Some new wallpapers

Some wallpaper size (1280x1024) pictures from the Rampuya/Momotaro store in Kojima.

Hand Loom


Healds to control the warp threads.


Craft collection

45rpm Raw Leather Belt

Fish shaped holes; Belt loop retainer; Uneven metal buckle;

Buzz A-2 Fit

I had a few requests to see the fit of my A-2. Here are some decapitated shots.
I'm also wearing the Kapital jeans in these pics. No, that isn't my backyard.

In the pics, the sleeves may appear slightly long. I do feel that the jacket is the correct size, and I have read that Buzz do tend to make their knits longer than other brands. Perhaps in the distant future I will get shorter knits.

Samurai S0500XX

This is a pair of the Samurai S0500XX. These are for my friend Jobsey, so don't expect to see updated pictures.

They are 15oz, which is light on for Samurai. They have been made with Texas cotton, which is a scruffy cotton because it has many short fibres.

Kapital Zipang Natural Indigo TP-2

So, in a pilgrimage day excursion we took the bullet train from Osaka to Okayama, and then down to Kojima. I had read about Kojima being the Holy Land of Jeans on the KrashJapan web site, so I was keen to visit.

Overall, the trip was a bit of a let down. The Rampuya Indigo workshop and Weaving workshops were small and more for display than manufacture. I also wasn't that excited by their Momotaro jeans. Their denim wasn't as tightly woven or as textured/slubby as I like.

On the way back to the station we stopped in at the Kapital denim shop. I really liked their clothing and accessories.

I ended up getting a pair of their top-of-the-line denim, TP-2. Straight cut, Natural Indigo, they have one gold rivet on the coin pocket, they also come in a paulownia wooden box with an indigo scarf which has an ancient map with a sewn silver thread depicting the silk route.

Extract from a Kyodo News story

Hirata used an old machine to weave thread by loosening its tension and attached a pure gold rivet to a pocket. He placed each pair of aizome jeans in a box made of paulownia tree hoping it would last a lifetime like kimono.

He turns out 300 pairs of such jeans a year and sells them for 39,900 yen each. ''We are in the red (making them) but I'm happy even if we cannot sell them more,'' Hirata said.

Here's a video of the staff cutting and chainstitching the hems. This guy was fast. Before I started the camera he had cut the hem, and double stitched over the outseam to reinforce it.

• The TP-2 on the Kapital Jeans Web Site

Samurai Denim Bag DB0001

This is a simple denim tote from Samurai. It is quite large and will easily hold a pair of 3 fold jeans (I used it to carry four pairs of jeans). The denim is quite thick - I think it might be 16oz. There are no signs of selvedge, but the denim is nice.

Buzzrickson Roughwear A-2 (BR80090)

Back from holiday.

I got this A-2 from Hinoya Osaka. The staff provided excellent service, and had the jacket shipped from Ueno whilst they kept another jacket on hold so that I could compare the two. They also had the shoulder stencil added before I had decided, and they gave it to me at a sale price because it is the end of the winter season.




Jacket, Flying Summer, Type
A-2
Roughwear Clothing Co. 1943 Model

●MATERIAL：1.2mm Bronco Hide　
●COLOR：Seal Brown　
●TANNING：Vegetable　
●FINISH：Aniline　
●LINING：100% Cotton Broad Cloth　
●FASTENER：TALON Mil Specs Nickel Finished　
●NECK HOOK：Solid Brass Chrome Finished　
●SNAP BUTTON：Brass Oxidized Black Ball Stud Type　
●LABEL：Rough Wear Clothing Co.

The Rough Wear Clothing Co. was one of the most prominent of all manufacturers of flying jackets during WWII. Some of the most distinctive features of Rough Wear A-2’s are the collar, being constructed with a collar stand, and the pocket flap profile, which is fairly rounded.

Talon-zip

Pocket-close up.

Label & hook strap

Shoulder stencil. As you can visibly see at this angle, the Buzz Rickson stencils are a single sticker.

Under the collar.