Puttees cover almost a quarter of the visible uniform, and as such represent an item that can take a decent impression to a poor one quite quickly. As such, this article covers some of the popular reproductions as well as color variations that one should be aware of.
Like many Great Power armies, the Japanese introduced the use of puttees as the primary leggings at the beginning of the 20th Century. Puttees were more affordable to produce and arguably more comfortable compared to leather and canvas gaiters they replaced. The Japanese armed forces are somewhat unique in that they continued the use of puttees throughout the Second World War. As one might expect, there is quite a variation in color and construction over their almost half-century of use.
Unfortunately, primary sources are unhelpful in determining which color and construction is ideal for which period. Typically the technical sheets simply list the color as khaki, what this color actually means—as we shall see—ranges quite drastically. This guideline of colors was constructed via careful cataloging of extent examples (far more than pictured here) across the largest subset we could currently acquire. Luckily, many of the army puttees still have visible production stamps allowing for us to produce a general guideline for when each color is acceptable. We then cross-referenced this against our collection of period images to extrapolate our conclusions.
Pictured are examples of most of the post-1930 style puttees and some popular repros. The picture makes it very clear how much color variation there are and which repros hit the mark and which swing wide.
The puttees introduced with the 1905 (Meiji 38) Regulation change are a bit of an enigma among collectors and researchers. This is largely due to the fact that very few examples survive and the ambiguity of the regulations regarding color. Material shortages and budgetary cuts during the “Taisho Democracy” years meant military equipment was often recycled to death. However, pictorial sources suggest they were a very light khaki similar to the color utilized throughout the Taisho period until very early Showa.
We are fortunate enough to have a few pair of originals to base off of and networked with other Taisho era collectors to get a general scope of the actual color the puttees should be. Our findings support the “light khaki” coloration, with a mild green tint that is quite difficult to capture in photos.
Note the color of the puttees compared to the original Type-45Kai. When examining original photos from this period, it is not uncommon to see puttees that look almost white compared to the uniform. The material is also a different construction of wool that has an almost cloth like appearance in comparison to later styles.
Original 1920 Date Puttee with flash on. Original field cap pictured behind for color comparison.
Same puttee in natural light with the same field cap.
Pictured is an original photo from the Siberian Intervention featuring a Meiji 38 model uniform and a rather “unique” rifle. For comparison, we reconstructed a similar photo using period cameras from the 1920s on correct orthochromatic film to achieve the proper light balance and quality. The uniform is an original Meiji 45 model with early production date. Puttees are also original, dated 1922.
Note the similarities in color contrast between the uniform and the puttees and the visable material similarities.
Around 1925-26 the color of the Army puttees changed from the almost natural tan color to “officially” a khaki/mustard color. That being said, there is quite a bit of variation that stray far away from this “standard,” with some being almost a lime-green color. The ties are typically close to the same sort of khaki and the ends are squared off (see the image that opened this article). For most reenactors, these will be the most versatile style of puttee to acquire. Unfortunately this model is on the uncommon side and has to be carefully examined to ensure the pair is military over civilian production. Luckily there are reproductions available to those with access to boutique tailors such as Sakurai in Japan. However, these are fairly expensive compared to originals and currently not for sale to foreigners.
Pictured here is an early Second Sino-Japanese War utilization featuring most of private tailor Sakurai’s catelogue of repro items.
The first pair is a mid 1930s pair in use for the opening hostilities of the Greater East Asia War (Pacific War). Notice these are a bit more on the “green” side than the previous pictured pair.
In the second image you can see other variations of the early color utilized with Sho5 uniforms for a 1939 themed training event. The left being the more “lime-green” coloration and the right the more “khaki.” Both are suitable for the period.
Around 1942 (potentially as early as 1940), the puttee also changed colors to a dark green color alongside the cap color change into a deeper green color. This color and construction are the most common original equipment available, and usually fairly inexpensive. As such, given the lack of usable reproductions we strongly suggest sticking with original equipment, not to mention that originals are usually cheaper than reproduction ones.
There is some debate how early these darker green/brown examples can be used. We have seen originals dated as early as Showa 16 and unlike the early Taisho colors, the variation between trouser color and puttee is not as obvious. Black and white lighting, alongside poor scans, and campaigns in filthy envorinments further complicate the color switch. In general, we tend to suggest that individuals err on the side of caution, going for the earlier Showa colors for most impressions as they can be used throughout the Sino-Japanese and Asia-Pacific Wars. A final model was approved to be used along side the dark green anti-heat uniform but given the overall niche service of this uniform it is not included in this article.
Returning to our comparison photos, acceptable styles would be the “mid-late” to the Nakata repro. Be sure to watch out for civilian models that look similar to the military ones. Typically the ties are shorter on civilian ones making the “combat” style tie impossible to do.
So what can we learn from comparing the different puttees? While there is certainly variation in color between manufacturers it does not mean that you can use any color you want. Color doesn’t matter until it does. Hikishop and other China/ebay reproductions are never acceptable in their base form. Even if they are recolored, the material is too soft to properly wrap around the legs to regulation. As previously mentioned, original puttees are cheap and easy to acquire making them an obvious choice for the serious reenactor.
The good news about purchasing early style puttees, is that they can be flexibly used throughout any scenario from 1937 onwards. You could possibly “buy once, cry once” and go for sakurai repros and be completely set for anything except Taisho Period events. The same can not be said of a later model unit. That being said, a vast majority of North American events not hosted by us tend to be 1944 timeline onward, meaning most of you will not need to worry about finding an earlier kit. If possible we recommend getting a pair of each to ensure period correctness without any doubt.