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renfield_kuroda
13th May 2003, 15:40
Did a kumitachi seminar this weekend, and besides my thumb turning purple (a badly timed ukenagashi), my bokken got worked, which is no surprise since my partner was using a kokutan (hard blackwood? don't know what it's called in English) sword.
So today I found myself talking to crazyOldMan Sekiba over and Zennitto, and I ended up ordering a custom-made biwa bokken with saya. Cool thing is the tsuba and retaining ring slide on from the tsukagashira end, that way the whole blade fits in the saya and the tsuba doesn't work its way up during heavy swinging.
Supposedly biwa can take a kokutan beating, and it felt light enough for my taste.

Wondering what folks know/think about biwa vs. kokutan vs. akaki vs...whatever -- and I apologize now as I don't know the difference between cedar and pine let alone what biwa is in English. I'm a city boy; I don't do wood. :)

What kind of bokken y'all use, for what style? Anyone use bokken in saya? All our kumitachi start from a draw and end w/chiburi and noto, so a saya's pretty key, at least until I get a habiki.

Regards,
renfield kuroda

gendzwil
13th May 2003, 15:51
http://www.uoguelph.ca/~kataylor/bokuto.htm#WOOD%20SELECTION

Ellis Amdur
13th May 2003, 16:23
Biwa is "loquat," a wonderful fruit tree. My experience with it is that is is a beautiful, light, close grained wood, almost pink in color. Sadly, it dents very easily.

Kokutan is usually a kind of ebony, very heavy, but unlike Macassar ebony, it's rather brittle - it's hard, yes, but hit with impact, it breaks.

Best

Ellis Amdur
www.ellisamdur.com

Walker
13th May 2003, 17:03
I have to say that after Aiki Expo I regard Ellis as the expert on broken bokken. ;) My first thought was that you had that planned all along just to shake us all up. :)

In my experience a wood called Vera around here makes some of the toughest bokken, but it is heavy if that is a concern. All in all Japanese white oak might be your best bet if you take weight and density into account.

Ron Tisdale
13th May 2003, 17:09
I got a Macasscar ebony jo and jigen ryu bokken at the last Aiki Expo. I really like it (a little extra wieght does a body good). I don't use it in paired practise however. And I don't really do sword, just aiki-ken, anyway.

Isn't there a rumor (legend?) about the impact on people from the biwa bokken that claims its poisonous or something? I know it isn't true...just seem to remember hearing that somewhere.

Ellis...that demo was just too kool...not just the fact that you shattered that bokken, but the way you and your partner transitioned into the kodachi version of the kata. WOW.

Ron Tisdale

DCPan
13th May 2003, 17:45
Originally posted by Ron Tisdale

Isn't there a rumor (legend?) about the impact on people from the biwa bokken that claims its poisonous or something? I know it isn't true...just seem to remember hearing that somewhere.


Did you read that from Dave Lowry's book "Bokken"? In there, it was written that wounds inflicted by a Biwa Bokken doesn't heal.

I personally think Kokutan (ebony) bokuto is too hard, so the impact is hard on the joints.

I like Sunuke myself. The biwa fruit tastes great ;P

I don't like the bokuto with plastic saya because the rasping noise it makes drives my nuts!

:D

Scott Irey
13th May 2003, 19:04
My perosonal bokken-breaker is made of aka-kashi. Hard to find Japanese aka-kashi anymore but it is the same wood that was used in Naginata and yari when it could be found in appropriate lengths. I found mine in a junk store in Nagoya for 1000 yen back in 87' Unfrotunately a lot of the aka-kashi bokken sold today are made of Chinese aka-kashi (red oak) and it is not really the same wood as Japanese aka-kashi. I believe I read in a post from James Williams some time ago that it is no longer legal to harvest Japanese Aka-kashi as it is endangered.

poryu
13th May 2003, 19:45
Hi

heres a great place for bokken

www.bokkenshop.com

maye ordered one and it took only 3 days to get to the UK.

My bokken is from Japan. Not sure on the style but its white oak. Also a nice and wide bokken. I have actually brokken those nasty ones you buy in the shops with a single blow.

