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IronFan1
10th October 2002, 16:47
Does anyone know of a place where I can get a Tessen with all metal ribs?

Ed Spearline

Walker
10th October 2002, 17:38
The only ones with metal ribs I have ever seen were antiques. Is there a special reason why bamboo ribs are unsuitable?

IronFan1
10th October 2002, 19:43
No special reason. I just thought that all metal ribs would make the tessen stronger for practice. I want to study tessenjutsu at a nearby school and the instructor said they beat there tessen up in practice, so I wated something strong.

Ed Spearline

Marc Renouf
10th October 2002, 22:39
Training with an actual metal tessen is akin to training with a jutte - i.e. you're using the actual weapon in training. This requires more than a modicum of care. For most training purposes, a wooden one (not one of the cheap-o touristy ones, but a nice one) would more than suffice, and be much kinder to your training partner.

I've seen actual metal tessen (my instructor has one), but I don't know where he got it. I'll ask him and get back to you.

Walker
11th October 2002, 17:37
I wouldn’t underestimate the resilience of bamboo. Seems to me that any variety of tessen with steel parent ribs (outside) would fail due to paper rips before the bamboo ribs would go.

Also metal bends and takes a set while bamboo does not. One of the problems found in antiques are ribs that are difficult to close for this reason.

Paul Taylor
13th October 2002, 05:06
Some years ago when I was a Hung Gar student my Sifu used a bamboo fan with silk. He had no problem bringing me to my knees with it. He had been using it for years too.

Remember that Shinai are bamboo and you beat people all day long with them.

Metal is more resistant to damage, but it is also heavier and I think the bamboo would be the way I would go.

Last point. When I started training with weapons, I did not start with the "best" one. Start with the cheapest so you can learn what you want and can effectively use.

Have you asked the instuctor at that local school. He might not want you to use one or he would prob know where to get it.

Enfield
14th October 2002, 20:16
Originally posted by Paul Taylor
Remember that Shinai are bamboo and you beat people all day long with them.And they wear out in a year.

hakuda
15th October 2002, 15:29
Why not ask the instructor that you want to study with where he gets his tessen. If he has a class in a particular art surely he would have some way to obtain the materials/weapons he teaches.