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Flat Origami Samurai Helmet

A horned helmet decoration with a folded brim. Follow every fold, compare the front and back, and finish a small flat paper decoration.

Preparation + 12 numbered steps

Materials

6-inch square · 6 × 6 inches

One 6 × 6-inch square (15.24 × 15.24 cm) of thin origami paper. Ruler and pencil for the marked shaping folds; optional pen for decoration. No scissors or glue.

Start the interactive guide ↓
Read all illustrated steps ↓Download PDF ↓ · one-page illustrated guide
Flat Origami Samurai Helmet: a horned helmet decoration with a folded brim
A horned helmet decoration with a folded brim

Follow along

Preparation

The interactive guide needs JavaScript. Read every illustrated step below.

Camera only; does not change the fold.
Help · controls & diagram

Play or drag the progress slider to watch a fold from 0% to 100%. Use the view buttons or drag the diagram to look from another angle.

Blue and gold identify the original left and right halves, not the literal colors of your paper. Darker shades show the reverse. Orange marks moving paper and its hinge.

With the diagram focused: Space plays or pauses, ←/→ change steps, and Home resets.

Every step, at a glance

Compare your paper with each diagram after completing the action. Blue and gold identify the original left and right halves, not the literal colors of your paper. Darker shades show the reverse. Orange marks moving paper and its hinge.

  1. 0. Prepare the diamond
  2. 1. Crease the center
  3. 2. Open the square
  4. 3. Fold the top down
  5. 4. Lower the right corner
  6. 5. Lower the left corner
  7. 6. Lift the right flap
  8. 7. Turn out the right horn
  9. 8. Lift the left flap
  10. 9. Turn out the left horn
  11. 10. Raise the front brim
  12. 11. Fold the narrow brim band
  13. 12. Fold the rear flap behind
  1. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldPrepare the diamond

    PREPARATION · Source-linked flat decoration

    Prepare the diamond

    Place a square with one point upward. This small version is a flat decoration.

    Layers: One uncut sheet.

    Check: Top and bottom points line up.

    Explore this step ↑
  2. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldCrease the center

    STEP 1 · Source-linked flat decoration

    Crease the center

    Bring the right corner across to the left.

    Layers: Move the right half.

    Check: The side points coincide.

    Explore this step ↑
  3. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldOpen the square

    STEP 2 · Source-linked flat decoration

    Open the square

    Return the right half fully.

    Layers: Open the same half.

    Check: The vertical center is marked.

    Explore this step ↑
  4. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldFold the top down

    STEP 3 · Source-linked flat decoration

    Fold the top down

    Bring the top point to the bottom point.

    Layers: Move the complete upper half.

    Check: The long closed edge lies across the top.

    Explore this step ↑
  5. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldLower the right corner

    STEP 4 · Source-linked flat decoration

    Lower the right corner

    Bring the right corner down to the bottom point.

    Layers: Move both layers of the right corner.

    Check: Its old upper edge rests on the center crease.

    Explore this step ↑
  6. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldLower the left corner

    STEP 5 · Source-linked flat decoration

    Lower the left corner

    Bring the left corner to the same bottom point.

    Layers: Carry both layers of the left corner.

    Check: The packet is a diamond with loose tips at the bottom.

    Explore this step ↑
  7. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldLift the right flap

    STEP 6 · Source-linked flat decoration

    Lift the right flap

    Fold the lower right flap up to the top point.

    Layers: Move the complete right corner packet only.

    Check: The raised tip reaches the top.

    Explore this step ↑
  8. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldTurn out the right horn

    STEP 7 · Source-linked flat decoration

    Turn out the right horn

    Mark a point on the upper right slope 0.71 inches right of center and 0.71 inches below the top. Fold the raised tip outward on the line from this mark to the diamond center.

    Layers: Move only the raised right flap.

    Check: A short horn projects to the right.

    Explore this step ↑
  9. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldLift the left flap

    STEP 8 · Source-linked flat decoration

    Lift the left flap

    Bring the remaining lower left flap up to the top.

    Layers: Move the complete left corner packet.

    Check: Both raised flaps have used the same horizontal crease.

    Explore this step ↑
  10. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldTurn out the left horn

    STEP 9 · Source-linked flat decoration

    Turn out the left horn

    Mirror the right horn using the matching point on the upper left slope.

    Layers: Move only the raised left flap.

    Check: The two horns balance.

    Explore this step ↑
  11. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldRaise the front brim

    STEP 10 · Source-linked flat decoration

    Raise the front brim

    Fold the front bottom point up across a horizontal line 2.55 inches below the original top midpoint.

    Layers: Move the front triangle only; leave the rear bottom triangle hanging down.

    Check: The front tip rises while the back tip stays down.

    Explore this step ↑
  12. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldFold the narrow brim band

    STEP 11 · Source-linked flat decoration

    Fold the narrow brim band

    Fold the lower edge of the front section up across the diamond center,2.12 inches below the original top midpoint.

    Layers: Carry the entire front strip, including the previously lifted triangle.

    Check: A narrow doubled brim spans the front.

    Explore this step ↑
  13. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldFold the rear flap behind

    STEP 12 · Source-linked flat decoration

    Fold the rear flap behind

    Fold the remaining lower triangle to the outside back along the same horizontal center level. Do not tuck it into the front pocket.

    Layers: Move the rear lower flap only, away from the front brim.

    Check: The flat helmet is complete with two horns and a straight brim.

    Explore this step ↑
Sources & notes

Traditional model family; photographic tutorial by Origami Guide, Origami Guide: Flat Origami Samurai Helmet (web tutorial).

Reference photographs and instructions ↗ · Reference continuation: brim and pocket variant ↗ · Source attribution and copyright information ↗

Origami Guide labels the reference Traditional. That attribution is separate from rights in its photographs and text. No reference photographs, diagrams or prose are reproduced here. These instructions, geometry and drawings are original; no project-wide reuse license is implied.

Adaptation: A flat-display adaptation of the traditional samurai hat. The final lower flap folds to the outside back instead of being inserted into the pocket in source step 14. No pocket opening, wearable fit or hidden insertion is claimed. Horn angles and brim widths have explicit authored landmarks. The front brim is folded directly into its doubled band, omitting the reference’s intermediate fold-down-and-return guide crease.

Original instructions and diagrams, made with AI assistance. About & reuse

Accuracy notes

Real-paper follow-along and paper weight have not been tested. Diagrams illustrate the sequence, not paper thickness, contact, collisions or exact layer visibility. Rigid-axis teaching folds retain the material coordinates of one uncut square. Exact shaping landmarks are authored adaptations. Zero-thickness diagrams do not simulate paper thickness or prove physical foldability. Real-paper folding has not been tested.