In Japan, there is a day called "Tango no Sekku" also known as "Boy's Day", and this day is dedicated to celebrating children’s personalities and praying for their healthy growth. The families who have boys decorate samurai helmets or armors to celebrate. Since my grandson was born, I'd wanted to create a special helmet just for him. It took two years, but I'm so pleased that I finally completed it.

Since I took step-by-step photos, I'd like to share them with you. I once created another helmet for an Italian art show last year, so if you're curious about that version, you can see here.

This time, I designed Rikidōzan who was one of the strongest sumo wrestlers and Kintarō who was known for his superhuman strength. I created more colorful vision with them.

The picture below shows the inside of my electric kiln.

My completed piece is in the picture below. I finished the helmet by August, but I wanted to decorate it with a gold folding screen, a cushion and a stand, so I spent some time to look for the right ones.

A couple days ago, I finally got everything for the helmet and set them all up. I'm so satisfied with the result because my grandson's helmet looks so special! I know he's too young to understand how special it is, but I'm going to give it to him as a Christmas gift. I really hope he's grow healthy and strong both physically and mentally.

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