You sure get attached to your bokken. Mine got lost in Feb on route to Sloevnia, ended up somewhere in cechslovakia (sp). I was so pleased when I got it back.

Joshua Lerner
14th May 2003, 00:15
Slightly off-topic, so I apologize.

About 12 years ago, I bought a suburito in a small shop on a mountain about an hour's train ride from Iwama, which is in Ibaraki-ken. I want to say it was on Atago-san, which is in Chiba-ken, but I don't remember. Anyway, they had weapons from many different schools, and the one I bought was one that they called a Katori Shinto-ryu suburito. Cool, I thought.

But as I read more about TSKSR, I began to doubt that they would use suburito, which I usually associate with single-cut practice and not with paired practice. Does anyone know if they use a suburito, or if I fell prey to a marketing gimmick?

renfield_kuroda
14th May 2003, 01:00
Thanks for all the replies. Weight/balance are pretty important, which is why I passed on the kokutan and akashi bokken. Biwa felt nice, we'll see how it stands up my standard beating!

Regards,
renfield kuroda

DCPan
14th May 2003, 01:05
Originally posted by renfield_kuroda
Thanks for all the replies. Weight/balance are pretty important, which is why I passed on the kokutan and akashi bokken. Biwa felt nice, we'll see how it stands up my standard beating!

Regards,
renfield kuroda

The aka-kashi bokuto for kashima-shinto ryu is fairly nice...it is actually nicer than the shiro-kashi kashima-shinryu in terms of wood quality...the aka-kashi actually had a tighter grain than the shiro-kashi...perhaps this is the kind of aka-kashi that Scott is referring to?

:D

Soulend
14th May 2003, 11:59
Could you give me information about how I could obtain a bokken of biwa? I asked here a long time ago and no one knew of anywhere.

Thanks in advance,

fifthchamber
14th May 2003, 14:54
Hello David!
Good to see you still have the 'important' things in life firmly in focus! I hope that all is well with you and the family? (Please thank yor wife for passing your message on to me also!).
Mr Richardson named one of the best online sites for Japanese Bokuto at Bokkenshop.com.... The Biwa Bokuto you asked about is here:
http://bokkenshop.com/eng/136.html
...They have a few choices for costs also..The one above is the best, so a search will get the one best suited for you..And they are extremely good as far as service and help goes too...Worth keeping the address IMHO...I liked the look of the Naginata they offer there too...Some day!;)
Regards.

gendzwil
14th May 2003, 15:54
That's a very expensive source. That bokken works out to $US228 and you still have to worry about shipping (from Japan I presume as the price is in yen). Try here:
http://www.bogubag.com/Swords/Bokutoh/bokutoh.html

Robert's got biwa (loquat) bokken for $62.

fifthchamber
14th May 2003, 16:19
Hi Neil,
As you say, the site certainly ain't cheap! I would guess (Hope!)that the costs there are for the Tsuba or something like that, and note that the ones listed at Bogubag are also fairly expensive with the wooden Tsuba added. Perhaps the Bokkenshop ones are intended wholly as display pieces?....However, as I had not found that source (Bogubag.com) yet in my travels I appreciate the 'heads up' on it....Thanks!
Regards.

DCPan
14th May 2003, 17:14
Hi,

I never did understand the need for "wooden tsuba" or even MORE SO "wooden tsubadome".

Not only are they VERY expensive to make and put on, they don't serve as well as cowhide leather tsuba and RUBBER tsubadome.

The same biwa bokken WITHOUT wooden tsuba and wooden tsubadome cost significantly less...no matter where you get it....

http://bokkenshop.com/eng/158.html

But still, I think www.bogubag.com wins on price either way.

:D

gendzwil
14th May 2003, 21:05
Originally posted by fifthchamber
However, as I had not found that source (Bogubag.com) yet in my travels I appreciate the 'heads up' on it....Thanks!

