Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Asmus Toys 1/6 Sasaki Kojiro 12-inch Figure Preview

Sasaki Kojirō (佐々木 小次郎, also known as Ganryū Kojirō) (1585? – April 13, 1612) was a prominent Japanese swordsman widely considered as a Kensei, born in Fukui Prefecture. The literal translation of "kensei" is "sword saint". Thus, the term is considered by some to imply a higher degree of perfection and was an honorary title given to a warrior of legendary skill in swordsmanship. He lived during the Sengoku and early Edo periods and is most remembered for his death while battling Miyamoto Musashi in 1612.


This will be Asmus Toys upcoming release of a 1/6 scale Sasaki Kojiro 12-inch Figure which will include: 1/6 scale Sasaki Kojirō head sculpt and fully articulated 12-inch male body, exclusive sword, bucket, pair of clogs, traveling bag, metal stand and 3 pairs of swapping hands.




Don't really know much about these characters but I suppose somebody out there cares enough to make them because apparently there's a market for these 1/6 scale figures. As for me, I'm not really into this genre but it's always nice to see 1/6 manufacturers try their hands at different products for the benefit of 12-inch figure collectors.


The basic clothing item in a samurai's 'everyday' wardrobe was the kimono, which for men normally consisted of an outer and inner layer. Heavier kimonos were worn in the winter, while lighter examples (those made of finer silk, for instance) were worn in the summer.


This 12-inch Sasaki Kojiro figure also comes with a bucket for fetching water. When Jack and Jill  went up the hill to fetch a pail of water, I doubt Jack ever brought along a samurai sword. Those must be scary times when you have to be armed with a sword when fetching water ;p


Samurai had the option of wearing socks, called tabi, which included a space to separate the big toe from the other toes (to facilitate the wearing of sandals). Tabi worn in an everyday capacity were normally white and were tailored to the season.


Footwear generally consisted of sandals (waraji) and wooden clogs (geta). Sandals were made from various sorts of material, including straw, hemp, and cotton thread. Clogs were generally associated with the lower classes (geisha, for instance, and kabuki actors are often depicted wearing geta) though samurai wore them from time to time.


3 comments:

Anonymous said...

The real historic character was well known for his excessively long sword. It is not known whether the 1/6 sword in this box set is longer than the ordinary Japanese sword.

Yelinna said...

Oh Woooow!! What a cool samurai!!!
He looks like a real person!!

alex teo said...

yup the 1/6 head sculpts have been improving by leaps and bounds :) they are looking more and more realistic