# Bokken

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A ***bokken*** ([木剣](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E6%9C%A8%E5%89%A3), *bok(u)*, 'wood', and *ken*, '(double-edged) sword') or ***bokutō*** ([木刀](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E6%9C%A8%E5%88%80), *boku*, 'wood', and *tō*, '(single-edged) sword') is a Japanese [wooden sword](/source/Waster) used for training in [kenjutsu](/source/Kenjutsu). It is usually the size and shape of a *[katana](/source/Katana)*, but is sometimes shaped like other swords, such as the *[wakizashi](/source/Wakizashi)* and *[tantō](/source/Tant%C5%8D)*. 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](/source/Quercus_acuta) or [white oak](/source/Quercus_myrsinifolia), although any hardwood can be used. In comparison, practice swords made of flexible, soft wood such as [bamboo](/source/Bamboo) are referred to as *[shinai](/source/Shinai)*.

## History

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](/source/Muromachi_Period) (1336–1600) for the training of [samurai](/source/Samurai) warriors in the various [ryū](/source/Ry%C5%AB_(school)) (schools of martial arts and swordsmanship) of the era.[1]

If a steel [katana](/source/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 involves [Miyamoto Musashi](/source/Miyamoto_Musashi), a [ronin](/source/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](/source/Sasaki_Kojir%C5%8D), in the early morning on [Ganryūjima](/source/Ganry%C5%ABjima), a tiny sandbar between Kyushu and Honshu. Musashi overslept the morning of the duel, and made his way to the duel late. He carved a *bokken* from an [oar](/source/Oar) with his knife while traveling on a boat to the duel.[3] At the duel, Sasaki was armed with his large *[nodachi](/source/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.[4] At the beginning of the 20th century, *bokken* manufacture started more formally, mainly in [Miyakonojō](/source/Miyakonoj%C5%8D), a city on Kyushu Island. The four remaining *bokken* workshops of Japan are located in Miyakonojō.[4]

Another notable spot where *bokken* were manufactured and sold as tourist souvenirs was [Aizuwakamatsu](/source/Aizuwakamatsu). The resulting *bokken* were frequently inscribed with the markings of the *[Byakkotai](/source/Byakkotai)*, a youth battalion that committed mass suicide nearby during the 1868 [Battle of Aizu](/source/Battle_of_Aizu). During the late [Showa era](/source/Sh%C5%8Dwa_(1926%E2%80%931989)) in the 1970s and 1980s, these suicides were romanticized as a bold and heroic act, and *bokken* marked with their emblem sold well.[5]

The "standard *bokken*", mostly used in [kendo](/source/Kendo), [iaido](/source/Iaido), and [aikido](/source/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.[6]

## Usage

The *bokken* is used as an inexpensive and relatively safe substitute for a real sword in several [martial arts](/source/Martial_arts) such as *[aikido](/source/Aikido)*, *[kendo](/source/Kendo)*, *[iaido](/source/Iaido)*, *[kenjutsu](/source/Kenjutsu)*, and *[jodo](/source/Jodo)*. Its simple wooden construction demands less care and maintenance than a katana. 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](/source/Kata), and to acclimate the student to the feel of a real sword. For sparring, a bamboo [shinai](/source/Shinai) is typically used instead, for obvious safety reasons.

In 2003, the [All Japan Kendo Federation](/source/All_Japan_Kendo_Federation) (AJKF) introduced a set of basic exercises using a *bokutō* called *Bokutō Ni Yoru Kendō Kihon-waza Keiko-hō*. This form of practice is intended primarily for kendo practitioners up to [Nidan](/source/Dan_(rank)#Ranks_in_Japanese) ranking, but can be beneficial for all kendo students.[7]

*[Suburitō](/source/Suburit%C5%8D)* (素振り刀) are *bokken* designed for use in *[suburi](/source/Suburi)*. *Suburi* (素振り), literally "bare swinging," are solo cutting exercises. Suburitō are thicker and heavier than normal *bokken* and users of suburitō must therefore develop both strength and technique. Their weight makes them unsuitable for paired practice and solo forms. [Miyamoto Musashi](/source/Miyamoto_Musashi)'s *bokken* made of an oar in his legendary duel with Sasaki Kojiro was presumably a suburitō-sized *bokken*.

