Kazuo Hozumi x Kaori Nakano: What is Japanese Masculine Dandyism? (Part 3)

A Conversation with Kazuo Hozumi (3)

What is Japanese Masculine Dandyism?

By Kaori NakanoPhoto by Jamandfix

The Ivy League Spirit, Still Alive

NakanoMr. Hozumi, how were you dressed when you got married?

HozumiIt was 45 years ago, but I wore a traditional kimono with a hakama. Later, for the reception, I changed into a blazer. A red blazer. It was unusual for a groom to change outfits back then.

NakanoA red blazer...

HozumiIt was from the Ivy League Club. The person who officiated my wedding was Mr. Kensuke Ishizu.

NakanoAnd that Ivy League style is also a unique Japanese culture, isn't it?

HozumiBefore VAN existed, myself and Toshiyuki Kurosu were already enthusiastic about it. Since nothing was available to buy, we had tailors make things to our specifications. Then VAN came along, and we were relieved. We thought, 'Thank goodness.'

NakanoDo you still have that Ivy League spirit?

HozumiThe guys from the baby boomer generation who were part of the Miyuki-zoku, they're around 60 now, and they're still passionate about it. Just the other day, there was an Ivy League Club party in Nagoya, and everyone was in button-downs and so on.

NakanoButton-downs at 60? Well, I suppose any age is fine...

HozumiIt was a magnificent sight. Last year, for my 77th birthday, we made a stadium jacket. It has the number '77' for my age. But it's heavy. Warm, though.

NakanoA stadium jacket with '77' to commemorate your 77th birthday! That's cool.

HozumiWe also made matching striped blazers for ourselves. They're lightweight, so I'm thinking of wearing them in early spring.

NakanoIvy League style is like a uniform, full of rules, isn't it? Do you still follow the old rules?

HozumiDown to the details, it's pure Ivy League (laughs). Three buttons, with the top button positioned where the chest pocket would be. Trousers with a buckle at the back, a hook vent, and a straight slit down the back seam...

NakanoIs there a reason for that?

HozumiWell, I suppose it's about being classic. Button-down shirts also have buttons at the back of the collar, pleats in the center back, and a hook there. The pleats are box pleats, but when you send them to the laundry, they iron them in a strange way.

NakanoIroning those pleats does seem difficult.

HozumiThat's why one of my friends invented a tool for ironing them.

NakanoInvented a tool?

HozumiHe bought a bamboo ruler from Tokyu Hands, thinned it out, inserted it into the box pleats, and then ironed from top to bottom.

NakanoTo that extent!?

HozumiBecause plastic or metal wouldn't allow for ironing, he used bamboo. There are guys like that, obsessed with details, even at 60.

NakanoI'm impressed.

HozumiIt's a problem if that's all they're interested in and nothing else, but still, at 60 (laughs).

NakanoWhat is it about Ivy League style that captivates men so much?

HozumiIvy League style has items that cover everything from casual to formal. It allows for a broad understanding of men's fashion. And there are rules.

NakanoIt feels like playing within a complete world with its own set of rules, a kind of boys' world.

HozumiSome people dislike it because it's rule-bound and dogmatic, but once someone has been initiated, they can put together other outfits with good taste. Also, I think Japanese people suit the Ivy League style.

NakanoWhat do you think of a more sensual style, like Armani?

HozumiArmani is also a kind of genius. But I prefer the taste of Ralph Lauren and that style over that genre.

NakanoTraditional.

HozumiIf you pursue tradition to its extreme, it eventually leads back to Japanese traditional clothing.

Deception and Suspicion, Morality and Pride

NakanoWhat are your thoughts on Japan today? I don't think there's ever been a time when the pursuit of money has been so rampant.

HozumiHonestly, at my age, I don't really want to be overly assertive and comment on everything. 'Old soldiers don't die, they just fade away' – that's a favorite saying of mine.

NakanoScandals involving deception have been an issue here and there...

HozumiIn Confucian terms, 'shin' (trust) among 'rei' (propriety), 'chi' (wisdom), and 'shin' (trust) seems questionable lately. However, some individuals with strong personalities can come across as somewhat suspicious. Perhaps I too have a suspicious aura.

NakanoAh, I like people who are a bit suspicious. Those with a theatrical kind of suspicion. There's a clear difference between theatrical suspicion and being a mere liar.

HozumiI admire people who are the epitome of seriousness. I'd like to be like that, but I can't seem to manage it.

NakanoDon't people sometimes aspire to things they look down upon?

HozumiNo, emotionally, I want to be a solemn and upright old man. But my frivolous and flighty nature is stronger, so I can't become solemn and upright.

NakanoEven if one is frivolous and flighty, I think they can be wonderful as long as they maintain social morals. Lately, don't you feel that Japanese morality is also deteriorating?

HozumiOne must have morality and pride. I'm not at the age where I'd peek up schoolgirls' skirts with a mirror, but...

NakanoAh, that's an act devoid of morality and pride. It's pathetic, isn't it?

HozumiIt's base. But I'm also impressed by it (laughs).

Bashing and Jealousy

HozumiI have a bit of a tendency to favor the 'good student' type. I react against the idea that 'good students are boring, and inferior students have more personality and are more interesting.' Perhaps it's because I couldn't quite become a perfect student myself.

NakanoGood students are often bashed. Is bashing born from jealousy? It's not just good students; lately, anyone who stands out a bit seems to be attacked by everyone. Has it always been like this in Japan?

HozumiNo, in the past, people were more magnanimous. There was a clear distinction between the poor, the rich, and commoners. Everyone had their place.

NakanoLately, it feels like everyone has to be the same, which can be stifling. There's always someone pulling you down.

HozumiIt's not a very open atmosphere. On blogs, for instance, you sometimes receive unpleasant comments from complete strangers.

NakanoThat's unsettling. Men seem more prone to jealousy.

HozumiOf course. But as I get older, I find myself feeling less jealous. I suppose there's no point in being jealous now (laughs).

Snobbery is Important in Fashion

HozumiThere's the word 'snobbery,' isn't there?

NakanoYes, it's often translated as 'vulgarity' or 'pretentiousness'...

HozumiIt's usually used in a derogatory sense, but I wonder if it doesn't have other meanings as well.

NakanoAbsolutely. 'Snob' can also mean 'the last sheep not to have its wool shorn,' meaning the most difficult and unmanageable sheep. It evokes an image of a contrarian who resists the mainstream.

HozumiMy mentor, Setsu Nagasawa, whom I respect, used to say, 'Only people my age can pull off a snobbish look.'

NakanoI understand. It's about subtly outshining others in ways that only those in the know can appreciate.

HozumiThat element of snobbery is very important in fashion.

NakanoIn Japan, that contrarian spirit is often perceived negatively as 'unbearable.' The translator who first coined 'vulgarity' really needs to find a better term.