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PosterBee! The Art Dealer
Yoshitoku Samurai Vader Scaled Full Armor and Helmet Set Star Wars,Yoshitoku Samurai Vader Scaled Armor and Helmet Set
Please note: all sales for this product are final unless
delivered product is damaged. We are now accepting special orders
online - final delivery of the helmet set could take
up to 4.5 months as these are hand-made and imported
directly from Japan.The signature look of the Star Wars movies
has always owed a great debt to the past: the
Rebel starships loosely resemble World War II aircraft, or at
least "feel" like they do; the blasters are based on
actual mid-20th century pistols and machine guns; and the costumes
are evocative of several classical styles, including the Nazi-esque uniforms
of the Imperial officers and semblance of the Samurai in
the costume of Darth Vader. Japan's Yoshitoku Company recently reversed
the life-to-art rule by incorporating some of the Dark Lord's
costume features back into the traditional design that helped inspire
it. This year, Yoshitoku will be offering a "Samurai Vader"
quarter-scale costume to Japanese fans celebrating Tango no Sekku, or
Japan's "Boy's Day" festival on May 5. One tradition of
Tango no Sekku includes the displaying of the Samurai yoroi
(armor) and kabuto (helmet) by a boy's family in the
hopes that it will protect his spirit and ensure good
health and prosperity. The yoroi and kabuto, while reduced in
scale, require the same level of skill and attention to
detail in their manufacture that the original full-size costumes once
demanded. This centuries-old craftsmanship has been kept alive in the
Yoshitoku Company for the last 300 years, providing the traditional
Samurai accoutrements to families celebrating Japan's sons every year (Girl's
Day, or Hinamatsuri, occurs on March 3, and includes the
display of dolls dressed in traditional female costumes). Opening its
doors in 1711 as a shop selling toys and dolls
in what is now Tokyo, Yoshitoku turned exclusively to doll
manufacture after the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923. They now
enjoy the admiration of the Imperial Household Agency for the
imperial family, and even hosted a tutorial on Japanese doll
manufacturing for Princess Diana while on a trip to Japan.
According to Yoshitoku, this is the first time in their
history that a crossover product such as the Samurai Vader
has been produced. "It was challenging for us to blend
the entertainment character with our traditional products," a spokesman for
the company says. "However, we thought it worth doing when
Star Wars marked its 30th anniversary." While the blending of
Darth Vader with the Samurai look appears seamless in the
final design, the process of reconciling the similar but separate
looks took some doing. "Since the Vader helmet itself was
originally designed in the motif of a Samurai's kabuto, it
was not difficult to find the similarity. However, it took
time for us to consider what to add to the
costumes in order to blend the sense of Star Wars
with the style of traditional Japanese weapons. Also, we had
Price: $4,000.00 |
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