Article about: Good day all, I picked up these Jika-Tabi, nice and cheaply, a few years ago and always assumed them to be a commercial/artisan model, though have recently found a single, and admittedly, cr
Good day all,
I picked up these Jika-Tabi, nice and cheaply, a few years ago and always assumed them to be a commercial/artisan model, though have recently found a single, and admittedly, crudely painted illustration of an apparently similar item, described as Naval Off-Duty Deck Shoes.
I would imagine such an item would be of far better construction than these, however, and the absence of any military markings is another obvious point against them being an issue garment.
That aside, I have had no luck in translating the handwritten text inside them (beyond the numbers) and would be very grateful for any help you are able to give.
Whatever their origin or use, they are a nice bit of handiwork...
My sincerest thanks, as ever,
Bob
Edit: Originally I thought the first sailor's name was 佐々木 Sasaki .... but the stroke order did not seem correct for 佐; looked around ... (aha! moment) it is 代々木 Yoyogi.
Last edited by ghp95134; 02-11-2019 at 04:10 PM.
Reason: Change from Sasaki to Yoyogi
Fantastic!
Many thanks for your speedy reply and information, Guy!
I’m amazed (and very pleased, of course), that they really are Navy shoes.
Naturally, this means I’m going to have to start hunting for a Navy work uniform now...
Yes, off-duty wear, as I say.
Clearly not robust enough for active service wear, more like slippers!
Presumably, with the absence of any military acceptance markings, these may simply have been a permitted private purchase item...
Nonetheless, I’m extremely chuffed to have them!
2 pairs of the dark blue flax-soled tabi that started the thread were issued per sailor for use in upper deck combat stations, where rubber-soled footwear slipped too easily on blood and oil. Gun stations usually sprinkled sand around their positions for the same purpose.
Jika-Tabi translation & ID please
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