Schoolgirl Sailor Uniforms Create Controversy

The Japanese schoolgirl sailor uniform is an icon in Japan. The usual controversy is about the length of the skirt or the distance to the knee.

Not this time – its roots are the source of a controversy.

"We were first!"

"Nope, it was us!"

Yeah…everyone wants to be first. Just ask a Chinese person.

A school in Fukuoka (founded in 1885) says they introduced the uniform in 1921.

However, another school, Heian Jogakuin, (founded in 1875) has a picture of a girl in a western style one-piece sailor uniform from 1920.

The reason for the controversy – private schools think their history and traditions are important when recruiting new students = more money.

Major school uniform manufacturer Tombow is trying to play the diplomat - 

"Heian Jogakuin was the first school in Japan to employ western clothing. But the design of today's sailor uniforms came from the uniforms that Fukuoka Jo Gakuin employed at the time. You could say that there is truth to both claims of having the first sailor uniform."

In any event, most are not likely to care when it started, but we do know the uniforms have come a long way.

Before –

Now -

 Does a school's history matter to you?