Sure, at first glance these Nike SBs by tattoo artist Horitaka look pretty unassuming—but there’s far more here than meets the eye. Horitaka is the only American apprentice of Horiyoshi III—considerably the greatest living tattoo artist—and a master in his own right. Horitaka has designed a set of four Nikes known as “The Four Guardians” Pack which tell a legendary tale of the four guardian animals of Japanese lore.

The four guardians each represent a direction, season, and color. The Genbu is a black turtle combined with a snake and represents the North and the winter season. The Seiryu, a blue dragon, stands for the east and spring season. Guarding the south is the Suzaku, a red phoenix-like bird representative of the summer season. The Byakko, a white tiger, guards the west and symbolizes the fall season.

Here’s how the shoes aligin with the different models:
The Genbu: Zoom Air Regime
The Seiryu: Zoom Tre
The Suzaku: Zoom Abington
The Byakko: Classic SB (featured here)

One design will be released each season. The fall’s Byakko can be expected next month. More details of the Byakko Classic SB after the jump.