Apprenticing Under One of the Last Samurai Armor Masters

Only 3 masters remain. I’ve moved to Japan to learn from one and help save a 1000-year-old craft before it vanishes.

My name is Tidiane Nova. I’m a 23 years old from France, and I’ve sacrificed everything to learn the dying art of Samurai armor making.

This craft, once taught to generations, is now dangerously close to vanishing. My teacher is one of the last three people in the world capable to do this work. There is no school. No manual. Just the two of us in a small workshop, using the same tools and techniques as centuries ago, and knowledge passed through an unbroken chain for as long. We work with the same materials as masters did centuries ago, we use mercury, asbestos, and the lacquer itself is harmful to living beings.

My teacher is known as "Miura Anjin", he was the only student of Living National Treasure Hiromichi Miura, one of the best artisan of all time.

I’ve already completed a handmade kabuto (helmet) using traditional methods, and I’ve restored a few antique pieces under my teacher’s supervision. We were recently featured on NHK World, the main broadcasting channel in Japan, you can find us in the final 8 minutes of this documentary:

NHK World - Keeping the fires of tradition burning

Why is it important ?

These armors rely on restorations, they are found in museums around the world, but the materials degrade over time. Without skilled artisans to restore and maintain them, these priceless pieces of human history, and one of our clearest windows into the past, will fade away within a few generations.

But it’s getting harder to keep going. This apprenticeship is full-time, unpaid, and physically demanding. Materials, travel, housing, and lacquer alone are expensive. I’ve received encouragement but am left without a reliable support system. I have had to fund the last year and a half by myself, through hard work.

Your contribution will help with:

I’m reaching out because I need help to continue this journey. This isn’t just about me, it’s about preserving a priceless cultural legacy that’s almost vanished, about being able to walk in a museum with your kids and see them be in awe looking at some of the most impressive pieces of art there. With your support, I can continue this rare training and share it with the world, piece by piece.

This is the generation that decides whether this art survives or not.

Thank you for reading this far.