Shopping Guide
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By onemall 
TL;DR
Japanese denim brands come from three places. Osaka gave the world the reproduction movement — the Osaka Five: Studio D’Artisan, Denime, Evisu, Full Count, Warehouse — plus Samurai and Resolute. Kojima and Okayama are where the jeans are sewn and much of the cloth is woven: Big John, Betty Smith, Bobson, Johnbull, Momotaro, Japan Blue, Pure Blue Japan, Oni, Kapital, Kojima Genes, TCB, The Strike Gold. Tokyo has the big company (Edwin), the Americana houses (Sugar Cane, Jelado, Burgus Plus) and the designer end (45R, Kuro, Blue Blue Japan, Visvim). Behind all of them are five mills — Kaihara, Kurabo, Nihon Menpu, Collect, Kuroki — and the heavyweights Iron Heart and The Flat Head.
- First pair: Momotaro #100 (¥36,300 new today), Studio D’Artisan SD-101 (¥30,580), TCB 50s (¥15,000 used), Edwin 503 (¥13,200).
- Heavyweight: Iron Heart 634 (¥12,800 used), Samurai S5000VX (¥10,800 used), Strike Gold 17 oz (¥36,300 new).
- Cheapest way in: used pairs on Mercari at ¥2,300–¥12,000 for Bobson, Edwin, Big John, Japan Blue and Studio D’Artisan — Japanese denim is 30–50% cheaper in Japan, and used is a third of new.
- Shipping jeans from Japan: a pair is 600–900 g, a jacket 900–1,200 g; any carrier takes clothing. Duty on cotton trousers applies above the thresholds in the import-tax guide.
Why Japanese denim: Kojima, Osaka and the shuttle loom
Japan started sewing jeans in the 1960s in Kojima, a school-uniform town on the Okayama coast, using imported American denim; in 1973 Kurabo wove the first Japanese denim and Big John cut it. When American mills scrapped their narrow Draper shuttle looms for wide projectile looms in the 1980s, Okayama and Hiroshima mills kept theirs (mostly Toyoda), kept rope-dyeing with natural and synthetic indigo, and the Osaka brands of 1979–1995 used that cloth to reproduce 1940s–60s Levi’s better than Levi’s. That is the whole story: selvedge (セルボッチ), the self-finished edge only a shuttle loom makes; raw or one-wash fabric that fades to the wearer; and factories in one town that still do chain-stitch hems and hidden rivets. Kojima Jeans Street, the denim-painted bus and the Betty Smith museum are the tourist side of the same industry[7].
The Osaka Five: the reproduction brands
Five Osaka labels founded between 1979 and 1995 defined modern Japanese denim. All five still exist; two changed hands.
| Brand | Where / since | Lots to search | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio D’Artisan (ステュディオダルチザン) | Osaka (est. 1979) | SD-101 regular straight, SD-103 tight straight, SD-107/108 tapered; 15 oz; the two-pigs logo | The first of the five and the origin of the whole reproduction movement[6]. A new SD-101 is ¥30,580 on Rakuten today; a used SD-101 W34 is ¥12,000 on Mercari. |
| Denime (ドゥニーム) | Osaka (est. 1988) | 66 model, XX model, 220 / 224 lots; now made by Warehouse (“Denime by Warehouse”) | The Osaka Five brand that changed hands; old-tag Denime (旧ドゥニーム) is a collector search. A used Lot 277 is ¥6,000 today. |
| Evisu (エヴィス) | Osaka (est. 1991, Hidehiko Yamane) | No.1 / No.2 / No.3 denim, the hand-painted seagull (kamome) arcuate, Lot 2000 / 2001 | The one everyone has heard of; the Japanese Evisu and the Hong Kong-owned Evisu abroad are different operations, which our Evisu guide untangles. Used pairs run ¥10,000–¥13,000 on Mercari. |
| Full Count (フルカウント) | Osaka (est. 1992) | 1101 (straight), 1108 (slim tapered), 0105 (wide), 13.7 oz Zimbabwe cotton; Type 1 and 2 jackets | The soft-hand reproduction brand: Zimbabwe cotton, lighter weights, vintage fit. A new 1103 clean straight is ¥37,180 today; used 1101s and 1108s sit around ¥7,000–¥18,000. |
| Warehouse & Co. (ウエアハウス) | Osaka (est. 1995) | Lot 1001XX, 800XX, 1105 (used wash); Dubbleworks and Duck Digger sub-labels; Denime | The most literal reproduction house — deadstock-matched fabrics, period hardware. A new 1105 second-hand-wash is ¥33,000; a used 1101 W30 is ¥12,500. |
Kojima and Okayama: the denim-town brands
Kojima (児島) is the town, Okayama the prefecture, Ibara and Kurashiki the neighbours; between them they sew most Japanese jeans and weave much of the cloth. The brands here range from the 1960s originals to the enthusiast labels that sell through Kojima Jeans Street.
