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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.


ベルギー人「日本のサムライが好きすぎて…」戦国武将のヨロイを造って本気のコスプレ [LabaQ via 2ch]

The Golden Dragon [Danny's Site]

To contact the author of this post, write to bashcraftATkotaku.com or find him on Twitter @Brian_Ashcraft .

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