r/AskAJapanese•
Synaps4

Can you help me find Samurai Reenactment discussion forums in Japan?

HISTORY

Long story short, I bought a reproduction suit of armor during a recent trip to Japan. I suspect it was used for reenactment in wet grass based on the amount of rust to the Haidate and the obvious reconstruction (and even higher rust) of the Suneate, with far less rust above the waist.

Anyway I'm trying to do repairs to it. I'm sure samurai reenactors have to do these kinds of repairs all the time. However the english speaking japanese armor community is very small and almost entirely focused on preserving museum grade armor for which DIY repairs are not suitable.

  • I need advice from Japanese reenactors on choices for synthetic lacquer, where to buy replacement silk fabric and cord, sewing techniques for mending tears, etc.

  • I also have questions about re-sewing modern men's kimono into samurai suitable Kobakama and short sleeved kimonos. They might have measurements or patterns for that.

I'm willing to use google translate to participate in such a forum if I can find it, but my attempts to find social networks of japanese samurai reenactors on the internet have come up empty.

Can anyone point me to a group of samurai reenactors who have an online forum where i could participate via translation app in discussions about repair?

Posted Feb 11, 2026, 10:24 PM UTC

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