| Brand | Where / since | Lots to search | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big John (ビッグジョン) | Kojima, Okayama (Maruo Clothing, jeans from 1965) | M-series, Rare Jeans, WWII model, 17 oz Heavy Gauge, Ishikawadai, Wild Duck | The first Japanese jeans maker, and in 1973 the first to use Japanese-made denim (Kurabo’s KD-8)[1][2]. A 1940s WWII-model reconstruction is ¥30,800 new today; an 80s M103 is ¥3,500 used. |
| Momotaro Jeans (桃太郎ジーンズ) | Kojima (Japan Blue Group, est. 2006) | #100 Standard Straight 14.7 oz, #200 Classic Tapered 15.7 oz, Vintage Label 0201 / 0205, Gold Label, the pink “battle stripes” | The Kojima brand most searched abroad, with the two painted stripes on the back pocket[4]. A new #100 is ¥36,300 today; a used #200 is ¥21,000 on Mercari. |
| Japan Blue Jeans (ジャパンブルージーンズ) | Kojima (Japan Blue Group, est. 2010) | Circle series (J201 straight, J204 slim, J301 wide), 12.5–16.5 oz, Côte d’Ivoire cotton | Momotaro’s younger, cheaper sibling from the same Collect mill; a new selvedge slim is ¥30,800, a used pair ¥4,500. |
| Pure Blue Japan (ピュアブルージャパン, Syoaiya) | Kojima (est. 1997) | XX-011 / XX-019 relaxed tapered, 1178 regular straight, indigo-dyed weft, greencast and purple-weft specials | The slubby, low-tension denim brand; sold as Syoaiya (正藍屋) in Japan. A new 1178 is ¥29,700 today; used Syoaiya pairs go for ¥14,900. |
| Oni Denim (鸣デニム) | Kojima area | 246 Neat Straight, 202 tapered, the “secret denim” 20 oz, Kihannen, Aizumi | The most textured fabric in Japanese denim, woven on old shuttle looms at low speed by one weaver; sold through Hinoya and a few shops. |
| Kapital (キャピタル) | Kojima (est. 1985, Toshikiyo Hirata) | Century Denim (sashiko), Okabilly, Cisco, Port baggy pants, boro and patchwork | The Kojima brand that turned into a fashion house; the one for baggy, patched and sashiko-repaired denim. Used pairs from ¥9,800 on Mercari. |
| Kojima Genes (児島ジーンズ) | Kojima | RNB-1000 series, 15 oz and 21 oz heavy selvedge, painter pants, WWII jacket | The town’s namesake brand at factory prices; a lightweight wide balloon fit is ¥14,300 new today. |
| TCB Jeans (ティーシービージーンズ) | Kojima | 50s, 60s, 20s, S40s (WWII), Slim 50s, Baggy 50s, Working Cat Hero, Catboy jacket | “Two Cats Brand”: period-correct reproductions at a fair price, sold from its own Kojima shop. A used 50s W33 is ¥15,000 today. |
| The Strike Gold (ストライクゴールド) | Kojima | SG1105 / SG2105 tough series 17 oz, SG5105 slub, Keep Earth natural-indigo 17 oz | Heavy, right-hand-twill Kojima denim; a 17 oz classic straight is ¥36,300 new. |
| Betty Smith (ベティスミス) | Kojima (jeans from 1970) | Women’s jeans, stretch denim, the Kojima Jeans Museum and made-to-order factory | Japan’s first women’s jeans brand; runs the denim museum. Used pairs around ¥3,200. |
| Johnbull (ジョンブル) | Kojima (est. 1952) | Johnbull Private Labo, 10 oz belted pants, used-and-faded processed jeans | Old Kojima workwear maker with a fashion line; used pairs ¥5,000. |
| Bobson (ボブソン) | Kojima / Okayama (est. 1969) | Bobson 210 wide, ladies’ stretch, the 1970s heritage lots | One of the original three Kojima jeans brands with Big John and Betty Smith; a new 210 wide is ¥8,490, used from ¥2,300. |
| Eternal (エターナル) | Kurashiki (Bitchu Kurashiki Kobo) | No. 811 / 883 selvedge straight, 52471 tapered | Kurashiki workshop brand; a used No. 811 is ¥8,000. |
| Kakeya Jeans | Okayama | 1st model straight, rigid, shipped direct from the workshop | Small Okayama maker selling direct on Rakuten at ¥18,700. |
Tokyo and the national brands: Edwin, Sugar Cane, 45R, orSlow
| Brand | Where / since | Lots to search | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edwin (エドウィン) | Tokyo (est. 1961) | 503 (the made-in-Japan line), 505, 403, Zed Jeans, Jerseys; Lee Japan under licence | The biggest Japanese jeans company and the inventor of stone-washing in the early 1980s[5]. A new 503 True Standard is ¥13,200 today; used 503s are ¥3,200 on Mercari. |
