How to make an origami samurai helmet (Kabuto)
Origami Samurai Helmet (Kabuto): try all 11 steps in the 3D player. Turn and replay every move. Print the complete diagram sheet or save it as PDF.
The traditional Japanese paper helmet, with two short horns and a white folded brim.
- You need
- One square of paper. No glue or scissors.
- Start
- Start white side up, with one corner pointing up. Use a large square for a helmet to wear.
- Tips
- Keep the two raised flap tips together before folding the horns outward.
- Some folders tuck the back triangle inside the helmet instead of folding it behind.
Your model is ready
The helmet is folded. Open it at the bottom, between the brim and the back, so it sits on your head. The samurai helmet, with its horns at the top.
Step-by-step diagrams
Steps 1–6
- 1
Fold a triangle
Fold the top corner down to the bottom corner.
- 2
Mark the middle
Fold the left corner to the right corner, press, and open again.
- 3
Lower the left corner
Fold the left corner down to the bottom point. Its upper edge meets the middle crease.
- 4
Lower the right corner
Fold the right corner down to the same point, making a small diamond.
- 5
Raise the left flap
Fold the front left flap up in half. Bring its bottom tip to the top of the small diamond.
- 6
Raise the right flap
Fold the front right flap up to meet it. Leave the large triangle underneath pointing down.
Steps 7–11
- 7
Make the left horn
Fold the raised left flap outward. Line its sloping outside edge up with the horizontal line through the flap's root.
- 8
Make the right horn
Fold the raised right flap outward the same way, making a matching short horn.
- 9
Start the white brim
Fold only the front layer of the bottom point up. Leave a narrow strip below the line joining the two side corners.
- 10
Raise the brim
Fold the remaining front strip up along the line between the side corners. Take its folded triangle with it.
- 11
Fold the back point behind
Fold the back triangle that still points down up behind the helmet, along the bottom edge of the brim.
- ✓
Finish
The helmet is folded. Open it at the bottom, between the brim and the back, so it sits on your head. The samurai helmet, with its horns at the top.
Fold next
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Printer's hat ↗
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Pyramidal hat ↗
The old pointed paper hat: a newspaper-hat pocket, flattened into a diamond and folded into a smaller triangle.
Santa hat ↗
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