M.N. Mehta Vintage Japanese Deity Peacock Label Unisex Tee

Got it, I'll drop the Available Colors section from here on unless you specify colorways.

A new label, and a vivid one. Four deity figures in saffron and red robes, each crowned and multi-armed, are arranged symmetrically around the corners, with a central oval medallion holding a peacock against a mountainous landscape. The whole composition sits on a green ground with a red keyline border. "Best Safety Matches" runs across the top, "Made in Japan" climbs the two sides (Made In left, Japan right), and "M.N. Mehta" sits in the base panel. India market.

Product Title

M.N. Mehta Vintage Japanese Deity Peacock Label Unisex Tee

The Story

This is one of the most richly colored and symmetrical labels in the archive, and at chest height on a tee it reads like a small devotional print. Four crowned, multi-armed deity figures in saffron and red robes are arranged around the four corners in mirror-image symmetry, each seated and holding attributes in their many hands. At the center sits an oval medallion framing a peacock in full color against a landscape of green mountains and sky. The whole scene rests on a vivid green ground within a red keyline border. "Best Safety Matches" runs across the top, "Made in Japan" climbs the two sides, and a panel at the base carries the merchant's name, M.N. Mehta.

The label was produced for the Indian market, where Japanese match manufacturers competed energetically from the Meiji era onward and where merchant names like M.N. Mehta marked the local importers and distributors who carried the goods. The deities and the peacock, the national bird of India and a creature rich with associations of beauty, royalty and the divine, were chosen to speak directly to Indian buyers, drawing on a deep well of religious and cultural imagery. Japanese printers studied their export destinations closely, and labels like this one show them rendering Hindu sacred iconography with care and bold color. The mirror-image symmetry and the saturated palette make it one of the most visually arresting labels in the whole collection.

On the tee the label reads as a vivid, intricate panel at chest height, the green ground, saffron figures and central peacock holding their detail against the cotton.

Who Is It For

This tee is for someone who wants a vivid, symmetrical image with real depth behind it. They are drawn to the deity figures, to the central peacock, to the saturated green and saffron palette, and to the layered story of a Japanese-made label produced for the Indian market through a local merchant house. It reads boldly from across a room and rewards anyone who comes close enough to take in every figure and detail. It pairs as easily with jeans as with something sharper.

About the Collection

Every design in the Ichinichi Collection is sourced from a personal archive of original Japanese matchbox labels spanning 1880 to 1940. The M.N. Mehta label arranges four multi-armed deities in mirror symmetry around a central peacock medallion, all in a saturated palette of green, saffron and red. Produced for the Indian market through a local merchant house, it shows Japanese printers rendering Hindu sacred imagery with bold color and care, one of the most visually arresting labels in the archive.

Product Details

Material: 100% Airlume combed and ring-spun cotton. Weight: 4.2 oz per square yard, lightweight and breathable. Fit: Unisex retail fit, crew neckline, ribbed knit collar. Construction: Tapered shoulders, dual side seams for shape retention. Label: Tear-away, minimal skin irritation. Ethics: Fair Labor Association, Platinum WRAP certified, no sweatshop. Sleeve prints and neck labels use DTF printing where applicable.

Size Guide

All measurements in inches. Size tolerance: plus or minus 1.50 inches across all measurements.

Fabric blends vary by color. Ash and Heather Prism: 99% cotton and 1% polyester. Heather and Solid Blend: 52% cotton and 48% polyester. Athletic Heather and Black Heather: 90% cotton and 10% polyester.