Stroud-sensei is the North American rep for Koei Budogu, one of the better known and respected budogu companies that sells internationally. I believe he also deals with other suppliers. He has access to a ton of stuff, so even if it's not on his website you can check with him to see if he can get it. As you've already noted, his prices are pretty good.

renfield_kuroda
15th May 2003, 01:00
I don't know the exact supplier -- I get my wooden weapons from CrazyOldMan Sekiba at Zennitto in Tokyo. He orders them from a place in Kyushu that makes them to order.
Don't know what prices are like in the states, but I'm paying about $200 for a biwa bokken with saya, tsuba, and tsubadome (not wooden tsuba and tsubadome.)
As I said before it's a slightly different bokken because the tsuba and tsubadome slide on from the tsukagashira, not the kissaki. That way the bokken fits fully into the saya, and the tsuba doesn't work it's way up the blade as you swing it.

I was under the impression that bokken were made and sold in the US readily...guess they're mostly imported from Japan?

Regards,
renfield kuroda

Earl Hartman
15th May 2003, 01:15
Leaving one's preferences in wood aside for a moment, I have been told that when practicing with a partner where hard impact to the bokken will occur, the most important thing is that you both use bokken made out of the same type of wood, or, at least, wood with compatible characteristics. If one bokken is harder or more brittle than the other, damage to one bokken or the other (and danger to the people practicing) is almost unavoidable.

Scott Irey
15th May 2003, 02:12
Very good point Earl. But it kind of takes the fun out of it for those of us that sneak in the super hard, super dense boken, hoping to break the other guys boken. ;)

Diane Mirro
15th May 2003, 02:50
Well then, have I got a deal for you! To the highest bidder, I am offering one tall loquat tree. This baby will provide all the bokken you could ever use in a lifetime. You see, loquat is a fairly common tree in San Antonio--so common that the fruit (quite tasty) usually ends up rotting on the branch.

Oh, yeah, there's just one little catch--the tree I am offering for sale is in the back corner of my next-door neighbor's yard, so you will have to be VERY SNEAKY when you cut it down...

DCPan
15th May 2003, 06:01
Originally posted by renfield_kuroda
I don't know the exact supplier -- I get my wooden weapons from CrazyOldMan Sekiba at Zennitto in Tokyo. He orders them from a place in Kyushu that makes them to order.


Isn't that the birth place of Sunuke, kyushu?

My FAVORITE bokuto brand has stamped on the tsuka gashira a eight-sided petal with the cross (kanji character ten) inside. I don't know the name of the brand though.


Originally posted by renfield_kuroda

Don't know what prices are like in the states, but I'm paying about $200 for a biwa bokken with saya, tsuba, and tsubadome (not wooden tsuba and tsubadome.)


Hmm...sounds a little high, unless the saya is wood as well.


Originally posted by renfield_kuroda

As I said before it's a slightly different bokken because the tsuba and tsubadome slide on from the tsukagashira, not the kissaki.

I wouldn't get too excited about that.

I got a saya bokuto back in 1996, sunuke, plastic tsuba and saya, rubber tsubadome, tsuba slide from from gashira side like you say.

Problem with that is the sword is more tip-side heavy because the profile of the gashira is NECESSARILY thinner than the blade side.

Since I didn't have a kumitachi partner then, and the rasping of the plastic saya drove me nuts, I sold it off to someone.

I remember paying about US$120 for it.

Sunuke and Loquat prices are similar, so unless you are paying for a wooden saya, the price sounds high...then again, that WAS 1996, prices may be slightly higher now.

I regret parting with it now because I would like to practice some kata with a saya bokuto and a partner... :D


Originally posted by renfield_kuroda

I was under the impression that bokken were made and sold in the US readily...guess they're mostly imported from Japan?


Well, the low-end is mainly from China now.

The made in USA stuff mainly caters to the aiki-folks from what I can tell.

If you want a bokuto-breaker, try www.kingfisher.com

Nothing like Dymondwood (16 layer per inch resin-impregnated plywood) to make your partner's bokuto go bye bye :D

Honestly, that stuff is tougher on your joints than your partner's bokuto! :D

renfield_kuroda
15th May 2003, 06:23
$120 in 1996 = about $200 now sounds about right, all things considered.

