The Story of Kamikaze

Posted on 16th Sep 2009 @ 10:09 PM

The word "Kamikaze" has always had a slightly negative impression for the people in the West.  It is usually associated with Japanese suicide bombers in World War II and would carry the meaning of "being crazy."  The meaning is actually positive, "divine wind" or "wind god."  We want to bring back that positive meaning of kamikaze with our shirts.  The following is a brief story on how the word "kamikaze" came about:

Centuries ago, the powerful empire of Mongolia was bearing down on all of Asia.  In 1274 A.D., the Mongols set their ravenous eyes toward the archipelago of Japan.  The first invasion seemed victorious until a massive storm arose and the Mongols were forced to retreat.  During another desperate attempt in conquering Japan, the Mongols attacked, but were forced to take refuge on a small island they seized.  At that time, another storm with massive winds and rains arose and pummeled the Mongol fleet leaving Japan safe.  The Japanese described both incidences as divine intervention by the KAMI (god/divine) KAZE (wind).