Crimson Reflections

Recently, I picked up a book called 「かわいい」の帝国 or The “Cute” Empire. The ISBN number is 4791764862. It’s out of print, but you can get secondhand copies on Amazon Japan with a shopping service. It’s a very interesting book!

In the back is a sort of appendix that is sorted by date and includes things like key magazine launches, and what was historically going on in Japan at that time. I’ve done my best to translate it below and I’ve put a few notes in italics after some lines which I felt needed extra context, as well as adding links and a few images. Again, I encourage you to pick up a copy if you enjoy this, this is presented solely as a translation for educational / academic purposes.

1900

• The birth of girl’s magazines:  “Girls’ World” /『少女界』 (Kinkodo Bookstore)

1914

• The 1st Takarazuka Girl Opera Company performance
• WWI breaks out

1923

• “Shoujo Club” / 『少女倶楽部』  (Kodansha) launched
• Great Kanto Earthquake

1926

• Moga /モガ fashion (MoGa is short for Modern Girl)

1939

• “The School Girl” by Osamu Dazai Published

1940

• Junichi Nakahara Goods Shop “Sunflower” /ヒマワリ opens

1941

• The War in the Pacific (WWII)

1946

• “Soreiyu“/『それいゆ』(Himawarisha) launched
• “Shoujo Club“/『少女クラブ』 (Kodansha) launched
• Promulgation of the Constitution of Japan

1947

• “Sunflower”/『ひまわり』 (Himawarisha) launched
• The rise of 「アプレ」(Apple or Après?)

1949

• “Princess Anmitsu” /『あんみつ姫』by Shosuke Kurakane

1951

• Around this time, teenager’s fashion attracts attention
• “Monthly Shōjo Book”/『月刊少女ブック』(Shueisha) launched

1953

• “Knight of the Ribbon”/『リボンの騎士』by Osamu Tezuka
• Kinko Ito, 3rd place in the Miss Universe Contest

1954

• Audrey Hepburn takes the world by storm
• “Junior Soiyu”/『ジュニアそれいゆ』 (Himawarisha) launched

1955

• Ribbon/『りぼん』 (Shueisha) launched
• “Nakayoshi”/『なかよし』 (Kodansha) launched

1958

• Tokyo Tower completed

1960

• Sanrio (formerly Yamanashi Silk Center) launched

1961

• Mary Quant commercializes the mini skirt in London

1962

• “Weekly Shōjo Friend“/『週刊少女フレンド』 (Kodansha)  launched
• “Weekly Margaret”/『週刊マーガレット』 (Shueisha) launched

1963

• IVY: Fashion Trend (like Ivy League / Princeton style)
• Sanrio launches Ado Mizumori character products

1964

• Miyuki (みゆき) style tribe appears
• Mini skirts start to appear
• Tokyo Olympics

1966

• Mini skirts are in their prime
• The Beatles visit Japan
• Twiggy visits Japan (iconic fashion model)

1967

• Group Sounds music becomes popular
• University Dispute intensifies (Vietnam war protests)

1968

• “Seventeen” / 『セブンティーン』 (Shueisha) launched

1970

• MILK Established by Hitomi Okawa
• Kenzo Takada’s (KENZO) first Paris Collection
• Jeans become popular
• First issue of an・an (Heibon Publishing, current Magazine House)
• World’s Fair held in Osaka

1971

• PINK HOUSE by Isao Kaneko launches
• Vivienne Westwood’s Boutique “Let It Rock” opens in London
• an · an /「アンノン族」style tribe
• Layered Look (イヤード・ルック) style trend
• First issue of non-no magazine (Shueisha)
• First McDonalds opened in Japan
• First Sanrio store

1972

• Riyoko Ikeda’s “The Rose of Versailles”

1973

• Folklore Fashion (フォークロア・ファッション) style (like KENZO)
• Yumiko Otori’s “The Catcher at Mimosas Hall“
• First Oil Shock
• Shibuya PARCO opens
• Three Trio of Flowers /「花の中三ト リオ」Debuts

1974

• Reika Yanagawa of “MILK” leaves to start Shirley Temple (Kids’ Clothing)
• Hello Kitty first appears

1975

• Megumi Murano of “MILK” leaves to start Jane Marple
• The rise of Nutra /「ニュートラ 」 style (New Traditional)
• Strawberry Newspaper /『いちご新聞』(Sanrio) launched
• First issue of JJ magazine (Kobunsha)
• Around this time, we enter the age of fancy goods (stationary)
• “Bell Rose” craze/「ベルばら」ブーム (Rose of Versailles Takarazuka Revue Show is wildly popular)

1976

• JJ Magazine special feature “Do you want to be Cute (kawaii)? Do you want to be mature (Otona)?”
• Shinjuku LUMINE opens

