Japanese wooden sword used for training
A
bokken
(
木?
,
bok(u)
, "wood", and
ken
, "sword") (or a
bokut?
木刀
) is a Japanese
wooden sword
used for training in
kenjutsu
. It is usually the size and shape of a
katana
, but is sometimes shaped like other swords, such as the
wakizashi
and
tant?
. Some ornamental
bokken
are decorated with mother-of-pearl work and elaborate carvings. Sometimes, it is spelled "boken" in English.
Bokken
are traditionally composed of
red oak
or
white oak
, although any hardwood can be used. In comparison, practice swords made of flexible, soft wood such as
bamboo
are referred to as
shinai
.
History
[
edit
]
It is hard to determine precisely when the first
bokken
appeared due to secrecy in ancient martial arts training and loose record-keeping. While various mock weapons were surely used during the earlier periods of Japanese history, usage of
bokken
in their modern form first emerged during the
Muromachi Period
(1336–1600) for the training of
samurai
warriors in the various
ry?
(schools of martial arts and swordsmanship) of the era.
[1]
If a steel
katana
is repeatedly used, it can easily become nicked and the edge flawed, potentially leading to a broken expensive sword.
Bokken
are safer than fighting with real swords, and are considerably more durable; a wielder can make contact with other trainee's swords with little fear of damage.
[2]
While
bokken
are safer for sparring and practice than katana, they are still lethal weapons in the hands of trained users. A famous legend to this effect exists involves
Miyamoto Musashi
, a
ronin
known to fight fully armed foes with only one or two
bokken
. According to the story, he agreed to a duel with
Sasaki Kojiro
at the early morning on
Ganry?jima
, a tiny sandbar between Kyushu and Honshu. Musashi overslept the morning of the duel, however, and made his way to the duel late. He carved a
bokken
from an
oar
with his knife while traveling on a boat to the duel.
[3]
At the duel, Sasaki was armed with his large
nodachi
, yet Musashi crushed Sasaki's skull with a single blow from his
bokken
, killing him. While many elements of the story are likely apocryphal, the potential danger of a
bokken
from the legend is real.
[1]
Before the Meiji era,
bokken
were very likely manufactured by woodworkers not specialized in
bokken
manufacture.
[
citation needed
]
At the beginning of the 20th century
bokken
manufacture started more formally, mainly in
Miyakonoj?
, a city on Kyushu Island. The last four remaining
bokken
workshops of Japan are still located in Miyakonoj?.
[
citation needed
]
Another notable spot where
bokken
were manufactured and sold as tourist souvenirs was
Aizuwakamatsu
; the resulting
bokken
were frequently inscribed with the markings of the
Byakkotai
, a youth battalion that committed mass suicide nearby during the
Battle of Aizu
. During the late
Showa era
in the 1970s and 1980s, these suicides were romanticized as a bold and heroic act, and
bokken
marked with their emblem sold well.
[4]
The "standard
bokken
", mostly used in
Kendo
,
Iaido
, and
Aikido
, was created by master Aramaki Yasuo in collaboration with the All Japan Kendo Federation in the 1950s and was the first standardized
bokken
ever created.
[5]
Usage
[
edit
]
The
bokken
is used as an inexpensive and relatively safe substitute for a real sword in several
martial arts
such as
aikido
,
kendo
,
iaido
,
kenjutsu
, and
jodo
. Its simple wooden construction demands less care and maintenance than a katana. In addition, training with a
bokken
does not carry the same mortal risk associated with that of a sharp metal sword, both for the user and other practitioners nearby. While its use has several advantages over use of a live edged weapon, it can still be deadly, and any training with a
bokken
should be done with due care. Injuries occurring from
bokken
are very similar to those caused by clubs and similar battering weapons and include compound fractures, ruptured organs, and other such blunt force injuries. In some ways, a
bokken
can be more dangerous as the injuries caused are often unseen and inexperienced practitioners may underestimate the risk of harm. It is not a sparring weapon, but is intended to be used in
kata
and to acclimate the student to the feel of a real sword. For sparring, a bamboo
shinai
is typically used instead, for obvious safety reasons.