Key is I need the saya because all of our kumitachi start with a cut from the draw and end with noto.

Don't mind a slightly tip-heavy bokken as the overall weight is lighter than a shinken...anyway the biwa felt really good so we'll see.


My FAVORITE bokuto brand has stamped on the tsuka gashira a eight-sided petal with the cross (kanji character ten) inside. I don't know the name of the brand though.

Hmm...not sure but I'll keep my eyes open.

Regards,
renfield kuroda

fifthchamber
15th May 2003, 14:21
Hi all...

"My FAVORITE bokuto brand has stamped on the tsuka gashira a eight-sided petal with the cross (kanji character ten) inside. I don't know the name of the brand though."

...I would also like to get the name of the company that uses this logo..I bought a Shoto Bokuto from Mugendo.com and it was made by that company...A very good tool, Shirokashi so not an amazing display piece but actually a very nice weapon.
There was no further clue as to the 'brand' with it so I don't have a clue who they are..But their weapons are very well made.
Regards.

pgsmith
15th May 2003, 16:17
Originally posted by Diane Mirro
Well then, have I got a deal for you! To the highest bidder, I am offering one tall loquat tree. This baby will provide all the bokken you could ever use in a lifetime. You see, loquat is a fairly common tree in San Antonio--so common that the fruit (quite tasty) usually ends up rotting on the branch.

Oh, yeah, there's just one little catch--the tree I am offering for sale is in the back corner of my next-door neighbor's yard, so you will have to be VERY SNEAKY when you cut it down...

OK Diane,
I'll be bringing my chain saw with me to San Antonio! I'll also bring my ninja costume so no one will see me! :D Does anyone sell chain saw silencers? ...

Cheers,

Aiki-Kohai
15th May 2003, 16:47
Here's something I came across that someone here might be interested in.

http://smaa.techwood.net/sword.htm

I pursonally use a white oak bokken I got from Kyota Co. for Jodo.....they have good stuff.


John

D. Kiechle
17th July 2004, 20:45
"My FAVORITE bokuto brand has stamped on the tsuka gashira a eight-sided petal with the cross (kanji character ten) inside. I don't know the name of the brand though."

I actually purchased a bokken made of white oak (made in Tokyo) in a small shop near Basel, Switzerland with exactly that symbol on it. Was made by Iwata. Is this the maker you were thinking of.
Either way, the balance and feel is fantastic on it.

Soulend
17th July 2004, 21:35
I have a shiro-kashi bokuto from Mugendobudogu that has this symbol as well. It's very nice - the balance, grain, and execution of the lines (shinogi, kissaki) are fantastic.

Kendoguy9
18th July 2004, 15:14
Hello all,

The best bokuto I have ever seen is the SMR one I got from Kaminoda sensei when he did a gasshuku here in Maryland. As I understand it it is some sort of Japanese white oak. I have used it for a lot of hard contact and it still doesn't have any dents.

One young lady in our dojo bought a bokuto from Bear Woods that was supposed to be super tough and undentable (is that a real word?). It was some sort of redish wood I think. She went around denting up everyones bokuto in the dojo to prove how tough it was. I brought out mine, held it tight and let her swing away at it as hard as she wanted. My sword was still dent free and hers had a nice big dent in it! She went back to Bear Woods and traded it for another bokuto.

The only real trouble with this bokuto is that it warps a little. Oh well, I use a much larger bokuto now anyway.

peace,
Chris Covington

jezah81
19th July 2004, 04:20
Hey,
I started out using a Japanese white oak bokken, they are strong, but, i have bashed it against other hardwood bokkens, no dents, nothing. So im happy with it. The only thing with Japanese white oak is that it tends to get brittle after having it for a few years. Unless you use some wood preservation ointments.
Kind Regards,

chrismoses
19th July 2004, 15:31
I just had to retire my shiro-kashi bokken a few months ago. It's held up great for a long time but Saotome's Kumitachi have done it in. I've had it for so long I didn't want to use it until it shattered, so I glued down all of the cracks on the edge, gave it a nice sanding oiled it. Then hung it up on the ol' sword rack.