1977

• “Petit Seven”/『プチセブン』 (Shogakukan) launched
• “Banana Bread Pudding”/『バナナブレッドのプディング』by Yumiko Otori
• “Highschool”/『 はいすく～る 』 by Mayumi Yoshida
• Pink lady is popular (idol duet)
• “Ryūkō tsūshin” /『流行通信』publishes”Critique of Lolita Fashion” (Note: this is a mistake. it should be sept 1987)

1978

• The rise of punk fashion
• Disco craze

1979

• The rise of Hamatora / 「 ハマトラ 」 style
• Takenoko / 「 竹の子族 」 Style emerges (Disco/Dancing)
• “Lemon Hakusho ” /『れもん白書』 by Mayumi Yoshida
• Shibuya 109 opens
• Second oil shock

1980

• Kaneko-Style craze (80s)
• JJ Fashion /「 JJファッション 」 style trend (JJ Magazine Style)
• JJ Special Feature “Up the cuteness of the adult (otona), new lady’s (ojōsan) daily wear”
• Tanokin Trio/たのきんトリオ is popular
• Seiko Matsuda (becomes the “it-girl” idol for the 80s)

1981

• Tokyo Collection launched (History of the Tokyo Collection)
• “CanCam” (Shogakukan) launched
• “Somehow Crystal”/『なんとなく、クリスタル』by Yasuo Tanaka
• Seiko-Chan Haircut is popular

1982

• First issue of Olive (Heibon Shuppan. Present Magazine House)
• an・an special issue “From a good woman to a cute woman”
• Designer/Brand name craze
• Crow Tribe/Black Clothing (カラス族/黒の大) crazy

1983

• TSUMORI CHISATO (Initially I.S. TSUMORI CHISATO) launches
• Olive Girl/オリーブ少女 fashion trend
• Nagomu Records (indie label) established
• First issue of ViVi (Kodansha)
• JJ Special feature 「可愛くみられたい/ちょっとそこま では、研究「可愛い服」の限界」(“I want to be cute! ‘Cute Clothes’ Researching”)
• Akio Yoshida publishes the manga “Gently, Longer Than the River“
• Tokyo Disney opens
• New Human / 新人類 is a buzzword

1984

• ATSUKI ONISHI (-1999) launches
• Vivienne Westwood first visits Japan
• HYSTERIC GLAMOUR launches
• Checkers makes tartan popular (boy band that wears plaid)
• Check (plaid)/チェック流行 fashion style
• Marine Look/マリンルック fashion style
• Michael Jackson is popular
• Madonna is popular

1985

• Tokyo Fashion Designers Council (CFD) launched
• The Onyanko Club/ニャン子クラブ makes sailor clothing popular (girls pop group)
• Akio Yoshida publishes The Cherry Orchard/櫻の園, and Banana Fish (which runs through ’94)

1986

• Momoko Sakura publishes “Chibi Maruko-chan“
• Princess (O jō-sama) craze
• Height of the bodycon craze

1987

• Shōjo/Girly lolita look is popular
• American casual look is popular
• One Length + Bodycon Style is popular (hair cut all one length without layers + bodycon dresses)
• Isao Kaneko’s Printed Picture Book is published
• Saki Hiwatari‘s publishes the manga Please Save My Earth

1988

• Baby, the Stars Shine Bright (Akinori Isobe et al.) started activities
• First issue of Hanako magazine (Magazine House)

1989

• Jane Marple opens a shop in Harajuku
• Kazuko Ogawa launches (Gothic lolita brand)
• Shibu Kaji/渋カジ style is in it’s prime (’88-’91)
• First issue of CUTiE magazine (Takarajimasha)
• JJ Magazine special feature: The generation of casual elegance, a new interpretation of cute clothing / being a “good woman”(いい女) while keeping your cuteness
• Kyoko Okazaki/岡崎京子 publishes the manga PINK
• Shōwa era ends with the death of Emperor Hirohito
• Heisei era begins

1990

• KEITA MARUYAMA launches
• Shibuya style/渋谷系 craze
• Schoolgirl style/女子高生スタイル is popular
• SoEn/装苑 magazine special guest edition with “MILK” designer Hitomi Okawa
• Chibi Maruko-chan is popular

1991

• Rise of street-style/ストリート系 indie brands

1992

• SEXY DYNAMITE LONDON launches
• Agnes b. is popular (they have a line called Agnes b. lolita around this time too)
• Naoko Takeuchi publishes the manga “Sailor Moon”
• Brown hair/茶髪 craze
• Rise of Kogal/コギャル style
• French casual style is popular