| Levi’s Vintage Clothing, made in Japan | Tokyo / Japanese factories | 1937, 1947, 1955, 1966 501XX reproductions, Kaihara denim, Big E | Not a Japanese brand, but the LVC 501s sold in Japan are made in Japan on Japanese denim and are a category of their own on Mercari: ¥41,800 new for a 1937 501XX, ¥20,000 used for a 1947. |
| Sugar Cane (シュガーケーン, Toyo Enterprise) | Tokyo (line from 1975) | 1947 model SC41947, 1966 model, Okinawa sugar-cane-fibre denim, Hawaii and Fiber lines; Buzz Rickson’s is the same company | The oldest continuous reproduction line; a new 1947 model is ¥25,300 today, used pairs ¥5,000. |
| 45R / 45rpm (フォーティファイブアール) | Tokyo (est. 1977) | Ai (indigo) denim, Okome denim, Mugihiko easy pants, hand-dyed and washed | Tokyo’s designer denim house with shops in Paris and New York; a used straight is ¥19,800. |
| orSlow (オアスロウ) | Hyogo (est. 2005, Ichiro Nakatsu) | 105 standard, 107 Ivy fit, dad’s fit, fatigue pants, Fifties coverall | The relaxed, lighter-weight brand fashion shops stock; a new 107 Ivy fit is ¥29,700, used 105s from ¥6,566. |
| Resolute (リゾルト) | Osaka (est. 2010, Yoshiyuki Hayashi) | 710 (66-type tapered straight), 711, 712, 713 — four fits, 30 sizes, no changes | The ex-Denime designer’s one-fabric brand; a new 710 is ¥27,500, used ¥7,800. |
| Jelado (ジェラード) | Tokyo (est. 2005) | 301XX white tag, 301EXX black tag, Age of Longing, 491J coverall | Vintage-Americana house with its own denim; used 301XX from ¥14,000. |
| Burgus Plus (バーグスプラス, Hinoya) | Tokyo, Ueno | Lot 770, 771, 850 (Oni collab), 880 (Warehouse collab) | The house brand of the Ueno denim shop that stocks half the brands on this page; used 770s ¥11,900. |
| TANAKA | Tokyo / New York (est. 2021) | The Jean Trousers, Boy Jean Trousers, unisex black denim | New-generation Japanese denim in dress-trouser cuts; used pairs ¥13,000. |
| Uniqlo, GU, Muji | Tokyo | Uniqlo selvedge regular straight (Kaihara denim), GU baggy jeans, Muji organic denim | Are Uniqlo jeans Japanese denim? The selvedge line uses Kaihara denim from Hiroshima; the standard lines are cut and sewn abroad. The cheapest way to try Japanese selvedge. |
Heavyweights and the rest of Japan: Iron Heart, Samurai, Flat Head, Real McCoy’s
| Brand | Where / since | Lots to search | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iron Heart (アイアンハート) | Japan (est. 2003, Shinichi Haraki) | 634 straight, 888 tapered, 666 slim, 21 oz and 25 oz, the Beatle Buster | The heavyweight brand, originally for motorcycle riders; a used 21 oz 634 is ¥12,800 today. |
| Samurai Jeans (サムライジーンズ) | Osaka (est. 1997) | S5000VX (17 oz zero model), S510XX, S710XX, 21 oz and 24 oz heavyweights, 15 oz Texas cotton | Heavy, hairy, fast-fading denim with the sword-shaped arcuate; a used S5000VX is ¥10,800. |
| The Flat Head (フラットヘッド) | Nagano (est. 1996) | 3001, 3005, 3007, FN-3005; the “pitch black” fades | Nagano’s heritage brand, famous for high-contrast fades and leather goods; a new FN-3005 is ¥24,800 on Mercari. |
| The Real McCoy’s (リアルマッコイズ) | Kobe | Lot 001XX, 002XX, S601, military and flight-jacket reproductions | Reproduction house best known for leather and military; its denim is cut from its own fabrics. |
| Anachronorm (アナクロノーム) | Japan | Herringbone denim wide 5P, remade wide denim, damaged jackets | Design-led wide denim; new pieces ¥37,400–¥55,000 on Rakuten. |
| Oikawa Denim (オイカワデニム) | Kesennuma, Miyagi | Studio Zero, OP-01 “miracle jeans”, swordfish-fibre denim | The Tohoku factory whose jeans survived the 2011 tsunami; sells direct on Rakuten. |
| Blue Blue Japan, Kuro, Visvim, Sasquatchfabrix | Tokyo | Blue Blue Japan sashiko and indigo; Kuro slim black; Visvim Social Sculpture; Sasquatchfabrix | The designer end: Japanese denim as fashion rather than reproduction. |
| Nanamica, Beams Plus, United Arrows, Journal Standard | Tokyo | Select-shop house denim, often made by Kojima or Okayama factories | Where Japanese shoppers actually buy denim; the labels are shop brands, the fabric is Okayama. |
The mills: Kaihara, Kurabo, Nihon Menpu, Collect and Kuroki
When a Swedish, American or Canadian brand says “Japanese denim”, it means one of these. The mills are the reason “Japanese selvedge” exists as a category and why Okayama fabric by the yard is a thing you can buy.