The happy part of this story is that I replaced it with a beautiful bokken from Tozando's Bokkenshop.com. Tetsuboku (ironwood) deluxe bokken. So far it's the only wood that I've immediately liked better than shiro kashi. Nice and dense and feels much more sword-like than other woods I've used (particularly hickory which just feels dead to me). It's hard to see, but I think it has the same engraved symbol on the tsuka that some others have mentioned. Wonder who actually makes these things?

Chidokan
19th July 2004, 22:38
Why dont you make your own? Its easy! Any length, thickness, wood type you like and it takes about an hour to get a rough one done. Bit of work with a spokeshave and a plane to polish it off. It's cheap, so if it breaks, so what? None of the ones I've done so far have broken, and they get bashed at by beginners using white oak bokken. One thing I always do is change the tsuka length, I always find the japanese ones are a little short for my hands....

Ken-Hawaii
20th July 2004, 08:34
Hey, Christian, tetsuboku appears to be common ironwood. I know for a fact that ironwood grows here in Hawaii, & in Arizona & Wyoming because I use it frequently for perches for my macaws - just about the only wood that lasts more than a week with the little buzzards.... I'd be surprised if you couldn't find some out your way, too.

I've made practice knives from ironwood branches, but never thought of how appropriate it is for bokken. I'm not sure a spokeshave would touch that wood, however, but I'm heading out to the beach to pick up a few large branches next weekend to see. There's always the power-tool route.

Chikodan, have you tried using a lathe to do any rough shaping of your hand-made bokken? I'll admit to not being particularly proficient with a spokeshave, although they're used in Hawaii to build voyaging canoes. On something that big, I've done okay, but wonder if I'll be able to maintain a smooth curve on bokken.

Ken

Brian Owens
20th July 2004, 11:05
Originally posted by Ken-Hawaii
...Chikodan, have you tried using a lathe to do any rough shaping of your hand-made bokken?...
A regular lathe wouldn't work on a traditional bokken because of the curvature.

There is a type of lathe used for making rifle stocks and such -- called a Hickman Lathe, I believe -- that is sort of like a giant version of a key cutting machine: The stock is semi-stationary and the blade moves.

For making a bokken I think a band saw and a router/shaper would be more useful among the big power tools.

Jason W
20th July 2004, 15:36
Hi all,

I love discussions about woods for swords...:-)

I recently ordered several white oak and a ironwood bokken from www.bokkenshop.com

I was really looking forward to the tetsuboku, or ironwood bokken, as it was advertised as being 1kg in weight, and a "hard durable wood"

However upon receiving it, I found it to be lighter and not as dense as the white oak bokken. I just banged the two together and the tetsuboku one dented, not the white oak. Big disappointment - espcially since the tetsuboku was almost 3 times the price of the white oak. Anyway, Bokkenshop has agreed to take it back.

I am most impressed with the white oak bokken from Bokkenshop. They are solid, fairly heavy - I asked them for heavier ones in the Iwama ryu pattern, I think the heaviest is about 750g. THey look nice, feel nice, and take a pounding, as well as dish it out.

cheers,

Jason W
20th July 2004, 15:42
I believe the type of lathe you need is called a "spindle lathe" It has a moving blade, with a connection to a stylus that moves over a model of the shape you wish to cut. The model sits in an apparatus that allows you to move the style around.

I think this is the same type of machine that cuts axe and hammer handles etc. Not cheap.

I made several bokken by hand, using a jack plane and a surform. A days work per bokken, but a decent piece can be got.


cheers,

Ken-Hawaii
20th July 2004, 20:51
Thanks to Brian & Jason for good ideas on creating a bokken. I have loads of power tools as Linda & I turn wood bowls as a hobby, but something about building my own weapon by hand appeals to me.

With ironwood, I will likely give in & use at least my bandsaw to roughly shape the wood. What grows out here is about 3X as dense as any other wood I've ever worked with, so I have a question about overall bokken weight.