In 2003, the
All Japan Kendo Federation
(AJKF) introduced a set of basic exercises using a
bokut?
called
Bokut? Ni Yoru Kend? Kihon-waza Keiko-h?
. This form of practice is intended primarily for kendo practitioners up to
Nidan
ranking, but can be beneficial for all kendo students.
[6]
Suburit?
(素振り刀) are
bokken
designed for use in
suburi
.
Suburi
(素振り), literally "bare swinging," are solo cutting exercises. Suburit? are thicker and heavier than normal
bokken
and users of suburit? must therefore develop both strength and technique. Their weight makes them unsuitable for paired practice and solo forms.
Miyamoto Musashi
's
bokken
made of an oar in his legendary duel with Sasaki Kojiro was presumably a suburit?-sized
bokken
.
As late as 2015,
bokken
were issued to the Los Angeles Police Mounted Unit for use as batons.
[7]
[8]
Types
[
edit
]
Bokken
can be made to represent any style of weapon required such as
nagamaki
,
nodachi
,
yari
,
naginata
,
kama
, etc. The most widely used styles are:
- dait?
or
tachi
(
katana
-sized), long sword
- sh?t?
or
kodachi
or
wakizashi b?
(
wakizashi
-sized), short sword
- tant? b?
(
tant?
-sized)
- suburit?
can be made in
dait?
and
sh?t?
sizes
Additionally, various
koryu
(traditional Japanese martial arts) have their own distinct styles of
bokken
which can vary slightly in length, tip shape, or in whether or not a tsuba (hilt guard) is added.
The
All Japan Kendo Federation
specify the dimensions of
bokken
for use in the modern kendo kata, called
Nippon kendo kata
.
[9]
- Tachi
: Total length, approx. 102 cm (40 in);
tsuka
(handle) approx. 24 cm (9.4 in).
- Kodachi
: Total length, approx. 55 cm (22 in);
tsuka
(handle) approx. 14 cm (5.5 in).
Bokken
are traditionally composed of
red oak
or
white oak
, with white oak varieties being slightly more expensive and prestigious. Other common tree varieties used included
ebony
,
biwa
, and
sunuke
in Japan, and
hickory
,
persimmon
,
ironwood
, and
walnut
for trees native to the Americas. Biwa trees were used at least partially due to a folk superstition that wounds inflicted by biwa wood would never heal.
[1]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
Lowry, Dave
(1986).
Bokken: Art of the Japanese Sword
. Ohara Publications. p. 21–27.
ISBN
978-0-89750-104-0
.
- ^
Ratti, Oscar; Westbrook, Adele (1991).
Secrets of the Samurai; A Survey of the Martial Arts of Feudal Japan
(1st pbk. ed.). Rutland, Vt.: C.E. Tuttle Co. p. 272.
ISBN
978-0-8048-1684-7
.
- ^
Wilson, William Scott (2004).
The Lone Samurai: The Life of Miyamoto Musashi
(1st ed.). Tokyo: Kodansha International. p. 19.
ISBN
9784770029423
.
- ^
"修?旅行でよく見た「お土産の木刀」を全?へ?めた?社は今"
.
デイリ?ポ?タルZ
. October 25, 2018
. Retrieved
May 5,
2020
.
- ^
Seido - Budo Equipment & Practice in Japan (2017-10-05),
[Interview] Aramaki Yasuo - Bokken Manufacture 3rd Generation Craftsman (Part 1/2)
, retrieved
2018-05-03
- ^
"全日本?道連盟オンライン?ショップ:?道書籍"
. Zenkenren-shop.com
. Retrieved
2015-11-12
.
- ^
"LAPD Equipment - Los Angeles Police Department"
. Lapdonline.org
. Retrieved
2015-11-12
.
- ^
Edwards, Holly (August 6, 2000). "Mounted Patrols Train for Handling Unrest at Convention".
Los Angeles Daily News
. p. N3.
- ^
"AJKF Online-shop : English version"
. Zenkenren-shop.com. Archived from
the original
on 2015-11-04
. Retrieved
2015-11-12
.
External links
[
edit
]
(
Wayback Machine
copy)
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