Japanese art has influenced fashion for well over a century — and it's all over modern streetwear. But most of these designs carry real meaning. Here's the story behind the motifs you'll see in our Japanese Art & Culture collection.
Ukiyo-e: "pictures of the floating world"
Ukiyo-e is the woodblock-print art that flourished in the Edo period (1603–1868). Prints were cheap and mass-produced, showing actors, landscapes, folklore and everyday city life — the original pop art. Its flat colours and bold outlines went on to influence European artists like Van Gogh and Monet.
The Great Wave off Kanagawa
Probably the most famous Japanese artwork in the world. Created by Katsushika Hokusai around 1831 as part of his series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, it shows boats battling a towering wave with Mount Fuji tiny in the background. It's often read as nature's power versus human effort. See it on our Japanese Wave Hoodie.
Sakura (cherry blossom)
Cherry blossoms bloom for only a week or two each spring, and in Japan they've long symbolised the beauty of things that don't last — a feeling known as mono no aware. Spring blossom-viewing parties, called hanami, are still a national tradition. Shop the Blossom and Cherry Blossom hoodies.
Maneki-neko (the lucky cat)
The beckoning cat with one raised paw is a good-luck charm found at shop counters across Japan. Popular tradition says a raised left paw invites customers and a raised right paw invites fortune. It's a symbol of welcome and prosperity — which is why it's on our Lucky Cat Hoodie.
Momiji (maple leaves)
If sakura belongs to spring, red maple leaves belong to autumn. Momijigari — "hunting" for autumn leaves — is a seasonal tradition, and maple motifs represent change and the turning of the seasons. They feature on our Autumn & Winter Hoodie.
Wear it with respect
These motifs carry centuries of history. Knowing the story behind the design is what turns a graphic hoodie into something worth wearing.
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