| Mill | Where / since | Makes | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kaihara (カイハラ) | Fukuyama, Hiroshima (est. 1893, denim from 1970) | Rope-dyed denim for Levi’s (including Japan-made LVC), Uniqlo selvedge, Edwin and dozens of overseas brands | The biggest Japanese denim mill and the one behind most “made with Japanese denim” labels abroad[3]. |
| Kurabo (クラボウ, Kurashiki Boseki) | Kurashiki, Okayama (est. 1888) | KD-8, the first Japanese denim (1973), selvedge on vintage shuttle looms | The mill that made Big John’s first all-Japanese jeans possible. |
| Nihon Menpu (日本綿布) | Ibara, Okayama | Shuttle-loom selvedge for Momotaro (early), Studio D’Artisan, Samurai and export brands | The Ibara mill enthusiasts name-check; Ibara is the third denim town after Kojima and Fukuyama. |
| Collect (コレクト, Japan Blue Group) | Kojima | Momotaro and Japan Blue fabrics, Kojima Denim Street shop, fabric by the yard | The mill that owns Momotaro; sells cut fabric direct. Okayama selvedge fabric by the metre is on Rakuten from ¥398 per 10 cm. |
| Kuroki (クロキ) | Ibara, Okayama | Natural-indigo and heavy selvedge for Japanese and European brands | Supplies many of the “Okayama denim” hakama and wide pants on Rakuten. |
| Shinohara Textile, Yoshiwa Kogyo, Toyoshima | Fukuyama, Hiroshima | Selvedge and stretch denim for domestic brands | The Bingo-region mills that fill the gap between Kaihara and the Okayama shuttle-loom houses. |
Fits, weights and categories: which brand for which jeans
| Fit / category | Brands and lots |
|---|---|
| Straight (ストレート) | Momotaro #100, SD-101, Full Count 1101, Warehouse 1001XX, Sugar Cane 1947, TCB 50s, Resolute 710 (slight taper), Edwin 503, PBJ 1178 |
| Slim / tapered (スリム / テーパード) | Momotaro #200, Japan Blue J204, Full Count 1108, Iron Heart 888, Samurai S510XX, Kuro |
| Wide / baggy / loose (ワイド / バギー / ルーズ) | Kapital Port, TCB Baggy 50s and 20s, Full Count 0105, Japan Blue J301, orSlow dad’s fit, Anachronorm, Kojima Genes balloon, GU baggy |
| High rise / trousers | orSlow high-waist, TANAKA Jean Trousers, 45R, Resolute 711 |
| Women’s (レディース) | Betty Smith, Momotaro and Japan Blue women’s lots, Warehouse Lady’s, orSlow, 45R, TCB (unisex sizing), Bobson 210 |
| Jackets (Gジャン Type 1 / 2 / 3) | Full Count 2107, TCB S40s and Catboy, Warehouse 2001, Sugar Cane 1953, Jelado 491J, Kojima Genes WWII, Big John |
| Heavyweight 20 oz+ (ヘビーオンス) | Iron Heart 21 / 25 oz, Samurai 21 / 24 oz, Oni 20 oz, Strike Gold 17 oz, Kojima Genes 21 oz |
| Vintage reproduction (復刻 / 大戦モデル) | Warehouse, Full Count, TCB, Sugar Cane, Denime, Jelado, Big John WWII, LVC Japan |
| Black denim (ブラックデニム) | Kuro, Full Count 0105 BK, Studio D’Artisan 1727, TANAKA, Kapital 14 oz black |
Sizing Japanese jeans
Waist tags are in inches; most brands run true or slightly small through the thigh, and unsanforized lots (未防縮) shrink one to two inches in the first wash. Japanese listings give flat measurements in centimetres — waist (ウエスト), rise (股上), thigh (ワタリ), inseam (股下), hem (裏幅) — and those numbers, not the tag, are what to match to a pair you own. Our clothing size conversion guide covers the S/M/L and cm systems Japanese shops use for tops and jackets.
