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This is a test sample of the Tiger Stripe Field Jacket developed by the Okinawa CISO (Counter-Insurgency Support Office) in the late 1960s. This is a very rare item, and is probably the only test sample of this reversible field jacket in existence during the war. The jacket is reversible and was probably developed to be both a rain gear and camouflage jacket. The monochromatic OD side used as rain gear is made of the same fabric as the CISO poncho manufactured around 1967. The poncho was made in Japan and is in our archives. The buttons are very similar to the urea buttons used on the gold tiger stripes. The Tiger Stripe on the back side is made of both Gold Tiger Stripe and Classic Tiger Stripe fabrics from the same period, and we assume that two different fabrics were used, perhaps because the fabric on hand was provided as a sample. Based on these tiger stripe fabrics, it is estimated that this jacket was manufactured in the late 1960s, around 1967-1969. The zippers and other parts are all made in Japan by YKK and others, very similar to the Tiger stripes used during the war and the stitching on the CISO items, and some of the zippers used are a mixture of white civilian zippers and others. The buttons are attached in a slightly different way, with a cross-stitching method. The item is also reversible (not printed inside out), which is a very tricky item to make.
The following is a guess, but we think that this item was developed only as a sample and was not adopted because of the poor ventilation of the poncho, the manufacturing cost of the reversible item, and the fact that it was not suitable for mass production, although an item that could be both rain gear and camouflage clothing was being developed. If a sample list or other documentation can be found, this jacket should be registered.
This is a very nice gem, and a tiger stripe item that you can't get any better than this.
We will accept returns of this item for a certain period of time if you are not satisfied with the item after you receive it. You may view the item in person at our showroom. Regarding size and other details, we will only respond to customers who are ready to purchase.
