Azure Dragon Tee

青龍 (seiryū): "the azure dragon."

The four beasts of Chinese cosmology each guard a direction, and the azure dragon takes the east. Japan put them to work on the land. The Sakuteiki, an 11th-century garden manual, says flowing water east of a house belongs to the dragon, a road west to the tiger, a pond south to the bird and hills north to the tortoise. With no stream, it says, plant nine willows. Sumo still hangs Seiryū's tassel over the ring, called blue and dyed green, because the old word ao covers both.

On the back, a blue dragon coils around a red sun under the words Azure Dragon. The red box on the left gives its name, 青龍 (seiryū), "azure dragon," and the one on the right reads 東方の守護者 (tōhō no shugosha), "guardian of the East," repeated in blue at the bottom. A small copy of the dragon and sun sits on the chest.

Sumo regulars have seen that tassel on every broadcast, and everyone else gets a bright summer tee. Blue and red on white stay clean with jeans, and the small chest mark keeps the front easy under an open shirt. Its cousins, from fire red to bone white, are in the dragon collection.

• Fabric: 100% combed cotton, 230gsm, pre-shrunk and soft-washed
• Print: direct-to-garment (DTG)
• Color: white
• Fit: unisex, regular; size up for a boxier, oversized look
• Sizes: S to 3XL
• Size reference: 6 ft 2 in wears L; 5 ft 7 in wears M

Measurements for every size are in the size guide.