Kenichi Yamamoto is widly know as the Father of Mazda’s Rotary Engine. He was one of the “47 Ronin” engineers that took Felix Wankle’s unique motor and made it the identity of Mazda. Powering everything from the Mazda Cosmo to the RX-3 to the RX-7 to the 787B – the 12A, 13B and 20B are legendary engines.

He was also the visionary that gave the green light to the Mazda Miata once he moved to product planner setting in motion Mazda becoming the most races make of car on any given weekend across the United States. Yamamoto eventually served as chairman of Mazda until his death in 2017.

If you are a Mazda fan, Kenichi Yamamoto IS Your Homeboy… and this shirt is just a small way to pay homage.