Japan Home Shirt 1996

£51.99

In stock · ready to ship

Select size

Name & number printing — free

Official badges — £2.99

Buy 2, get 1 free · free delivery over £30

Size guide

Adult · Men’s fit

Size	Pit to pit (cm)	Length (cm)
S	48	70
M	51	72
L	54	74
XL	57	76
XXL	60	78

Shirts of this era were cut boxy: expect the chest to measure at or above the top of the band for its size. Compare pit-to-pit with a shirt you own rather than trusting the label.

How to measure

Lay the shirt flat and measure pit to pit (armpit to armpit) and collar to hem, then compare with the table. Between sizes, take the larger. Measurements are in centimetres, with 1–2 cm variation between pieces.

About this shirt

The Japan home shirt from 1996. Sizes S-XXL.

The home shirt is the one the season is remembered by — it is the design that appears in every team photo, every highlight and every sticker album of that year, which is why home shirts anchor a collection and away shirts add the variety around them.

We also hold the home shirt from 1998 and 1994/95.

Japan in 1996

The 1996 Asian Cup cycle — the Miura era’s peak years, with the King’s goals carrying Japan toward its first World Cup qualification in 1997.

Japan in the archive

Home, away, goalkeeper, kids and women’s fit, with an unusually large number of player-version cuts. Every listing states the season and which cut it is. Japan’s home shirt is blue — the reason the national side is known as the Samurai Blue — and the kit design has a reputation for being more adventurous than most, with graphic patterns that change substantially between cycles rather than following a fixed template. This is one of the larger international ranges we hold, and unusually it leans towards player-version cuts: a significant share of the Japan stock is the slimmer squad specification rather than the standard retail fit. If you want the roomier version, check the title of the listing, which states which cut it is. The range covers home and away shirts, goalkeeper, kids kits, women’s fit and jackets, with retro seasons alongside the current 2026 kits.

All Japan shirts →

Printing, delivery and returns

Name and number printing is free on this shirt. For a shirt of this season that means the lettering of the period, not a modern typeface — a 1996 England shirt takes the block of that summer, a late-nineties Serie A shirt the league numerals it was designed around. We hold period sets as well as current league and tournament fonts. Choose a squad player and the number is applied as issued, or send any name and number you want. Printing adds one to two working days before dispatch, and printed shirts cannot be returned unless faulty — if unsure of the size, order it plain and we print it afterwards for the same price. Full detail on the printing page.

Tracked as standard, everywhere — packed flat between card, never folded into a bag. Allow 7–14 days from order to delivery.

Service	Time	Cost
Standard tracked	7–14 days	£3.95
Orders over £30	7–14 days	Free

The same rate applies to every country: free over £30, otherwise £3.95, tracked, in the same 7–14 days. Orders outside the UK may attract import duty on arrival, which is the customer’s responsibility. Full tables on the shipping page.

30 days from delivery to change your mind — longer than the 14-day statutory minimum. Email hello@shirt-archive.com with your order number before posting anything back; send it unworn with tags attached, and the refund goes to the original payment method within five working days of arrival. If we sent the wrong thing, postage is on us both ways. Full policy on the returns page.

Common questions

Which season is this Japan home shirt from?

This is the 1996 home shirt. The season is stated on every listing and on the order confirmation, so what arrives is the season named here, not a current substitute.

What size should I order?

Sizes run S-XXL. Measure pit to pit on a shirt you own and compare it with the chart above — between sizes, take the larger.

Can I get a name and number printed on it?

Yes — free, applied before dispatch, which adds one to two working days. Printed shirts cannot be returned unless faulty, so if you are unsure of the size, order plain and we print it afterwards for the same price.

How quickly will it arrive?

Allow 7–14 days from order to delivery, everywhere. Standard tracked is £3.95, and orders over £30 ship free to every country. Everything is tracked, including international.

Is this the exact design worn in 1996?

Yes — this listing is the 1996 home design specifically, not a current shirt standing in for it. If we hold the same design in other cuts they are listed separately.

Will a retro shirt fit like a modern one?

No — shirts of this era were cut looser. A nineties Large sits closer to a modern Medium, which is why the flat measurements above matter more than the size on the label.