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The former member of the Japan Maritime Self Defence Force waited until he was 80 to reveal his artistic pastime.

After decades of stress and long days at work, the golden years of retirement are a chance to reconnect with lost passions and indulge in some long-forgotten hobbies. For one Japanese grandfather in Japan, this was the time to re-ignite his interest in wire art, unbeknownst to his grandson, who was shocked when his grandfather revealed a number of detailed sculptural pieces.

▼ Twitter user @samasamanga was totally unaware of his grandfather’s skill until now.

https://twitter.com/samasamanga/status/702132170387644416

It seems his grandson isn’t the only person impressed with the wire art collection, as an acquaintance on Twitter also lavished praise on the sculptor.

▼ Small and large pieces sit proudly on display in a room inside the artist’s house. The collection features everything from figures to sailing ships and a few more imaginative creations.

1Image: Twitter/@llIllIlllIlI

▼ This wire sculpture depicts a straw-hatted, sword-carrying toseinin (travelling, yakuza-like gambler).

2Image: Twitter/@llIllIlllIlI

▼ By manipulating wires of different textures, widths and colours, all types of macabre, otherworldly characters cam be created.

3Image: Twitter/@llIllIlllIlI

▼ As the artist was a former member of the Japan Maritime Self Defence Force, it should be no surprised that grand battleships and navy-inspired themes are evident in the collection.

01Image: Twitter/@llIllIlllIlI

Despite having only recently picked up the hobby, this grandfather is already showing an immense amount of creative skill, with a number of offers from Twitter users eager to buy his works. With his grandson now one of his biggest fans, they’re planning to reveal more pictures of his wire creations soon on Twitter. We can’t wait to see the rest of the collection!

Source: Grape
Top Image: Twitter/@llIllIlllIlI
Insert Images: Twitter/@llIllIlllIlI