As late as 2015, *bokken* were issued to the Los Angeles Police Mounted Unit for use as batons.[8][9]

## Types

*Bokken* can be made to represent any style of weapon required such as [nagamaki](/source/Nagamaki), [nodachi](/source/Nodachi), [yari](/source/Yari), [naginata](/source/Naginata), [kama](/source/Kama_(weapon)), etc. The most widely used styles are:

- *daitō* or *tachi* ([katana](/source/Katana)-sized), long sword
- *shōtō* or *kodachi* or *wakizashi bō* ([wakizashi](/source/Wakizashi)-sized), short sword
- *tantō bō* ([tantō](/source/Tant%C5%8D)-sized)
- *suburitō* can be made in *daitō* and *shōtō* sizes

Various [koryu](/source/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](/source/All_Japan_Kendo_Federation) specify the dimensions of *bokken* for use in the modern kendo kata, called *Nippon kendo kata*.[10]

- [Tachi](/source/Tachi): Total length, approx. 102 cm (40 in); *tsuka* (handle) approx. 24 cm (9.4 in).
- [Kodachi](/source/Kodachi): Total length, approx. 55 cm (22 in); *tsuka* (handle) approx. 14 cm (5.5 in).

*Bokken* are traditionally composed of [red oak](/source/Quercus_acuta) or [white oak](/source/Quercus_myrsinifolia). White oak varieties are slightly more expensive and prestigious. Other common tree varieties used included [ebony](/source/Ebony), [biwa](/source/Loquat), and [sunuke](/source/Distylium) in Japan, and [hickory](/source/Hickory), [persimmon](/source/Persimmon), [ironwood](/source/Ironwood), and [walnut](/source/Juglans) 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

- [Aiki-ken](/source/Aiki-ken)
- [Iaido](/source/Iaido)
- [Jō](/source/J%C5%8D)
- [Kendo](/source/Kendo) and [kenjutsu](/source/Kenjutsu)
- [Kinomichi](/source/Kinomichi)
- [Waster](/source/Waster)

## References

1. Lowry, Dave (1986). *Bokken: Art of the Japanese Sword*. Ohara Publications. p. 21–27. ISBN 978-0-89750-104-0.

1. Ratti, Oscar & Westbrook, Adele (1991). [*Secrets of the Samurai; A Survey of the Martial Arts of Feudal Japan*](https://books.google.com/books?id=Z9lmmkvQOpoC&q=samurai+bokken&pg=PA272). 1st pbk. ed. Rutland, Vt.: C.E. Tuttle Co. p. 272. ISBN 978-0-8048-1684-7.

1. Wilson, William Scott (2004). [*The Lone Samurai: The Life of Miyamoto Musashi*](https://books.google.com/books?id=0p0C7Y8lkH8C&q=musashi+came+late+and+unkempt&pg=PA18). 1st ed. Tokyo: Kodansha International. p. 19. ISBN 9784770029423.

1. Seido - Budo Equipment & Practice in Japan (2020-03-04). ["Handmade Bokken, Jo, Tanto, At the Aramaki workshop"](https://www.seidoshop.com/blogs/the-seido-blog/03-handmade-bokken-jo-tanto-aramaki-workshop). *Seido Shop*. Retrieved 2026-05-12.

1. ["修学旅行でよく見た「お土産の木刀」を全国へ広めた会社は今"](https://dailyportalz.jp/kiji/bokutou-omiyage-syugakuryokou). *デイリーポータルZ*. October 25, 2018. Retrieved May 5, 2020.

1. Seido - Budo Equipment & Practice in Japan (2017-10-05), ["\[Interview\] Aramaki Yasuo - Bokken Manufacture 3rd Generation Craftsman (Part 1/2)"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvbS_4p7Jy8), retrieved 2018-05-03

1. ["全日本剣道連盟オンライン・ショップ：剣道書籍"](https://zenkenren-shop.com/kendo/books/). Zenkenren-shop.com. Retrieved 2015-11-12.

1. ["LAPD Equipment - Los Angeles Police Department"](http://www.lapdonline.org/lapd_equipment). Lapdonline.org. Retrieved 2015-11-12.

1. Edwards, Holly (August 6, 2000). "Mounted Patrols Train for Handling Unrest at Convention". *[Los Angeles Daily News](/source/Los_Angeles_Daily_News)*. p. N3.

1. ["AJKF Online-shop : English version"](https://web.archive.org/web/20151104065749/http://zenkenren-shop.com/en/eigo/index.html#050106). Zenkenren-shop.com. Archived from [the original](http://zenkenren-shop.com/en/eigo/index.html#050106) on 2015-11-04. Retrieved 2015-11-12.

## External links

- [A discussion of different woods with regard to bokken design, focusing particularly on durability](http://www.aikiweb.com/weapons/goedkoop1.html)
- [Information about making or selecting a bokken](https://web.archive.org/web/20160406044337/http://www.uoguelph.ca/~kataylor/bokuto.htm)

([Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine) copy)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Bokken](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bokken) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bokken?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.