What Japanese denim costs in Japan today: live listings
Every row is a listing on sale on 19 September 2026, read from the shop page the morning this article went live; asking prices in yen before proxy fees and shipping. Rakuten rows are new stock from Japanese retailers and the brands’ own shops; Mercari rows are private sellers — used, one-wash, sometimes unworn — with sizes as listed. New Japanese selvedge runs ¥25,000–¥40,000 in Japan, which is where a $300–$400 pair abroad starts.
Six of those, one per tier
A Kojima standard straight, a heavyweight, a 1947 reproduction, a slubby Okayama pair, a used value pick and the budget made-in-Japan line. Check the flat measurements before ordering; hemming (裏上げ) is usually offered by the Rakuten shop.
Japanese denim terms to read a listing
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| セルボッチ / 赤耳 / 耳付き | serubitchi / aka-mimi / mimi-tsuki | selvedge / red-line selvedge / with selvedge (the outseam “ear”) |
| 生デニム / リジッド / ノンウォッシュ | ki-denimu / rijiddo / non-wosshu | raw denim / rigid / unwashed |
| ワンウォッシュ / 防縮 / 未防縮 | one-wash / boshuku / mi-boshuku | one-wash / sanforized / unsanforized (shrink-to-fit) |
| オンス | onsu | ounce weight of the fabric (13–15 oz standard, 17–25 oz heavyweight) |
| 色落ち / 経年変化 / 縦落ち | iro-ochi / keinen-henka / tate-ochi | fades / ageing / vertical fading (the slub streaks Japanese denim is bought for) |
| ヒゲ / ハチノス | hige / hachinosu | whiskers / honeycombs |
| 濃綴 / 納戸 | nokon / nando | dark indigo / navy (listing colour words for barely-worn pairs) |
| 復刻 / 大戦モデル / デッドストック | fukkoku / taisen-moderu / deddosutokku | reproduction / WWII model / deadstock |
| チェーンステッチ / 隠しリベット / 革パッチ | chain stitch / kakushi-ribetto / kawa-patchi | chain-stitched hem / hidden rivets / leather patch |
| ボタンフライ / フロントファスナー | button fly / front fastener | button fly / zip fly |
| 裏上げ / 股下 / 股上 / ワタリ | suso-age / matashita / mata-gami / watari | hemming / inseam / rise / thigh width (measurements listed in cm) |
| 平置き / 実寸 | hira-oki / jissun | flat-lay measurement / actual measured size (trust these over the tag) |
| 未使用 / 美品 / 税込 | mishiyo / bihin / zeikomi | unused / excellent condition / tax included |
| 児島 / 井原 / 福山 / 備後 | Kojima / Ibara / Fukuyama / Bingo | the three denim towns and the Hiroshima region name |
| サシコ / ボロ / リペア | sashiko / boro / repair | the stitch-repair tradition Kapital and Blue Blue Japan build on; Japanese denim repair shops list under ジーンズリペア |
Where to buy Japanese denim from Japan
- Rakuten and Yahoo! Shopping carry the brands’ own shops (Momotaro / Japan Blue, Big John, Kojima Genes, TCB dealers, Studio D’Artisan, Sugar Cane, Edwin) and the specialist retailers (Hinoya, Jeansbug, Cott-o, Barnstormer) with hemming on request.
- Mercari Japan is where lightly worn and unworn pairs go at a third to half of new; search the brand in katakana plus the lot number and 未使用 (unused) or 美品 (excellent), and read the flat measurements.
- Yahoo! Japan Auctions for old Denime, first-generation Evisu, LVC Japan and Warehouse deadstock lots.
- ZOZOTOWN for the select-shop and fashion end: 45R, orSlow, Kapital, Kuro, Beams and United Arrows house denim.
- Kojima Jeans Street is the pilgrimage; almost every shop on it also sells online through the links above.
Buying at the source works through a proxy service (the best ones compared, the cheapest fees); our step-by-step selvedge guide walks through a first order and the fee maths, and the Evisu guide sorts out the two Evisus. The streetwear brands, watch brands and knife brands guides follow the same format as this one.
Shipping and import rules for jeans
- Carrier: clothing ships by every OneMall line — Japan Post EMS, air and sea, ECMS to the US, DHL. A single pair fits a small box; three pairs and a jacket are about 3 kg, where DHL and EMS are close in price (the shipping-time guide).
- Duty: cotton trousers are dutiable in most countries above the de minimis; the thresholds and rates by country are in the import-tax guide. Used clothing is declared at the price paid.
