Hat sightings in Japan

[Jauntyone]

Great photos, Diazawaduy!
Is there anywhere foreigners can buy these Japanese-made Knox hats?

 

[Charlie Huang]

I MUST visit the Showa Museum when I'm in Nippon-goku! I love the toppers and bowlers. They have the original leather hat buckets as well!

:eusa_clap

 

[daizawaguy]

Great photos, Diazawaduy!
Is there anywhere foreigners can buy these Japanese-made Knox hats?

Toraya in Ginza is the best hat shop (photos under `shop front` thread, i think it was called) or http://www.ginza-toraya.com/

but I`m afraid its all in Japanese and not made for international orders...

 

[daizawaguy]

This is the direct link to the felt Knox`s

http://www.ginza-toraya.com/2-15340-2.htm

A bit pricey maybe at $260 equivalent...

 

[RHY]

Hat trends

It seems that during times of economic down turns, people tend to get nostalgic for simpler times and values. In the mid-1970s recession, people looked to the "Happy Days" of the 1950s to movies like "American Graffitti" to lift our spirits.

In this current economic situation that commentators last year referred to as the worse since the Great Depression, I think the country has to look farther back to get the feeling of how to face this down turn. Hats, especially fedoras, seem to bring back the feelings of the times of the 1930s and 1940s when times were a lot tougher and that "Greatest Generation" toughed it out and made the best of a bad situation. I see it as a commentary honoring that spirit that we all need today.

RHY

 

[LaMedicine]

It seems that during times of economic down turns, people tend to get nostalgic for simpler times and values. In the mid-1970s recession, people looked to the "Happy Days" of the 1950s to movies like "American Graffitti" to lift our spirits.

In this current economic situation that commentators last year referred to as the worse since the Great Depression, I think the country has to look farther back to get the feeling of how to face this down turn. Hats, especially fedoras, seem to bring back the feelings of the times of the 1930s and 1940s when times were a lot tougher and that "Greatest Generation" toughed it out and made the best of a bad situation. I see it as a commentary honoring that spirit that we all need today.

RHY

Um Not sure what this has to do with the hat trend in Japan
Hats among the younger generation here has pretty much been the trend the last few years, before the present financial crisis. I know this because one or my daughters have worn hats on a regular basis for the past 3-4 years, and not baseball caps, either, she wears hers rather like the young woman in daizawaguy's post.
I don't think hats ever really went out of style here. As I wrote in an earlier post, hats are often part of kindergarten and elementary school uniforms, so many people are familiarized with wearing hats at an early age. Maybe that's one of the reasons our younger generation easily pick up hats and incorporate them into their personal style.

 

[ScottF]

...

Another Tokio Hat derby, supposedly 80 years old, 28,000 yen, but no lining.

I recently picked up a vintage fedora with the sweatband stamped "Tokiohat". Looking for more info on the history of Japanese hat-making, this was the only thread I could find here with any info.

It seems like they must have built hats a bit differently in Japan, as this one has a taped sweatband and what appears to be a real silk liner, but it also has a plastic covering over the liner label. Also odd that the liner label is for the hat store (Daitoku) rather than the manufacturer (Tokiohats).

 

[mayserwegener]

I recently picked up a vintage fedora with the sweatband stamped "Tokiohat". Looking for more info on the history of Japanese hat-making, this was the only thread I could find here with any info.

It seems like they must have built hats a bit differently in Japan, as this one has a taped sweatband and what appears to be a real silk liner, but it also has a plastic covering over the liner label. Also odd that the liner label is for the hat store (Daitoku) rather than the manufacturer (Tokiohats).

That is a great find. Very interesting about sweat being taped. How did it hold up?

 

[ScottF]

That is a great find. Very interesting about sweat being taped. How did it hold up?

Everything about the construction is top-notch, which is why I was interested in learning more about vintage Japanese-made hats. It's held up so well that I thought it was a new hat when when first spotted - after a brushing, it looked like I had just pulled it out of a box from Optimo's shop - even came with a very similar bash.

I was guessing that with all the loungers we have checking out antique stores in Japan, that someone had probably run across a few vintage Japanese fedoras.

 

[LaMedicine]

<snip> but it also has a plastic covering over the liner label. Also odd that the liner label is for the hat store (Daitoku) rather than the manufacturer (Tokiohats).

Hmm...I remember seeing such plastic covered labels on my father's hats. I think maybe I should go hat hunting at my parents and see what turns up, I need to go there this weekend anyway to take back Mom's vintage kimonos that I had taken to the kimono cleaning/restoring craftsman to be checked out and repaired/cleaned/restored as needed.

 

[ScottF]

What is meant by a "taped sweatband"?

The plastic inner crown protectors fairly on hats in the U.S. The old Adams hats I have have what appears to be some sort of pre-plastic semi-transparent material.

Taped, as opposed to the ends of the sweatband sewn together.

My point is that while all the features on this hat have appeared on other hats, in the U.S. it was generally in different time periods.

