History

The school uniform, seifuku, in Japan started over a hundred years ago, in the Meiji period. According to the Tombow Uniform Museum, first a more formal kimono, shirt and hakama combination was selected by the Ministry of Education, to “escalate” the profile of students. Later in this era, however, as Japan began to embrace things Western, the hakama set was replaced with a black or navy gakuran jacket and slacks.

Sailors and Cadets

Roles of the Uniform

For students, of course, the uniform serves to link them to their schools, and reasserts their collective identity in Japanese society as students.

Since the uniform is THE symbol of school, comics such as the prominent Sailor Moon, games such as PaperMan or TV series such as WaterBoys or the school girl drama Life use it as a prominent theme.