Serpent Blade Tee

蛇と刀 (hebi to katana): "the serpent and the sword."

Japan's oldest chronicle, the Kojiki of 712, tells how the storm god Susanoo got the eight-headed serpent Yamata no Orochi drunk in Izumo. He set out eight vats of strong sake, let every head drink its fill, then cut the creature apart. In one tail his own blade chipped on something hard: a sword. Later named Kusanagi, it became one of the three imperial regalia, kept at Atsuta Shrine in Nagoya and never put on view.

A green snake winds up the blade of a katana with its jaws wide open, wrapped in red flame and teal cloud and stacked against a black sunburst pillar on the back. A small copy sits on the chest. It's the Izumo story boiled down to one frame: a serpent and a sword, tangled together.

The real Kusanagi stays out of sight at Atsuta Shrine, but this sword goes out with black jeans or work pants, its red flame softened by washed pale gray. For more of the snake and less of the sword, the serpent tees go deeper into the coils.

• Fabric: 100% combed cotton, 230gsm, pre-shrunk and soft-washed
• Print: direct-to-garment (DTG)
• Color: washed pale gray
• 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.