My standard bokken is 1.0 meter long, & weighs in at about 530 grams with tsuba. I just wandered outside & picked up a 0.61 meter ironwood branch that weighs in at 1275 grams (4.75 cm diameter). Should I hollow out any bokken that I make? Or just put up with strained forearms? Even with a hi, that puppy is going to weigh close to 2 kg!

Suggestions? In the meantime, my ironwood branch looks just the right size & curved shape to make a shoto. I'll report on my progress.

Ken

Chidokan
20th July 2004, 21:39
That spindle lathe sounds good but I have no room for it in the back unfortunately. I just do a general shape with a saw, and use a router for the two 45 degree angles on the top, and a round chamfer cutter for the bottom, tilted so that I can get a triangular profile similar to a 'proper' sword without having a sharp edge that will splinter. Then just use a plane and spokeshave. I got a convex one which helps do the curves and gives a better finish than just a straight blade.
I have seen iaido bokken with bohi but notice these tend to splinter at the sharp edges at the slightest hint of contact with anything, including saya. That should lighten it, but I would try smoothing off the edges...
Anyone tried African blackwood? It has a black centre and a white outer which blends in a wavy line. Hard to work though...just done one in ash for an iaito bokken, looks nice but wont use it for contact work. Now trying out one in African walnut, and just on with one in French walnut....should be pretty to look at if nothing else!:D Thinking of one in birdseye maple for iaido, that should raise a few eyebrows!

Ken-Hawaii
20th July 2004, 21:58
Quick question, Chikodan.

Is a convex spokeshave more effective than a convex draw-knife? Not sure which to buy (or both).

Ken

Federico Calboli
21st July 2004, 13:54
About bokken making, in my experience a FLAT spokeshave works best (YMMV). Uh, and take your time, especially if you have troubles getting suitable pieces of wood.

The Iaido Journal at Ejmas has a nice howto by Kim Taylor (sorry I cannot post the link now as the server seems "troubled").

HTH,

Federico Calboli

Ken-Hawaii
21st July 2004, 19:57
One nice thing about Hawaii, Federico, is that there is no shortage of wood. Everything grows like crazy out here.

There are entire forests of ironwood, including one at a very popular local beach. I just have to look for fallen branches, as I don't choose to carry my saw 20 feet up a tree!:rolleyes:

Thanks for your feedback on the spokeshave, & I would appreciate the Ejmas link when the server cooperates.

Ken

Federico Calboli
21st July 2004, 20:51
The link is:

http://ejmas.com/tin/tinframe.htm

but you still need to go to Vol 1(2000) by hand. It's the first article chronologically, i.e. the one at the bottom. Concerning dead wood, in my experience it is not as good as wood chosen and cut for the purpose. Never found a piece of wood "dead on the ground" without many faults. It's not dead on the ground by chance, is it?

Cheers,

Federico Calboli

Ken-Hawaii
21st July 2004, 21:13
Thanks for the link. You're right that their server is kinda' flaky, as it's timed out consistently.

Actually, yes, the branch IS dead on the ground, Federico. But ironwood is so tough & hard that there's nothing that can or will touch it.

The branch I grabbed to make my shoto has been sitting in an old tub for at least the past 10 years, & it's absolutely flawless, without cracks or even mold. As I mentioned, I have macaws that can chew on a 1-inch perch for a year before they can destroy it (a pine 2X4 lasts a day or 3).

Anyway, this branch happens to have the exact same curve as my bokken, so I thought I would use it as my prototype. I don't expect to make anything pretty on my first attempt....:p

I do agree, by the way, that finding & cutting a live ironwood branch would be better, Federico, but as the branches don't start until 20 feet up, I feel that discretion is truly the better part of valor in this case!

Ken

Chidokan
21st July 2004, 22:08
I found the convex spokeshave saved a little time compared to the flat version and I got a nicer finish on the curved edges...could be just me though...

Ken-Hawaii
21st July 2004, 22:48
I just purchased two Surforms on eBay, which should work well for the longer surfaces.

