Zokei Kobo Mitsurin (造形工房密林) is the sculpting studio of the hobby shop Jungle. On June 30, 2021, the studio made a huge splash by releasing the most oversized piece on the Hokuto no Ken market, a life-size Kenshiro standing nearly two meters tall, sold for 602,800 yen (tax included) under the meticulous supervision of Tetsuo Hara.
Details
A statue nearly two meters tall
The statue measures 1,980 mm tall including the base, with a wingspan of approximately 1,280 mm and a depth of 600 mm, molded in FRP (fiberglass-reinforced plastic) in the Philippines, under a proper Coamix license. The chosen pose captures Kenshiro in a guard stance, calm and solitary, and the promotional copy from the time is worth a look, promising buyers that they will be able to “caress his latissimus dorsi” and “nestle in his deep arms” to their heart’s content. Unlike the 1/1 Kenshiro by Kaiyodo, a display piece that was never sold commercially, the Mitsurin version is the only life-size Kenshiro that a private individual can actually purchase.
Extreme logistics
Acquiring the piece is an adventure in itself. Delivery is carried out in a wooden crate with special shipping fees ranging from 35,000 to 65,000 yen depending on the region of Japan, with Okinawa and the islands excluded, and the carrier handles neither the unpacking, nor the installation, nor the removal of the crate. It is up to the buyer to extract their two-meter savior from the crate and find a place for him under their roof. Expect a lead time of one to two months depending on stock.
Finding one today
Good news for the wealthy: the piece is still available to order through the Jungle shop and has also been distributed by Hakaba no Garou. For everyone else, there remains the pleasure of knowing that somewhere out there, Japanese living rooms exist where a two-meter Kenshiro stands guard between the couch and the television.
