By James Robert Shaw (The Wind up Geek)
Have you ever wanted to go full samurai — to wear the armour of a warrior, to go into battle while feeling the spirit of Toshiro Mifune flowing through you? While it all sounds glorious, the closest many of us are ever going to get to looking like a samurai is by wearing heavy and expensive replica armour. But don’t fret, bamboo has something that is light, warm, and can be worn as everyday wear. The Samurai Armor Hoodie was brought into existence 3 years ago after seeing a hoodie based on a Western suit of armor. Quoted in a Tokyo Otaku Mode interview, bamboo, project producer for goods company Studio 696 and vocalist for the rock and roll band milktub stated, “I thought it was cool, so I bought it right away. When I held it in my hands, I liked it, so I thought, ‘If there is Western armor, there should be a Japanese version, too, I’ll get that next time.’ But no matter how hard I looked, where and how I searched, there was simply no such product.”
And so bamboo and his team set out to design and create a Japanese version, which makes its wearer appear like an everyday samurai warrior. The hoodies were soon completed and sold in Japan during winter 2015 for the retail price of 32,000 Yen. They quickly sold through their stock and with this crowdfunding campaign through Indiegogo they hope to market the recently improved Samurai Armor Hoodies to consumers outside of Japan.
The hoodies are available in the colors of black, snow-white, and red.
Hand coverings come from the forearm with a loop at the end for your fingers.
The face masks are an accessory and can be worn over the mouth and nose or it can be dropped down to act as a neck warmer. The himo (cord/tassel) is an acessory and it can be removed. The himo is made with traditional Kaga-Yuzen silk dyeing technique.
Shoulder pieces on the hoodie are also removable.
“Bu” (武) for “bushi” (meaning samurai warrior in Japanese) is written on the back.
The hoodie is made from 100% cotton with patterns that are not printed with ink but flock. It is machine washable but it is recommended you remove the hoodie’s head-piece and place it in a laundry bag before washing.
To take part in the crowdfunding campaign, please follow this link:
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/samurai-armor-hoodies/#/
Source(s): Saul Schimek, Cyberpunk Science Fiction and Culture Facebook group, Tokyo Otaku Mode, and Rocket News 24.
Video Source(s): Tokyo Otaku Mode.
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