- Hemming: ask the shop to hem to your inseam before it ships to the warehouse; chain-stitch hemming is standard at the brand shops.
- Raw denim: unsanforized pairs arrive stiff and unshrunk; soak before sizing judgments, and buy by the brand’s post-soak chart.
Quick answers: the Japanese denim brand questions people search
| Question people search | Answer |
|---|---|
| Best Japanese denim brand overall? | For a first pair: Momotaro #100 or Japan Blue J201 (Kojima), Studio D’Artisan SD-101 or Full Count 1101 (Osaka), TCB 50s (value), Edwin 503 (budget, made in Japan). For heavyweight: Iron Heart, Samurai, Oni. For fashion cuts: Kapital, orSlow, 45R. |
| Best affordable / cheap / budget Japanese denim brands? | Edwin 503 (¥13,200 new), Kojima Genes (¥14,300), Uniqlo selvedge, Bobson 210 (¥8,490), Kakeya (¥18,700); and any brand on this page used on Mercari at ¥2,300–¥15,000. Japanese denim is cheaper in Japan by 30–50% before shipping. |
| Most expensive / high-end / luxury Japanese denim brands? | Kapital, 45R, Visvim, Anachronorm and Sasquatchfabrix at the fashion end; Oni, Iron Heart 25 oz, Samurai 24 oz and Warehouse deadstock lots at the enthusiast end; LVC Japan and old Evisu at the collector end. |
| Best Japanese denim brands for women / women’s selvedge? | Betty Smith (Kojima, women’s since 1970), Momotaro and Japan Blue women’s lots, Warehouse Lady’s, orSlow, 45R, Bobson 210; TCB and Full Count size small enough to work unisex. |
| Best baggy / wide / loose Japanese denim brands? | Kapital (Port, Okabilly), TCB Baggy 50s and 20s, Full Count 0105, Japan Blue J301, orSlow dad’s fit, Kojima Genes balloon, Anachronorm, GU baggy for cheap. |
| Best Japanese denim jacket brands? | Full Count (2107 Type 1), TCB (S40s, Catboy), Warehouse (2001), Sugar Cane (1953), Jelado (491J), Big John and Kojima Genes WWII jackets; Iron Heart for heavyweight; Kapital for patched and sashiko jackets. |
| The big five Japanese denim brands? First Japanese denim brand? | The Osaka Five: Studio D’Artisan, Denime, Evisu, Full Count, Warehouse. The first Japanese jeans were Canton (1963) and Big John (1965); Big John’s 1973 pair on Kurabo KD-8 was the first on Japanese-made denim. |
| Japanese denim brand starting with K / M / S / T? | K: Kapital, Kojima Genes, Kuro, Kakeya, Kaihara (mill), Kurabo (mill), Kuroki (mill). M: Momotaro, Muji. S: Samurai, Studio D’Artisan, Sugar Cane, Strike Gold, Syoaiya (Pure Blue Japan), Sasquatchfabrix. T: TCB, TANAKA, The Flat Head, The Real McCoy’s, Toyo Enterprise. |
| Japanese denim brands in Tokyo / Osaka / Kyoto / Okayama / Kojima? | Tokyo: Edwin, Sugar Cane, 45R, Jelado, Burgus Plus (Hinoya, Ueno), Kuro, Blue Blue Japan; shops in Harajuku, Shibuya, Shinjuku, Ueno and Ginza. Osaka: the Osaka Five, Samurai, Resolute; Amerika-mura. Kyoto: shops, not brands. Okayama and Kojima: Big John, Momotaro, Japan Blue, Pure Blue Japan, Oni, Kapital, TCB, Strike Gold, Betty Smith, Johnbull, Bobson, Eternal — and Kojima Jeans Street, the denim bus and the Betty Smith museum. |
| Are Uniqlo jeans Japanese denim? Is Purple Brand Japanese? Is Nudie Japanese denim? Is Evisu Japanese? | Uniqlo’s selvedge line is Kaihara Japanese denim; its other jeans are not. Purple Brand is Canadian (Montreal) and uses some Japanese fabric. Nudie is Swedish; some lots are cut from Japanese or Italian denim. Evisu started in Osaka in 1991; the Evisu sold in Europe and Asia today is a separate Hong Kong-based company. |
| Do Japanese jeans run small? Japanese denim sizing and fits? | Tagged waist is in inches like American jeans, but unsanforized pairs shrink 1–2 inches and Japanese brands cut slimmer through the thigh. Go by the listed flat measurements (実寸) and the brand’s size chart, not the tag; {L(9471, “our size-conversion guide”)} covers Japanese S/M/L and cm sizes. |
| Japanese denim fabric by the yard / manufacturers / loom? | Kaihara, Kurabo, Nihon Menpu, Collect and Kuroki are the mills; Collect and several Okayama shops sell selvedge fabric by the metre (search セルビッチデニム生地). The loom in every brand story is the Toyoda shuttle loom, which weaves narrow selvedge cloth slowly. |
