Wooden Katana: Facts, History and Where to Buy
What’s in this article?
Japanese martial arts focus on personal development and traditional values, while providing efficient self-defense skills. The wooden katana, also called the bokuto, became ideal for training because it is inexpensive, durable, and nonlethal compared to the real samurai
Here’s a guide to help you choose the best wooden katana for training and where to get them.
Difference Between Bokuto and Bokken
Generally, the bokken, meaning wooden blade, is the wooden
How to Choose the Best Training Sword ?
The quality of the wooden katana will determine its behavior during practice. Some factors to consider are the type of wood, size, length, weight,
Type of Wood
There are a variety of woods used for a wooden katana, but oak is the most popular. Outside Japan, red oak is preferred over white oak since it tends to warp less in Western climates. However, white oak makes a superior wooden practice
You can also find wooden katana made of ebony, an Asian relative of the persimmon. This dark hard wood also creates a high quality wood
Size and Length
In some martial arts, the training
Weight
A wooden katana reproduces the weight and balance of a steel blade. So, a training
Sword Construction
The wooden katana must be properly constructed for the wear and tear of practice. The bokken must be solid one-piece wood, similar to a full-tang blade of a samurai
Type of Practice
When choosing a training
Top 3 Wooden Katana Available Online
Whether you wish to practice on your own or you’re looking for a training
1. Best Premium: Katana Bokken
Are you looking for a practice
For a budget less than $40, you’ll already have a bokken katana for sparring, training, cosplay, and collection. Compared to a wood
2. Best Overall: Red Oak Bokken
If you’re looking for a wooden katana for martial arts training, you’ll never go wrong with this bokken. Red oak is one of the most durable types of wood that can withstand heavy blows without breaking. Its overall length is around 100 centimeters, and the wooden blade measures 73 centimeters. It might not be the most fashionable choice, but for a budget of less than $15, you’ll already have a wooden katana for sparring practice and martial arts.
3. Best on a Budget: Bokken Wooden Practice Katana
If you want to play the role of your favorite anime character, this wooden katana is perfect for you. For a budget less than $12, it already comes with a slide-on tsuba or handguard, habaki, and a nylon grip. The
The overall length is 100 centimeters, with the wooden blade around 73 centimeters long. It might not be the best wooden katana for contact drills, though it is a good choice for sparring practice. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to personalize the calligraphic characters and other accessories of the
Historical Facts about Wooden Katana
The bokken has a rich history, from samurai training to modern martial arts. Here are the things you need to know about the wooden katana or bokuto:
The use of bokken in martial arts training began in the Muromachi period.
After long years of civil wars, the ryu systems of teaching martial arts emerged. From 1336 to 1600, many practiced
In feudal Japan, wooden swords were made from biwa.
A wood resembling cypress, biwa is quite durable and heavy for a wooden katana, but a folk superstition makes it an unappealing material for the practice
The wooden
In Japanese history and folklore, swordsman Miyamoto Musashi defeated Sasaki Kojiro with a wooden
Kendo replaced the bokken with the shinai, a bamboo
By the 16th century, the bokken became the training weapon of over 900 ryu in Japan devoted to kenjutsu, the art of the
The shinai was a safer alternative to both real katana and wooden katana. It is made of four strips of bamboo bound together, equipped with a tsuba. Since the bamboo
The wooden katana or bokuto is just one type of bokken widely used today.
Japanese martial arts weapons include wooden swords in different blade lengths to replicate the daito or long
What Is Wooden Katana Used For?
Since it is too dangerous to use the Japanese samurai
Modern aikido students train with the bokken, especially when practicing falling and knee-walking techniques. Practitioners also use bokuto in the older iaido, the art of drawing the
The Japanese kendo still prefers shinai or bamboo swords for sparring and competitions, but recently, training in the kendo dojo requires the bokken. Many also utilize the wooden katana as a self-defense weapon, as well as in cosplay and collection.
Conclusion
The samurai used the katana