiring repair before use.
This is not the same as new condition. The fabric has aged; the cotton has the particular quality of cloth that has been washed and dried many times, that has been worn and stored and worn again. The aging is part of what makes the garment valuable — the depth of color, the softness of the hand, the particular texture of cotton that has lived through decades. Good vintage condition means that the aging has been kind: the garment has developed character without losing integrity.
Size and Condition
Era: Mid-Showa (approx. 1940s–1960s). Material: Cotton (striped). Miyatsuguchi: present. Back length approx. 73cm / 28.7in. Chest approx. 56cm / 22.0in. Shoulder width approx. 60cm / 23.6in. Sleeve length approx. 31.5cm / 12.4in. Sleeve width approx. 33cm / 13.0in. Cuff width approx. 18cm / 7.1in. Good vintage condition. Washed twice in-house. Vintage scent may remain. One of a kind.