Shizuka Shirt - Blue

静か (shizuka): "quiet, still."

Samurai of the Kamakura period liked kachi-iro, an indigo dyed so many times it comes out nearly black, and part of the appeal was the name: kachi sounds like the word for winning. Indigo stayed the working color of Japan for centuries after, on shop curtains, firemen's coats and farm clothes, so much that foreign visitors in the late 1800s called it Japan blue.

This one is a deep, dusty navy, lighter than kachi-iro but in the same family, with a slubbed texture you can see in the linen. The neck wraps into a drop V with a soft standing collar, and the three-quarter sleeves are left open at the cuff.

Navy is the easy dark: white sneakers in summer, a black jacket over it in fall. It pairs naturally with pieces from our modern traditional Japanese clothing, so you can build a full outfit that reads Japanese without looking like costume.

• Fabric: linen, lightweight and breathable
• Neck: wrapped drop V-neck with a soft standing collar
• Sleeves: three-quarter length, open cuffs
• Build: pullover with a curved hem
• Fit: slim, follows the body without clinging; US sizing, XS to 3XL
• Size reference: 6 ft 2 in, 172 lb wears L; 5 ft 11 in, 198 lb wears XL

Measurements for every size are in the size guide.