Figure 1.--This is a Japanese primary school class, we think in 1959. Note how the school has very carefully interspersed boys and girls. This is very rare in school photographs. The school seems to have set Prussian cadet uniforms for the boys, although several boys do not wear the uniform. The school seems relxed about this. Note thst the girls do not wear a uniform. Also notice how all are wearing special school shoes but they are not identical. Also notice thast while many of the boiys hve very short hair, we no no longer see any with cropped hair. The adults are probably the teacher and the principal.

Japanese school trends varied significantly at the primary and secondary level. We see significant chasnges in the 2950s, especially at the primary level. Japanese primary schools by the early-1950s had a very different look than pre-War schools. Single gender schools virtually disappear at the primary level. Almost all Japanese primary schools become coeducational, except for private schools. We begin to see some more female teachers. Schoolwear also changed. Gradually the army uniforms were dropped during the late-40s at most schools. We are not sure to what this dichotomy should be atributed. And we see the children wearing their ordinary clothes to school. Traditional clothing also disappeared during the late-40s and we no longer see them to any extent, even in rural areas. Rather the children are wearing Western-styled clothing. Boys tended to wear simple shirts and pants, both long and short pants. Shorts become muh more common in the 1960s, but in the 50s we seem to see more of a mix. The shorts were shorter than the knee-length pants common before the War, but they were not the extremely short shorts we begin to see in the 1960s. Hosiery was mostly ankle socks, although some children did not wear socks at all. During the winter we see many boys wearing long pants. Younger boys might wear shorts with long stockings. Girls wore dresses or blouses and skirts. A few schools continued to wear military uniforms, but this was almost always cadet uniforms and not the army uniforms common before the War. Presumably they had too much of a World War II military look, although for some reason the Prussian cadet uniforms persisted, although we rarely see the girls' sailor dresses at the primary level. Often we see a mix of uniforms and regular clothes. Apparently the schools set a uniform, at least for the boys, but were rather relaxed about children wehi did bnot wear it. Changes at secondary schools were less vissible, but very significant. The secondary system was significantly expanded. Before the War, a relatively limited part of the primary school population went on the secondary school. By the 1950s, most Japanese chilldren attended secondary schools. And they ciontinued to be mostly single-gender schools. The schools uniforms continued to require uniforms. We still see the cadet uniforms for boys and sailor outfits for girls. We no longer see the Army uniforms that many boys wore before the War.

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Created: 12:42 AM 9/3/2011
Last updated: 12:42 AM 9/3/2011