1993

• A BATHING APE launches
• “NOWHERE” opens in Harajuku
• Vintage/Secondhand (古着) clothing is popular
• First issue of Zipper magazine (Shodensha)
• SoEn/装苑 special feature: Jane Marple model Tomoe Shinohara
• JJ Magazine special feature: I love you all! If you are a girl, you will need these essential items, “Cute Clothes” (可愛い服) research
• Juliana phenomenon (a club which was considered the symbol of the bubble economy / highly influential on fashion. [ video])

1994             

• Takuya Angel is popular
• 20471120 launches (90s collection videos)
• National Standard launches
• Street brand craze
• Soichi Masubuchi/増渕宗一 publishes the book Cute Syndrome/かわいい症候群 (an academic/sociology book)
• JJ Magazine special feature: Normally cute clothes are good!
• Laforet Harajuku is very popular
• Around this time “lolita fashion” was well known as the bright primary colors of Tomoe Shinohara(篠原ともえ)/Robin-chan(ロビンちゃんら)

          
1995

• “6% DOKIDOKI” shop opens in Harajuku
• Little T (チビT), Naval styles popular
• First issue of Egg (Taiyō Tosho)

1996

• “Vivienne Westwood” flagship store opens in Hibiya
• EGOIST, COCOLULU are very popular
• Loose socks / ルーズソックス become popular among high school girls
• Height of Ura-Harajuku street-style / 裏原宿ストリート系全
• First issue of Cawaii! Magazine (Shufu no Tomosha) (gyaru magazine)
• First issue of Spring Magazine (Takarajimasha)
• First issue of FRUiTS magazine (Street)
• Namie Amuro (安室奈美恵) and dance group SPEED are popular (SPEED got their break on a TV program that Namie Amuro was the MC for)
• 109 renovation

1997

• Decora-Chan / デコラちゃん is the talk of the town
• X-Japan breaks up
• Malice Mizer makes their major debut
• Judy and Mary is popular

1998

• Platform Shoes are Popular
• Decora-Chan /デコラちゃん is the talk of the town (this is in here twice?)
• Head Porter shop opens in Harajuku
• Visual-kei/ヴィジュアル系 craze

1999

• Emily Temple Cute starts (from Shirley Temple)
• Ganguro / ガングロ and Yamanba / ヤマンバ appear
• First Issue of Kera magazine (Index Communications)
• Ringo Sheena/椎名林檎 is popular
  

2000

• h.Naoto Releases their first collection
• アユラー現象 (Ayura phenomenon?)
• x-girl is popular in street fashion

• Start of super affordable clothing from UNIQLO, others
• First issue of S Cawaii! magazine (Shufu no Tomosha)
• First issue of mini Magazine (Takarajimasha)
• Novala Takemoto debuts as a novelist
• Moe/萌え craze (2000s) (specifically the character trope)
• Ayumi Hamasaki is popular
• Laforet Harajuku renovation
• i-mode craze (flip phones with internet)

2001

• FRAPBOIS is founded
• First issue of Jille magazine (Futabasha)
• First issue of the Gothic & Lolita Bible /ゴシック&ロリータバイブル (Index Communications)
• First Issue of SOUP. Magazine (Index Communications)
• Terrorist attacks in America

2002

• First issue of PS (Pretty, Style) magazine (Shogakukan)
• Japan-Korea co-sponsored World Cup

2003

• Vivienne Westwood flagship store relocated to Aoyama
• Roppongi Hills opens

2004

• “Alba Rosa” is extremely popular
• Center Guy/Male Yamanba /センターGUY/オ・ヤマンバ appears
• “Celebrity Fashion” style /セレブ・ファッション流行
• Kamikaze Girls movie released
• First Issue of GosuRori/ゴスロリ Gothic & Lolita Sewing Book (Boutique Co) results in the need for a reissue due to popularity
• Red Font / 赤文字系 magazine craze (JJ, ViVi, Ray, and CanCam magazines all had red titles)

2005

• “Merci Beaucoup” is founded
• The “Tokyo Girls Collection” is founded
• “Ebi-Chan Style” / エビちゃん系 and “Moe-Chan Style” / もえちゃん系 (more info)
• EroKawaii/エロかわいい and Moe/萌え〜 are popular buzzwords
• Koda Kumi/倖田來未 is popular

2006

• Inuhiko Yomota publishes “Kawaii” Theory (Chikuma Shinsho)
• First issue of 小悪魔AGEHA Magazine (Inforest)

2007

• Momo Matsuura Publishes “Sekai & Me and Lolita Fashion” (Aoyusha)
• Erika Sawajiri is popular

2008

• NHK Tokyo Kawaii TV / 東京カワイイ★ＴＶ becomes a regular broadcast

2009

• Cawaii! magazine is discontinued
• The Ministry of Foreign Affairs appoints a Kawaii Ambassador

*Note: One entry from 1960 has been intentionally omitted.