DOTM Jul 2026: Japan rice riots

Our Design of the Month for July 2026, made of 100% organic cotton, and supporting grassroots labour unions in South Asia. 

This design commemorates the Japanese Rice Riots, which began on 23 July 1918 against high prices and turned into a revolt up to then unparalleled in the country’s history in terms of scope, size and violence. Eventually, the events led to the fall of Prime Minister Terauchi’s government. As well as multiple riots across the country, the revolt also involved strikes by miners, shipyard and factory workers.

The Rice Riots actually began when approximately 10-20 female dock workers made a direct demand for rice at a warehouse in Toyama, Japan. Their demand was in response to some merchants buying all the rice in the market so they could sell it to the Japanese government for their troops in Siberia thereby doubling the price and making rice inaccessible for the common folks. The demands made by the group of women workers turned into a massive uprising, inspiring more than 1 million people to take action all over Japan. These riots were no accident but an organized resistance led by female laborers, who only earned 60% of their male counterparts. The Rice Riots were a turning point and laid the groundwork for the modern Japanese labour movement. Confronted with the unprecedented scale of the uprising the government deployed up to 100,000 troops nationwide to quell the violence. This resulted in mass arrests, the detention of over 25,000 people, and dozens of casualties.

Endless Lilin, based out of Hong Kong, has turned the memory of the Rice Riots into a beautiful print symbolising both the importance of rice for people's lives and people's power! Displayed are a bowl with chopsticks and four grains of rice making the letter "rice" 米. And the two letters underneath mean "riot" in both Chinese and Japanese. 

• 100% organic combed ring-spun cotton
• Fabric weight: 5.3 oz./yd.² (180 g/m²)
• Regular unisex fit
• Set-in sleeves
• 1 × 1 rib at collar
• Double-needle topstitch on the sleeves and bottom hems
• Self-fabric neck tape on the inside of the back
• The fabric of this product holds certifications for its organic cotton content under GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) and OCS (Organic Content Standard). Stanley and Stella Fair Wair Foundation-made
• Supports grassroots labour unions in South Asia through ExChains and social enterprise dna merch
• Printed in the US individually just for you, with no overproduction or waste
• Global shipping from the US
• Proceeds from this design will be donated to Zapatista solidarity organisations

Size guide