Bushido Tee

武士道 (bushidō): "the way of the warrior."

When his lord died in 1700, Yamamoto Tsunetomo, a retainer of the Nabeshima clan in Saga, wanted to follow him in death. The practice had been banned, so he shaved his head and became a Buddhist monk instead. Years later a young samurai, Tashiro Tsuramoto, wrote down his talk, and the result, finished around 1716, was Hagakure, hidden by leaves. Its most quoted line begins with bushidō: the way of the warrior, it says, is found in death.

An armored samurai stands in profile with his sword held low across his body, a torii, a red sun and a blossoming branch behind him. The tall characters read 武士道 (bushidō), "the way of the warrior," over the English "Spirit of Discipline." A smaller samurai with the same three characters sits on the chest.

Martial artists and history readers get it at once, and the navy and rust on white keep it easy to wear most days. Its samurai have company across the Japanese streetwear tees.

• 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.