Jackman

Jackman is the brand of a Japanese manufacturer based in Takefu, Fukui Prefecture, carrying on the legacy of Mitsugu Tanabe, who founded Tanabe Meriyasu in 1949.

Jackman - Made in Japan sportswear

After the Second World War, Mitsugu Tanabe’s fascination with American baseball led him to leave his job and establish his own workshop. After watching the San Francisco Seals during their 1949 tour of Japan, he began producing baseball stirrup stockings the following year, something previously unseen in Japan. A natural inventor, he developed new manufacturing techniques and modified his own machinery in a constant pursuit of better products.

After receiving several awards for his inventions, including a National Invention Award presented by Prince Takamatsu in 1962, the company expanded into sportswear. In 1964, it became one of the suppliers of training wear for the Japanese national team at the Tokyo Olympic Games.

The Jackman brand was established in 1967, taking its name directly from the language of baseball. This heritage remains at the heart of its collections today, reinterpreting American T-shirts, sweatshirts, trousers and sportswear through the expertise of its Japanese factory.

More than 75 years after the workshop was established, Jackman garments are still produced in Takefu, Fukui Prefecture. Alongside modern equipment, the factory continues to use vintage specialist Union Special and REECE sewing machines, maintained and repaired on site. This continuity allows Jackman to preserve manufacturing techniques developed over several generations.