ichibei Hyosube
Ichibei is the leader of Zero Division. He was given his status of Zero Division and the Title of "Monk Who Calls the Real Name" when he identified and named the different forms of a Soul Reapers Zanpakutō.
In its SEALED form his weapon is a giant seal brush and his SHIKAI uses the body of the brush with a blade mounted on the end. His BANKAI is incorporeal.
In its SEALED form his weapon is a giant seal brush and his SHIKAI uses the body of the brush with a blade mounted on the end. His BANKAI is incorporeal.
My initial idea when I concieved a theory for it was to have a Rack & Pinnion system commected to a bolt action, that would retract the brush and extend the blade.
Eventually I came to the conclusion that it was not possible to do this, so I looked for a different approach, which steered me towards plumbing fixtures.
I knew from experience that a 100mm pipe couplings have screw caps and that this would be adequate for the head od the staff. Using an end cap, a coupler, a reduction flange and 10cm length of 100mm PVC pipe I was able to make the head of the brush. Being that the endcap could be removed, it made it ideal for transport or other 'heads' on the body, either a brush tip or a blade. I decided to make the blade as it would look more impactive than the brush tip, although the brush tip is a small project for a later date.
The body of the staff was a section of 4cm Ø PVC Pipe with an end cap to finish off the shape and fitted to the 100mm reduction flange. The full length from the head of the Brush to the capped end was 1.8m, however I left the end cap loose and held onto a 40cm section of 4cm Ø with a coupler attached to give me added height as I needed the staff as a walking aid. The final full length of the staff with extra length and blade added was 2.6m tall.
I knew from experience that a 100mm pipe couplings have screw caps and that this would be adequate for the head od the staff. Using an end cap, a coupler, a reduction flange and 10cm length of 100mm PVC pipe I was able to make the head of the brush. Being that the endcap could be removed, it made it ideal for transport or other 'heads' on the body, either a brush tip or a blade. I decided to make the blade as it would look more impactive than the brush tip, although the brush tip is a small project for a later date.
The body of the staff was a section of 4cm Ø PVC Pipe with an end cap to finish off the shape and fitted to the 100mm reduction flange. The full length from the head of the Brush to the capped end was 1.8m, however I left the end cap loose and held onto a 40cm section of 4cm Ø with a coupler attached to give me added height as I needed the staff as a walking aid. The final full length of the staff with extra length and blade added was 2.6m tall.
Another prop which I had to make for this Costume was the TENGU GETA or single tang wooden sandals. This explains the need to the extra height on the staff and its use as a walking aid. The Plan that I made, which shows all elevations stated that the Geta would be 25cm from the floor to the sole of my feet. My MK.I was to this scale, to near disaterous effect.
The MK.III TENGU GETA are 18cm from the ground to the bottom of my feet with both the tang and the sole made from 20mm x 100mm Sapele, a common hard wood used for flooring. Before using these at Comic con, I made 3 prototypes. The MK.I was oversized and out of proportion, due in part to unknown variables. They we 'wearable' in a sense but were not in anyway practical. My MK.II was of the same size as the MK.III but made from Pine. I used the MK.II in my house for a span of 5 months before the con in order to aquire a sense of balance and fluidity in my walking pattern. The MK.II was made using Pine, making it light, to which I attached a rubber Sandal with screws to it. I had cut the sandal in half in order to tighten the thong over my foot, reducing slack and wobble. |
The MK.III was made from Sapele, which added to the weight but felt sturdier that the MK.II as it lowered my center of Gravity Marginally. Instead of screwing a sandal onto the wood, I instead drilled out pods where using two part araldite epoxy I glued in pads of a sandal thong which I had previously removed. I noticed a slight dilema with the GETA, which was while I had practice in walking in them, the 2 or 3 hours I spent practicing in them daily over a period of 5 months did little to increase my stamina to walking with them. The morning after the saturday of the event my legs refused to work and were in pain for 15 to 20 minuites. I then made the poor mistake of using them for a second day on the Sunday of the CON. My legs were still in pain on the Wednesday of that week, but I would do it again to see the looks of people asking "How on earth are you walking in those"?
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