| Japanese denim repair, hemming, custom work? | Kojima and Tokyo shops (Hinoya, Denim Works) do chain-stitch hemming and repair; brands that do custom work include Betty Smith (made-to-order in Kojima) and Kapital’s sashiko remakes. Proxy buyers get hemming done by the Rakuten shop before shipping when the listing offers 裏上げ. |
| Japanese denim stores abroad — NYC, Toronto, Vancouver, London, Melbourne, Australia, Canada, USA, India, Singapore, Dubai? | The specialist shops that import the brands above: Blue in Green and Self Edge (NYC, Los Angeles, San Francisco), Tate + Yoko and Dutil (Vancouver, Toronto, Calgary), Son of a Stag (London), Corlection (Melbourne, Australia), Pronto (Bangkok) and the online exporters Denimio and Okayama Denim; India, Singapore and Dubai have no dedicated shops, so buyers there order from Japan. Every one of them charges overseas retail; the listings in this article are the Japanese prices those shops buy at. |
| Japanese denim stores in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka, Yokohama, Kyoto — and online store? | Tokyo: Hinoya (Ueno), Denim Works and the brand shops in Harajuku, Shibuya, Shinjuku and Ginza; Osaka: Amerika-mura and the Osaka Five flagships; Nagoya, Fukuoka, Yokohama and Kyoto have the select shops (Beams, United Arrows, Journal Standard) with house denim and a few brands. Online, the same stock is on Rakuten and ZOZOTOWN, reachable through the search links here. |
| Japanese embroidered jeans, y2k jeans, graphic and dragon jeans, cool jeans? | The embroidered and painted looks are Evisu (seagull, dragon and kanji embroidery, the y2k pink and white paint) and Sugar Cane’s embroidered lots; Kapital does patchwork and graphic denim; the 2000s Japanese y2k jeans searched on Depop and Mercari are old Evisu, BAPE and Hysteric Glamour. Cool Japanese denim brands in the fashion sense: Kapital, 45R, Kuro, Blue Blue Japan, Visvim, Sasquatchfabrix. |
| Japanese denim jackets, chore coats, coveralls, overalls, dungarees, vests, shorts, kimono jackets? | Warehouse and Full Count coveralls, TCB Catboy and Working Cat Hero jackets, Sugar Cane and Big John overalls (the dungaree brand searches), Kapital and Blue Blue Japan kimono-cut denim jackets and noragi, orSlow chore coats, Iron Heart vests, and denim shorts from Warehouse (Lot 1550) and Kojima Genes. Denim quilts, yardage and yarn go back to the mills table — Collect and Kuroki sell cloth. |
| Japanese denim vs normal denim, worth it, material, colour, grey and black, roll or cuff? | Normal denim is projectile-loom, wide, sanforized and pre-washed; Japanese selvedge denim is shuttle-loom, narrow, rope-dyed and usually raw or one-wash, which is why it fades with vertical streaks. Worth it if you want the fade and the fit; not if you want soft stretch jeans. Material is 100% cotton (Zimbabwe, Texas, Côte d’Ivoire, Okinawa sugar-cane blends); colours are indigo, black (Kuro, Full Count BK), grey slub (Strike Gold), greencast (PBJ, Oni). A single cuff (ロールアップ) shows the selvedge line. |
| Japanese jeans for kids, boys, girls, men’s formal, outfit and look, with a shirt? | Kids and boys: Edwin, Uniqlo and GU kids lines, Betty Smith junior; girls and women: the women’s row in the fits table. Formal-leaning men’s cuts: TANAKA Jean Trousers, Resolute 711, orSlow high-waist, 45R. The Japanese denim outfit searches (denim-on-denim, jeans and a chambray or sashiko shirt) are the Warehouse, orSlow and Blue Blue Japan look; a combo of TCB jeans with a TCB jacket is the classic. |
| Japanese denim companies, ranking, comparison, logos, archive, wiki, year released, favourite brand on Reddit, YouTube? | Companies: Edwin, Big John, Japan Blue Group, Toyo Enterprise, Kurabo, Kaihara. Ranking and comparison: the tier-list row above; logos: Studio D’Artisan’s pigs, Evisu’s seagull, Samurai’s sword, TCB’s two cats, Momotaro’s peach. The years each brand was released are in the tables; archive and wiki searches usually want the Osaka Five history in the first section. Reddit’s favourite Japanese denim brands (r/rawdenim) are Iron Heart, Oni, Samurai, Momotaro and PBJ; YouTube fade channels lean the same way. Handmade and mending technique: sashiko and boro, above. |
