Even rivals have been known to clash, such as Shimizu S-Pulse and Jubilo Iwata who wore identical white Puma away kits in 2010 and 2011.



But while some colours are more common than others, one colour rarely seen on a J-League pitch is black. Only a handful of teams such as Oita Trinita and Kyoto Sanga have used black, and even then only as a third uniform. While Vissel Kobe wore black and white stripes in their early years, the purchase of the club by internet retailer Rakuten resulted in the team’s colours changing to crimson red, in honor of Rakuten’s parent company and the Harvard education of company founder Hiroshi Mikitani.



Vissel’s change came once, but after several years of two-year shirt cycles, more and more clubs are releasing new designs every season. Some clubs go a step further, releasing special designs that are used once or twice each season. Gamba Osaka’s golden kits are one example of this, as are the multicoloured Star Festival-inspired uniforms worn by Shonan Bellmare in recent summers. Another summer uniform came courtesy of Sagan Tosu, who wore shirts with a watermelon motif in August 2013.



The deep loyalty that supporters hold for their J-League clubs inspires them to buy new uniforms every year, resulting in the beautifully-coloured crowds that fill stadiums very weekend.



