In “Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure,” the unique art style of the author, Hirohiko Araki, and many of the characters wear fashionable clothing.
Jotaro Kujo, the main character of Part 3, is a 17-year-old student, and he also wears unusual clothing. But did you know that this is actually a Japanese school uniform?
Japanese school uniforms come in two main types: Gakuran (military-style uniform) and Blazer, and Jotaro attends a school that adopts the Gakuran style.
In this article, I will introduce some of the unique history and culture behind the Gakuran.
Origins of Gakuran school uniform
Gakuran, if I directly translate it, means “Dutch clothes” for students.
Japan had implemented a policy of internationalisolation called “sakoku(means close country)” for about 300 years from the 1600s,
but during that time, limited trade continued with countries like the Netherlands.
So Western items were generally considered to be Dutch.
Around end of 1800s, Japan started to adopted Western culture actively. In this time, University school also adopted western design uniform for students. People started to call it as “Gakuran”(Dutch clothes for students) at that time.
Even its design roots was the German Army but called Dutch clothes.
Student Culture Related to the Gakuran
As explained earlier, these uniforms are based on military uniforms, making it difficult to express individuality. Student have been trying to find creative ways to change their uniforms and make them more fashionable by circumventing the school’s dress code.
In the 1970s and 1980s, with the rise of the student movement and the growing sense of rebellion against the schools, some of the styles among delinquent students were so extreme in their arrangements that they appeared bizarre.
For example, there was the “bon-tan” style with the hem spread wide open, and the “long run” style with its unusually long jacket.(It looks like almost circus troupe…)
Normal Gakuran(Left)
Arranged Gakuran(Right Bontan style)
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part3 also incorporates elements of this era, and his uniform design seems to follow this trend.
However, it seems that in the real world, the arrangement was not as radical as Jotaro’s.
As a side note, the second button on this school uniform has a special meaning.
It is customary for a girl to ask a boy she has feelings for to give his second botton to her at their graduation ceremony.
This is derived from the fact that soldiers would give a button close to the heart to their loved ones before leaving for the battlefield.