| Most famous, iconic, main and major Japanese denim brands — and the lesser-known, underrated, niche ones? | Famous and iconic: Evisu, Momotaro, Edwin, Big John, Studio D’Artisan, Iron Heart, Samurai, Kapital. Major by volume: Edwin, Big John, Japan Blue Group, Uniqlo. Lesser known and underrated: Oni, The Strike Gold, Eternal, Kakeya, Kojima Genes, TCB, Resolute, Burgus Plus, Oikawa — the niche Kojima and Okayama makers that sell at factory prices. Men’s selvedge and wide-leg selvedge searches land on the same lists; color, stitching and review notes are in the terms table, and eBay or Amazon listings of these brands are almost always resold from the Japanese shops on this page. Kojima is the denim capital, the denim district and, yes, sells denim-blue ice cream on Jeans Street; thrift and used pairs are Mercari’s 古着 category. |
| Japanese Denim by Daniel Caesar? | A 2016 song, not a brand — it is why this phrase is searched with lyrics, chords and meaning. The jeans it refers to are the brands above. |
| Japanese denim tier list / ranked / compared? | Enthusiast tier lists usually run: Oni, Iron Heart, Samurai, Warehouse and Full Count at the top for fabric; Momotaro, PBJ, Studio D’Artisan, TCB and Japan Blue as the best value; Edwin, Uniqlo and Kojima Genes as entry level; Kapital and 45R judged as fashion rather than denim. Reddit’s r/rawdenim threads reach the same order most years. |
FAQ
What are the best Japanese denim brands?
By purpose: Momotaro, Japan Blue, Studio D’Artisan, Full Count and TCB for a first pair; Warehouse, Sugar Cane and Denime for reproductions; Iron Heart, Samurai, Oni and The Strike Gold for heavyweight fabric; Kapital, orSlow, 45R and Kuro for fashion cuts; Edwin, Uniqlo selvedge and Kojima Genes for budget. The tables above list more than forty brands and the five mills.
Why is Japanese denim so expensive?
Slow shuttle looms (a few dozen metres a day), rope-dyed indigo, heavy cotton, and small factories that chain-stitch and rivet by hand. In Japan the same pair costs 30–50% less than abroad, and used pairs on Mercari cost a third of new.
Are Japanese jeans good? Highest quality Japanese denim?
For fabric, yes — Japanese mills weave the denim most premium brands worldwide buy. The highest-quality fabric by enthusiast consensus is Oni, Iron Heart, Samurai, Warehouse and Full Count; the best value is Kojima’s Momotaro, PBJ, TCB and Japan Blue.
Is Japanese denim cheaper in Japan?
Yes. A Momotaro #100 is ¥36,300 new in Japan today and used pairs of the same brands run ¥4,500–¥21,000; add proxy fees and shipping and it is still well under the overseas retail price.
What is Japanese selvedge denim?
Denim woven on a narrow shuttle loom so the edge finishes itself (the “self-edge”, usually with a red line), which shows as a clean stripe when you cuff the jeans. Selvedge is a weaving method, not a quality grade; almost every brand on this page uses it.
What is the Japanese word for jeans?
ジーンズ (jiinzu) or デニム (denimu); ジーパン (jiipan) is the older everyday word. Search the brand in katakana plus デニム for the widest results.
Related reading
- How to buy Japanese selvedge denim from Japan: the cheapest way (Momotaro, Pure Blue Japan, Big John, Iron Heart)
- Evidu or Evisu? The Japanese denim brand you are searching for
- Japanese clothing size conversion to US
- Japanese streetwear brands · Japanese watch brands · Japanese knife brands · Japanese camera brands · Japanese jewelry brands — the other brand guides in this series
Last updated: 19 September 2026. Listing prices read from live Japanese listings on 19 September 2026; founding dates from the brands’ and mills’ own pages.
References
- Big John — official site and brand history (Kojima, first Japanese jeans). bigjohn.co.jp
- Kurabo Industries — denim (KD-8, the first Japanese denim). kurabo.co.jp
- Kaihara Denim — official site (Fukuyama, Hiroshima). kaihara-denim.com
- Japan Blue Group — Momotaro Jeans and Japan Blue Jeans (Kojima). japanblue.co.jp
- Edwin — official site (Tokyo). edwin.co.jp
- Studio D’Artisan — official site (Osaka, est. 1979). dartisan.co.jp
- Kojima Jeans Street — official site (Kurashiki, Okayama). jeans-street.com