My DIY Samurai Kanzashi

One of the things that seems common with sword arts practicioners is a hankering for sword-themed accessories, such as sword keychains, sword earrings, sword-themed bags, and so on. I tend to wear my hair long and pin it up with hair clips or hair sticks. It was only a matter of time before I began scouring the Internet for "samurai kanzashi."

My searches never quite hit jackpot. That's when I began wandering local craft stores for DIY hair stick ideas. As I stood staring at knitting needles and hat pins, I thought, "This doesn't feel right." It was only once I walked into an Asian grocery store and spied a set of metal chopsticks that the katana hair stick idea began to take shape. 

Here's a look at how I transformed a set of chopsticks into DIY Samurai Kanzashi:

DIY Sword Hair Sticks Step 1

Buy metal chopsticks from your local Asian supermarket.(Cost: approximately $2). Credit: R-M Arca.

DIY Sword Hair Sticks Step 2

Paint the handles the same colour as the same (ray or shark skin wrapping) on your sword with acrylic paint. Credit: R-M Arca.

DIY Sword Hair Sticks Step 3

Seal your paint job with Workable Fixatif in a well-ventilated area. Credit: R-M Arca.

DIY Sword Hair Sticks Step 4

Buy the remaining components from a beading store: faux leather wrap for the tsuka wrapping, Chinese coin pendants for the tsuba (hand guard). Cost: approximately $5. Credit: R-M Arca.

DIY Sword Hair Sticks Steps 5 & 6

Calculate how much wrapping you need and wrap the faux leather around the handle, criss-crossing. Tie a knot at the end and secure with super glue. Then secure the tsuka with a hair elastic which functions as the habaki. Credit: R-M Arca.

Kanzashi wo dekimashita!

Let dry, style and secure your hair with your new DIY samurai hair sticks. Then impress your sensei, samurai friends, and students. Then scare the school kids you work with by playing with them. Credit: R-M Arca.

It took me approximately three days from purchasing components to project completion. It wasn't particularly difficult once I figured out my supplies. This pair matches my iaito. 

I'll definitely make more in the future. Some of my piano students have asked that I make them as incentive prizes.