Wooden swords are manufactured in many styles from ancient to modern. These are traditionally made of red and white oak but any type of hardwood can be used. The shaft is made by inserting an end of the handle into the holeat the other end of the hilt. The blade is carved out of mahogany and made in the shape of a wave curve. The curve in the blade will make drawing and cutting easier. Typically, these swords are not intended to be used in combat and can have extended hilts for two-handed use.

At special competitions, the wooden swords were decorated to look like the original swords. The size of this sword is about two and a half feet long.

History Of Wooden Swords

Because ancient martial arts training was secret and records were loose, it is difficult to pinpoint exactly when the first bokken appeared. There were many weapons used during the earlier periods of Japanese history. Bokken became popular in their modern form during the Muromachi Period. Primarily,it was invented for the training of samurai warriors in various training schools. A katana made of malleable steel can easily be nicked and the edge can crumble, ultimately leading to the fall of a costly sword. As compared to real swords, wooden swords are more safe, and are considerably more reliable.

The Wooden swords are safer to use for sparring and practice than katanas, but they may still be deadly to untrained users. There is a legend in Japanese history about a ronin named Miyamoto Musashi who fought fully armed opponents with just a single or two bokkens. According to the story, he agreed to a battle with Sasaki Kojiro in the early morning on Ganryūjima island. On the day of the duel, Musashi overslept and made his way to the arena late. During a boat ride to the duel, he carved a crude bokken from an oar with his knife. Even though Sasaki used his large nodachi at the duel, Musashi crushed Sasaki’s skull with one blow from his bokken, killing him. Despite the fact that many of the story’s elements may be apocryphal, the legend’s bokken poses a real danger.

They were historically manufactured by woodworkers who were not specialized in bokken manufacturing. As the 20th century grew, bokken manufacture became more formal, especially in Miyakonojo (Kyushu region). Miyakonojo is still home to the last four remaining bokken workshops in Japan.

Advantages Of Using Wooden Swords

There are many uses of wooden swords because of their large number of advantages. As it is mainly designed for training, it is a famous and most used sword for this purpose.

-Traditionally, wooden swords were used in Kenjutsu as training swords. The sword was completely made of wood and only used for striking above the belt. These swords were mainly designed and used for training.

It is an ancient weapon and has been used for many years. They provided a versatile and effective way of practicing close combat. These swords and batons were used in training or Tournaments.

-By the 1950s, master Aramaki had created the first standardized bokken in collaboration with the AJKP. It is mostly used in Kendo and Aikido.

-It is an inexpensive and safe weapon. For these reasons, the bokken is used in several martial arts such as aikido, kendo, kenjutsu, and jodo. As a result of its simple construction, it does not require as much care or maintenance as a katana.

-In addition, training with a wooden sword is not as dangerous as training with a sharp metal sword. It has several advantages but it can still be deadly if you don’t use it with proper care. It also causes some severe injuries such as fractures. It will be more dangerous for untrained persons. Its purpose is not sparring, but to help students familiarize themselves with the feel of a real sword through kata and other exercises.

-There is a type of booken known as suburito used in Suburi,which literally means “bare swinging”. These bokken are thicker and heavier than the simple ones. Their users need more strength and practice to use them. Due to their weight, they are not suitable for paired practice or solo forms. The bokken used by Miyamoto Musashi in his duel with Sasaki Kojiro was probably a suburi-sized bokken made out of an oar.

-In 2015, bokken were used as batons by the Los Angeles Police Mounted Unit. A blow from a wooden sword or a baton could apply tremendous force.