Storm Tengu Tee

嵐の天狗 (arashi no tengu): "the tengu of the storm."

The first tengu in Japanese writing was a noise in the sky. The Nihon Shoki records that in 637 a great star crossed from east to west with a roar like thunder. Some called it a shooting star, others earth thunder. The monk Min, back from years of study in China, set them straight: no star, but a tengu, a heavenly dog, and the roar was its bark. The name came from Chinese star lore. The winged mountain spirit came later, and the long red nose later still.

A red, long-nosed tengu bares his fangs on the back, black wings spread, inside a gold ring of storm cloud and lightning. "Ancestral Fury" sits above him and "Storm Tengu" below, with a smaller line that says "The wind is his weapon," fair for a spirit whose feather fan whips up gales. A small tengu face in the clouds marks the chest.

Min called that roaring star a tengu, so take it out for the Perseids in mid-August, or up a mountain trail when the forecast turns. The red goes soft and faded on washed pale gray, and the other gods and spirits run from lucky gods to fire.

• 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.