One of a kind.
It means more, bought here.
The Nagoya Castle Typography T-shirt is sold at two shops inside the castle grounds — the Naien Shop and the Main Gate Souvenir Shop.
Sizes: S / M / L / XL
Open 9:00–16:45.
THE WORDS PAINT A PICTURE
From a distance, you see a castle keep. Up close, it’s the story of a castle.
The tower keep is written history art. It tells how the Shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu, ordered some twenty daimyo warlords of Western Japan—former Tokugawa rivals loyal to the previous rulers, the Toyotomi clan—to build Nagoya Castle in 1610, quarrying and hauling the stone, and raising the walls and structures at their own expense.
Their names are recorded here too. Most had served the Toyotomi of Osaka, the clan Ieyasu was preparing to destroy. Making them build his fortress was Ieyasu’s first step towards peace; Keep the enemy close, keep them under watch, keep them busy, and keep draining their treasuries to prevent war.
The system was called Tenka Bushin.
NAGOYA was built by the Western provinces Daimyo in a system called Tenka Bushin.
Why this T-shirt was Created.
A collaboration between Chris Glenn, an Australian born, Nagoya based radio DJ, TV presenter and castle historian, and Japanese graphic designer, artist Yoshikuni Inoue of Tokyo.
One knows what the castle means. The other knows how to make it wearable.
Every word on this shirt was chosen for its meaning, then set by hand — letter by letter — to create the unique, intricate shape of Nagoya Castle.
Chris Glenn
DJ with radio station ZIP-FM and a familiar face on NHK’s Bura-Tamori, NHK WORLD's NINJA TRUTH and SAMURAI CASTLES TV programs.
Has visited more than 670 castles across Japan—Nagoya Castle over 900 times.
Serves on the Japan Castle Foundation, Board of Directors since 2023.
Yoshikuni Inoue
Tokyo-based creator, designer, and master of typography, operating Yoshikuni — a popular apparel brand for people who love Japanese history.
Book and graphic design artist, and creator of samurai typography, T-shirts and goods.
Selected for the “Ieyasu Tokugawa” project by the Japan Culture Promotion Project (2024).