 

[ScottF]

I spent a couple of months doing regular searches on Yahoo Auctions, and nothing really came up. There were a couple of derbies, in bad condition, small sizes, and priced way too high. But no fedoras.

I had the longest search query string in the history of Yahoo Auctions, I'm sure. In order to filter out all the standard hats I had to keep adding on "minus" phrases.

We have a couple of large "flea markets" (sometimes written "free markets" here) in my neighborhood, what we called "swap meets" in California, and I've never seen a fur felt hat.

I kind of think most old hats were chucked out by the Japanese. They are rather fastidious about stuff being new and clean (e.g., houses are torn down and rebuilt every 25 years), and there's probably little knowledge (or local infrastructure) about refurbing of hats. The last 20 years has seen the development of vintage clothing stores, but that means stuff that is no more than 10 years old ... or old Levis.

Thanks, Kabuto - very interesting and enlightening. Seattle has a large Japanese heritage, so it could be that someone brought this one back from Japan sometime during the fifties after a visit.

 

[LaMedicine]

I kind of think most old hats were chucked out by the Japanese. They are rather fastidious about stuff being new and clean (e.g., houses are torn down and rebuilt every 25 years), and there's probably little knowledge (or local infrastructure) about refurbing of hats. The last 20 years has seen the development of vintage clothing stores, but that means stuff that is no more than 10 years old ... or old Levis.

I am a bit of a different opinion from kabuto on this.
It may be that you can't find any really good vintage Japanese hats simply because they were almost non-existent in the time frame you'd consider vintage. Fedoras and bowlers were worn by Japanese men, and some Japanese women wore hats with kimonos as well in the Meiji era and on, but the wearers would have been city people--those who lived in the rural areas wouldn't have been able to afford a fancy hat. White collar workers would have worn fedoras, but the craftsmen working class would likely have worn hats like newsboy hats--at least, that's what I see more in snap shots and illustrations of these era. Added to that, once the military gained essential control over Japan, certain types of clothing were considered more *patriotic* and the military caps you see in photos of Japanese soldiers were one of them. Women's kimono were considered an extravagance and a legislation to prohibit wearing them except under certain circumstances went into effect in 1937. So, the subtle pressure for men to follow suit would have been effective by this time also. From then till the end of WWII would have most likely been a *winter* season for any hats save for the military caps for the ordinary citizen. Furthermore, in the year preceding the surrender of Japan, just about all cities in Japan save for Kyoto and Nara were burned to cinder in the fire bomb raids by the Allies. My grandfather and aunt fled for their lives in one such night raid, and returned the next morning to the still simmering remains of their home--nothing save ash remained. Which means, all the items of clothing were burned and lost. This would have been the case for many many many families--and their possessions.

Once the war ended, the majority of the Japanese population were starving so something edible on the table, a roof to shelter them from rain and typhoons, and something to keep them warm were their priorities in surviving, a good hat would have been waaaay down their list of musts and needs, only the very affluent would have been able to afford a good fedora. I also think that many Japanese hatters would have been drafted as soldiers and never came back, just as with many other craftsmen for traditional Japanese arts and products. It most likely wouldn't have been until the early-mid '50s before Japanese men could spare some money and thoughts for a good hat. Even then, they most likely had one good hat, and treasured that. Considering traditional Japanese ways, if the liner or sweatband were ripped or soiled, the owner would have taken that to the hatter and have them replaced, and go on treasuring the same hat. My father wore a hat from time to time, but the only fedora I can recall right now that he had was a gray one with a black ribbon. He may have had more, but that's the one I remember him wearing often. If he had anything else, then, I think only one or two. And they probably are still somewhere in a closet in my parent's place. Now, he did have a number of casual hats and caps, which he often wore on his walks in his late years.

 

[DragonJade]

I was in Ueno the other day and came across this hat store, Nishimura. They've got two branches:

They had all sorts there, Borsalino, Knox, etc.

 

[daizawaguy]

Panama at a local festival...

 

[daizawaguy]

 

[LaMedicine]

I went to my parents' today and spied a hat on top of a book shelf, so took it down to take a look. It was a black fedora with the label, Dobbs N.Y. Didn't have my camera with me, so no pics...yet.:eusa_doh:

 

[daizawaguy]

Some beaten up vintages in a shop window (Override hat shop, Harajuku)

 

[Fedora]

Japan has been very kind to me as I have sent a few dozen hats over there, with another 6 on order. So someone is buying and wearing my hats over there. Granted, not that many, but still.....and I still get orders every now and then, on referrals from my other customers. But I have sold hats in almost every country on the globe, except, the middle east(if you take servicemen out of that equation) and south america. Even China, believe it or not. They may have bought them to copy though, china that is. lol But perhaps I am being pretentious. Fedora

 

[besdor]

Japan is a great hat wearing country. We have packages going out at least once a week . The exchange rate is great for thye Japanese right now. It is still a lot cheaper to buy a hat here in the US and send it to Japan than to buy it there.




steven
www.bencrafthats.com