All of the eBay spokeshaves appear to be for antique collectors, so I may actually have to rouse myself from my desk & wander downtown to Sears or Home Depot -- horrors!!

That article that Federico listed gives a load of good ideas. I printed it out for reference. My wife is the woodworker, while I'm the welding & glass guy, but she just chuckled when I told her about my ironwood shoto project.... Guess I'm on my own.:rolleyes:

Ken

Jason W
22nd July 2004, 00:18
>I just purchased two Surforms on eBay,

?!?!?!?!? (?) Its amazing what people will try and sell on the internet these days to make money. Ken are you sure this was a good idea? Surforms are a little plastic handle and are like only 20 bucks from a hardware store, and the replaceable blades need changing every few bokken you make. The blades are 8 bucks as well...

Ken-Hawaii
22nd July 2004, 01:37
I have an old Surform that I've used dozens of times over the past 20 years, Jason, & it's done yeoman's duty on everything from wood to plastic. But it's only 6 inches long, & I wanted something else to handle the longer reaches of bokken & shoto.

And I paid a whole $8 for two of them, plus a spare blade.... :D

Ken

Jason W
22nd July 2004, 02:24
well, when you put it like that...sounds pretty good.

Ken-Hawaii
22nd July 2004, 02:34
Hey, I don't know which will be the most effective tool(s), Jason, as I'm really not very knowledgeable about woodworking. But I'm a pretty quick study in what doesn't work -- after I make the mistakes, of course....:rolleyes:

That's why I'll be using those Surforms, along with spokeshaves, draw knives, & probably even my well-used Dremel as I figure out what works.

Getting there is half the fun, as long as I keep enough bandages around!!:D

Ken

Mekugi
22nd July 2004, 03:28
There is a biwa tree one out in front of my apartment that I raid when it's fruiting. (Note: it's a "wild" biwa, meaning that it is not owened by anyone as it is growing in a vacant lot). I have experience climbing, pruning and knowing where the best biwa are on that tree and I am very familiar with that wood. The "biwa not healing" thing is a little off, I suppose if you had a bokuto that was still sappy and you had a little scratch from it, the infection from the sap would take longer- however that would be true of any dirty wound you didn't clean out or take care of. I have been scratched to high-hell from that tree in search of biwa fruit and have never had a problem with healing. I did have a problem with keeping the 25 pounds of Biwa fruit that I made into preserves from being gobbled up in less that a week (astonishing my wife's family- I guess canning and preserves are an old American/Oregon thing??)
Ellis is 100% correct, I would not have a bokuto made out of Biwa that I was going to impact. It is a pretty wood and if you are not going to be clashing it, biwa would be a fabulous choice for a bokuto. It seems that the wood will grow richer and darker over time, adding luster. I cut and dried a branch at the beginning of summer that I am now sanding it to make into a walking stick. The wood is simply lovely and I am sure that after I get done coating it with boiled linseed and turpentine I will be the envy of the trails.

Brian Owens
22nd July 2004, 10:02
Originally posted by Mekugi
...The "biwa not healing" thing is a little off...I suppose if you had a bokuto that was still sappy and you had a little scratch from it, the infection from the sap would take longer- however that would be true of any dirty wound you didn't clean out or take care of....
Superstitions and "old wives' tales" are rarely based on logic or facts.

"Wounds from biwa strikes not healing" is actually not as far fetched as fox possession, swords that defend their owners of their own accord, tengu teaching swordsmanship, etc., and there are or were many who believed in those.

Mekugi
22nd July 2004, 15:10
Word Brian.

SeventhSentinel
27th July 2004, 02:30
I'm surprised no one has mentioned Ipe wood. I have this bokken and have 0 complaints

http://www.bujindesign.com/weapons_ipe.html#ipe_bokken

I found that this wood accurately mirrors the weight of my iaito with a little difference in the balance which is to be expected. It has this great smell to it that is always present and has not a single dent on it (everyone else uses oak in my dojo). It is rather expensive but less than the dymondwood and i am perfectly happy with it.

oh and the picture sux as far as the color goes, its a sort of golden color.