You don't buy a mask here. You build one, under the hands that build them for the ring
Many of the masks sold as souvenirs are thin and made from material that doesn't stretch. The masks made in this studio use the materials professional wrestlers actually wear in the ring: they look no different from a pro's mask, and they can be washed. In the Ryogoku studio, the same tools and materials used for mask orders from working wrestlers are set out for you, and the maker sits next to you for the whole 90 minutes. You leave with a mask you made yourself, not a size off a rack. In the Recommended Course, this is the first stop on Day 1 — January 3, 2027, from 10:30 to 12:00.
©NJPW
The last thing that gives a wrestler strength in the ring is the mask and the costume they wear.Hiroshi Tanahashi, President, New Japan Pro-Wrestling
How the 90 minutes go
- You pick a base style from the maker's reference boards, then your colours and a design detail (lightning bolt, flame, animal motif, your initials worked into the pattern)
- The maker cuts the base panels with you, showing where stretch, stitching, and eye placement matter
- You cut, glue, and stitch the panels under the maker's hand, with English instruction at each step
- The maker checks the finished piece with you before you take it home
What you make depends on the time: a full-size wrestling mask, or a mini mask and other smaller pieces built the same way. The maker helps you choose at the start so you finish within the session. No drawing or sewing experience is needed.
You can choose from holographic and metallic materials, the same materials professional wrestlers actually use.
If you'd like to plan your design ahead, you can talk it through with the maker before the workshop. Ask for it when you request your quote.
Where it happens: the Ryogoku studio
The workshop runs in PUKUPUKU Kobo's Ryogoku studio, where masks and costumes for working wrestlers are made. On tour day you meet your guide at Ryogoku Station (West Exit) at 10:00. If your group starts with the workshop, you walk to the studio together; if it starts with the dropkick practice, the bus brings you here afterwards. Either way, there's nothing to find on your own.
The rest of the tour
After lunch near Ryogoku Station, Day 1 continues with a pro-wrestling experience in Sumida City (dropkick practice on thick mats, coached by a working pro wrestler), a visit to a pro-wrestling shop in Suidobashi, and dinner at EBRIETAS, Toru Yano's pro-wrestling bar in Suidobashi. Day 2 takes you to a pro-wrestling shop in Sugamo and NJPW's January 4 show at the Tokyo Dome. See the full itinerary.
Recommended Course: January 3–4, 2027
- Up to 8 guests per group
- English-speaking guide
- Reference price: from ¥245,000 per person (approx. US$1,550)
In our Recommended Course (January 3–4, 2027), the workshop comes on Day 1. We plan each tour around your group, so tell us which experiences you'd like when you request a quote. The final price is in your personal quote, based on your group.
Coming Soon →Frequently asked questions
Do I need any art or craft experience?
No. The maker cuts and corrects alongside you, so first-timers finish a piece that holds its shape.
Can I keep the mask design simple, or go all-out?
Both. Some guests choose one base colour and their initials; others build a multi-colour design with a motif worked into the stitching. Depending on the time, you make a full-size mask or a mini mask — the maker helps you pick what fits the 90 minutes.
Is this the same studio that makes masks for professional wrestlers?
The workshop runs in the Ryogoku studio with the same maker and materials used for mask orders from working Japanese wrestlers. The workshop mask is sized to you rather than to a competition spec, but it is built the same way.
Studio: TANAKA Building 401, 1-6-1 Chitose, Sumida-ku, Tokyo 130-0025 · Questions first: send us a message
