Gallery de cosplay : Samurai Armor

When Danny was sixteen, he started collecting Japanese swords. But after he saw The Last Samurai as an adult, he knew swords weren't enough. He wanted his own suit of samurai armor. So, he spent two years of his life making one.

Danny, now
42, is getting a great deal of attention online in Japan for his
homemade yoroi (armor). Originally, Danny ordered a replica samurai suit
from America, reports LabaQ (via 2ch). The armor was too small for him, so Danny decided he needed to make his own.


With
the help of a metalworking craftsman friend, books, and the internet,
Danny began work on a suit of samurai armor. The process was long and
taxing: The small metal plates were hammered by hand and then strung
together by over 700 feet of rope. The suit weighs nearly 80 pounds!


Danny even decided to make a full set of weapons and a flag for his set of armor.

The suit isn't for display only, and Danny, a bank teller by day, regularly cosplays with his wife, who dresses in a kimono.


Online
in Japan, many people seem impressed by the suit. "Sorry for thinking
that this was going to be some crappy cardboard outfit," wrote one
commenter. "This is high quality," added another, while yet another
thought the outfit looked like something worn by a mid-level boss in
Capcom's hack-and-slash game Onimusha.


Others
pointed out the slight discrepancies in the samurai armor, but most
were more than willing to overlook any nitpicking. Perhaps one commenter
summed it up best: "Danny isn't fucking around." No, Danny is not.

In Japanese, they're called "kawari kabuto" (変わり兜), which is often translated as "unusual helmets." They're some of the most interesting head armor you'll ever see.
Today, I got out my sons' miniature samurai armor (鎧 or yoroi) and helmet (兜 or kabuto) to display for Children's Day, which is on May 5. The armor measures about two and a half feet high—maybe slightly less.

You wear little white gloves while setting up the armor and use a feather duster to keep the set clean. The helmet's design is modeled after stag beetles. It's hardly unusual.
The unusual helmets started in the 16th century and were used to help high-ranking officials stand out in the fray. While they looked unusual, the helmets were battle-ready. The customization could help these samurai strike an intimidating figure in a fight. The helmets might look heavy, but the elaborate decorations added to the helmet were light, as not to make them too cumbersome.
Here are some of the most interesting ones from over the years:

[Photo: Imaga]

[Photo: Yoshidenki]

[Photo: Naver]

[Photo: Rakuchu]

[Photo: Akiou]

[Photo: Imaga]

[Photo: Cobalt]

[Photo: Tokyo Fuji Art Museum]

[Photo: Naver]

[Photo: Akiou]

[Photo: Imaga]

[Photo: Naver]

[Photo: Sabancenter]

[Photo: KJ Club]

[Photo: Wiki]