{{short description|Japanese wooden sword used for training}} {{Italic title|reason=:Category:Japanese words and phrases}} thumb|150px|Various types of ''bokken'' A '''''bokken''''' ({{lang|ja|木剣}}, {{Transliteration|ja|bok(u)}}, 'wood', and ''ken'', '(double-edged) sword') or '''''bokutō''''' ({{lang|ja|木刀}}, {{Transliteration|ja|boku}}, 'wood', and ''tō'', '(single-edged) sword') 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 ''tantō''. 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== 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 ryū (schools of martial arts and swordsmanship) of the era.<ref name="lowry">{{cite book |last=Lowry |first=Dave |author-link=Dave Lowry (martial arts) |date=1986 |title=Bokken: Art of the Japanese Sword |publisher=Ohara Publications |page=21–27 |isbn=978-0-89750-104-0}}</ref>
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.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Ratti|first1=Oscar|last2=Westbrook|first2=Adele|title=Secrets of the Samurai; A Survey of the Martial Arts of Feudal Japan|date=1991|publisher=C.E. Tuttle Co.|location=Rutland, Vt.|isbn=978-0-8048-1684-7|page=272|edition=1st pbk.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z9lmmkvQOpoC&q=samurai+bokken&pg=PA272}}</ref>
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, 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, in the early morning on Ganryūjima, 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 with his knife while traveling on a boat to the duel.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Wilson|first1=William Scott|title=The Lone Samurai: The Life of Miyamoto Musashi|date=2004|publisher=Kodansha International|location=Tokyo|isbn=9784770029423|page=19|edition=1st|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0p0C7Y8lkH8C&q=musashi+came+late+and+unkempt&pg=PA18}}</ref> 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.<ref name="lowry" />
Before the Meiji era, ''bokken'' were very likely manufactured by woodworkers not specialized in ''bokken'' manufacture.<ref name="SeidoMiyakonojo">{{cite web |last=Seido - Budo Equipment & Practice in Japan |title=Handmade Bokken, Jo, Tanto, At the Aramaki workshop |url=https://www.seidoshop.com/blogs/the-seido-blog/03-handmade-bokken-jo-tanto-aramaki-workshop |access-date=2026-05-12 |website=Seido Shop |date=2020-03-04}}</ref> At the beginning of the 20th century, ''bokken'' manufacture started more formally, mainly in Miyakonojō, a city on Kyushu Island. The four remaining ''bokken'' workshops of Japan are located in Miyakonojō.<ref name="SeidoMiyakonojo" />
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 1868 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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dailyportalz.jp/kiji/bokutou-omiyage-syugakuryokou|title=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|website=デイリーポータルZ|date=October 25, 2018|accessdate=May 5, 2020}}</ref>
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.<ref>{{Citation|last=Seido - Budo Equipment & Practice in Japan|title=[Interview] Aramaki Yasuo - Bokken Manufacture 3rd Generation Craftsman (Part 1/2)|date=2017-10-05|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvbS_4p7Jy8|access-date=2018-05-03}}</ref>
==Usage== thumb|Various styles of ''bokken'' 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. 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 ''bokutō'' called ''Bokutō Ni Yoru Kendō Kihon-waza Keiko-hō''. This form of practice is intended primarily for kendo practitioners up to Nidan ranking, but can be beneficial for all kendo students.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://zenkenren-shop.com/kendo/books/|title=全日本剣道連盟オンライン・ショップ：剣道書籍|publisher=Zenkenren-shop.com|access-date=2015-11-12}}</ref>
''Suburitō'' (素振り刀) are ''bokken'' designed for use in ''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'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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lapdonline.org/lapd_equipment |title=LAPD Equipment - Los Angeles Police Department |publisher=Lapdonline.org |access-date=2015-11-12}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Edwards|first=Holly|title=Mounted Patrols Train for Handling Unrest at Convention|page=N3|newspaper=Los Angeles Daily News|date=August 6, 2000}}</ref><!-- April 8, 2011 - The August 6, 2000 Daily News cite is only for that the bokken were issued. It does not confirm that they are for use as batons. The Daily News article itself only has "The officers are also trained to use a bokken, a long wooden sword used only by mounted police." The LAPD's Mounted Unit is currently overseen by Captain Incontro (see http://www.lapdonline.org/metropolitan_division). I contacted him via e-mail and asked if the Wikipedia article claim "Bokken are currently issued to the Los Angeles Police Mounted Unit for use as batons" was true. He replied back with "We do use the bokken." -->
==Types== ''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:
* ''daitō'' or ''tachi'' (katana-sized), long sword * ''shōtō'' or ''kodachi'' or ''wakizashi bō'' (wakizashi-sized), short sword * ''tantō bō'' (tantō-sized) * ''suburitō'' can be made in ''daitō'' and ''shōtō'' sizes
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''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://zenkenren-shop.com/en/eigo/index.html#050106 |title=AJKF Online-shop : English version |publisher=Zenkenren-shop.com |access-date=2015-11-12 |archive-date=2015-11-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151104065749/http://zenkenren-shop.com/en/eigo/index.html#050106 |url-status=dead }}</ref> *Tachi: Total length, approx. {{convert|102|cm|abbr=on}}; ''tsuka'' (handle) approx. {{convert|24|cm|abbr=on}}. *Kodachi: Total length, approx. {{convert|55|cm|abbr=on}}; ''tsuka'' (handle) approx. {{convert|14|cm|abbr=on}}.
''Bokken'' are traditionally composed of red oak or white oak. White oak varieties are 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.<ref name="lowry" />
==See also== * Aiki-ken * Iaido * Jō * Kendo and kenjutsu * Kinomichi * Waster
== References == {{reflist}}
==External links== {{Commons category|Bokken (bokuto)}} * [http://www.aikiweb.com/weapons/goedkoop1.html A discussion of different woods with regard to bokken design, focusing particularly on durability] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160406044337/http://www.uoguelph.ca/~kataylor/bokuto.htm Information about making or selecting a bokken] (Wayback Machine copy)
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Category:Samurai weapons and equipment Category:Practice swords of Japan