Button Day

What Is Button Day?

November 22 is "Button Day" (ボタンの日, Botan no Hi) in Japan. On November 22, 1870, a European-style naval look was adopted for Japanese Navy uniforms, and it was decided that they would carry gold buttons with a cherry-blossom design: two rows of nine on the front and two rows of three on the back. To mark this, Japan's button industry established the day in 1987. The application for registration with the Japan Anniversary Association was made by the Japan Button Association (日本釦協会), a well-known organization for clothing buttons. Until then, Japanese clothing was mainly fastened with ties, but buttons became familiar as Western-style clothing spread.

A Short History of Buttons

The oldest known excavated button is a shell button about 5,000 years old found at the Mohenjo-daro site of the Indus civilization. Buttons are said to have become widespread around the 13th century, when the buttonhole was devised, making it possible to fasten one piece of fabric directly to another. By the 16th and 17th centuries they were mass-produced, with France a particular center of development. The Japanese kanji for button, 釦, is said to have been chosen to mean a metal piece placed in the "mouth" of clothing in place of a tie.

• Changing materials: from bone, shell, and ivory, to metal, to synthetic resin (plastic)
• Shell buttons: buttons made from white-lip and black-lip pearl oyster or trochus shell are known as lustrous high-end buttons

Types of Buttons and Their Uses

• Four-hole and two-hole buttons: standard on shirts and coats; the way the thread is sewn changes the look
• Snap buttons: metal or plastic fasteners that click together, common on children's clothing and sportswear
• Magnetic buttons: widely used as clasps on bags and wallets
• Covered buttons: wrapped in fabric for a handmade look, popular in handicrafts

Things to Try on Button Day

• Sew back on a loose button (a chance to brush up on basic sewing skills)
• Look for favorite buttons at a craft shop and start a collection
• Try making accessories with antique buttons