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**Larisochka** · 03-05-2006, 08:00 AM

Thanks, guys. You know, I was surprised at how much dinging up my bokuto had taken as well. But there are good reasons for it:

-A couple times, while doing kata 5 as uchitachi, my partner would catch the exact middle of the bokken as it was coming from jodan and he was parrying, caught it right in the middle with the tip of his bokken. (In other words, if they had been shinai, his shinai may have slipped into mine and we would have had to pull them apart.) So it has a divot in the word right here. Of course it's still functional.

-Sometimes when doing kata 4, when the swords clash in the middle, my partner (or I, at first) would really slash into the other person's bokken, rather than just letting them both fall naturally. When you first learn 4, sometimes you overdo it, eh? Smashing your partner's bokken.

-In addition to kendo kata practice, I have also used the bokken for iai practice, which has involved two-person exchanges. Sometimes, the bokken has been slashed by another, or done the slashing. I'm thinking of one drill from Muso Shinden Ryu that involves me in chudan, and my partner slashing down from hasso, knocking my blade aside, and then coming back in with a from-below kesa-giri. Also, when practicing uke-nageshi with a partner.

...That said it is perfectly functional, just, as I said, dinged up. Also, there's a sharp part in the middle of the wood where, if I were to try practicing noto (resheathing) with it, would catch on the skin of my hand. That's really the rub, every time I pick it up I have to avoid the web of my hand catching it on that one cracked spot - a crack I'm afraid will get bigger with repeated use. I think in iai, with these sometimes harsh two-person drills, you're expected to replace the bokken every so often. (Can't speak for all iai practitioners - not sure they all do 2-person kumitachi.)

My iai instructor has a beautiful white oak one that is weight-approximate to a shinken and has an oval grip. I love that thing. I think he payed around US$50-100 for it.

Anyway, I think I'll skip the black one!

03-05-2006, 08:00 AM	#9
Larisochka Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 345 Senior Member	Thanks, guys. You know, I was surprised at how much dinging up my bokuto had taken as well. But there are good reasons for it: -A couple times, while doing kata 5 as uchitachi, my partner would catch the exact middle of the bokken as it was coming from jodan and he was parrying, caught it right in the middle with the tip of his bokken. (In other words, if they had been shinai, his shinai may have slipped into mine and we would have had to pull them apart.) So it has a divot in the word right here. Of course it's still functional. -Sometimes when doing kata 4, when the swords clash in the middle, my partner (or I, at first) would really slash into the other person's bokken, rather than just letting them both fall naturally. When you first learn 4, sometimes you overdo it, eh? Smashing your partner's bokken. -In addition to kendo kata practice, I have also used the bokken for iai practice, which has involved two-person exchanges. Sometimes, the bokken has been slashed by another, or done the slashing. I'm thinking of one drill from Muso Shinden Ryu that involves me in chudan, and my partner slashing down from hasso, knocking my blade aside, and then coming back in with a from-below kesa-giri. Also, when practicing uke-nageshi with a partner. ...That said it is perfectly functional, just, as I said, dinged up. Also, there's a sharp part in the middle of the wood where, if I were to try practicing noto (resheathing) with it, would catch on the skin of my hand. That's really the rub, every time I pick it up I have to avoid the web of my hand catching it on that one cracked spot - a crack I'm afraid will get bigger with repeated use. I think in iai, with these sometimes harsh two-person drills, you're expected to replace the bokken every so often. (Can't speak for all iai practitioners - not sure they all do 2-person kumitachi.) My iai instructor has a beautiful white oak one that is weight-approximate to a shinken and has an oval grip. I love that thing. I think he payed around US$50-100 for it. Anyway, I think I'll skip the black one!
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