Looking for quality woden naginata....

[Jin]

I am looking for a good naginata for kumitachi nad kirikaish (sp?) We do lots of wood on wood contact and sparring so density and impact resistance are paramount. Something along the lines of a 6' shaft and between a 12-18" blade. Trying to stay $100 or under. I'm pretty sure hickory would be my first choice, unless someone knows of something stronger.

Any suggestions as where I could get one or have it made would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance for any and all replies.. ;-)~

Jin

[kenkyusha]

Jin,

Welcome to E-budo. Please note that it is forum policy to sign with your actual name. Here is a link you might try:
http://www.concentric.net/~bukico/dojoweb3.htm . Enjoy.

Be well,
Jigme

[Jin]

Sweet! and forgive me for forgetting, I have been here before, but its been a long time.

Some questions though...

Have you or or anyone else used their products...? Specificaly the wooden weapons. How do they stand up..?
Balance ?, weight ?

Thanks to all in advance

Brian

[Chad Bruttomesso]

You might try Kingfisher woodworks http://www.kingfisherwoodworks.com. Brad can make just about anything. I have a bokken that was made exactly to my specifications which I love. It is hickory and has taken a serious beating.

Good luck,

[Jin]

but I couldn't find any prices. I guess I could call and ask for a quote. Any one have an idea of how much a Kingfisher hickory naginata would cost..?

thanks for the replies

Brian

[Richard A Tolson]

Brian,
I also would like to find a good quality wooden naginata. Most I have seen at other dojo were pretty lame. One similar to that found in THE DEITY AND THE SWORD would be excellent. The closest I have found was one made by a friend of my mine, Mike McGee, who has a Yoshin-ryu dojo in Maryland. His is SWEEEEEET!

[Evan London]

I have a rokushakubo by Buki and I love it. It came needing some sanding bu the hickory is very strong and has survived some serious punishment.
Ev

[Jeff O]

Originally posted by Jin
Have you or or anyone else used their products ...? Specificaly the wooden weapons. How do they stand up..?
Balance ?, weight ?

Thanks to all in advance

Brian

Hi Brian,

I have a tachi, naginata & kamayari from the Buki Co, and am very pleased with them. We did outdoor training with these weapons over the summer, including some very hard striking, and they held up quite well. I do not know of of another company that can offer their workmanship for the price.

The blade of the kamayari and naginata from the buki company are made of some kind of polymer (similar to a plastic hockey stick). At first I was a bit reluctant because of this, but after using them for the last 4 months, they have definitely held up better than a wooden blade. The staff section is made of hickory, and I have had no problems with it either.

If you want to spend a little bit more, you could talk with Shannon at Bear Wood products (I don't have his URL, but you could do a search for it). He has made me some of the best wooden weapons at our dojo, including 3" diameter bo of purpleheart, bo staff of oak, and a bokken of Lignum Vitae & hickory. I am currently putting together demensions for a bisento that Shannon has excepted to try and make. His price is a bit more, but you get what you pay for.

Hope this helps!

[Dan Harden]

I don't know what all the fuss is about. I make all of my own weapons. Both steel and wood.

If you are familiar with woodworking tools, making a wooden training weapon is rather simple. Time consuming yes. But simple nonetheless. Getting the wood is fairly easy with a little research. Start with heartwood Hickory. It's cheaper and easy to work. Save the exotics till you get better. Take the time to find pieces that have a grain that curves with the shape you want. It saves steaming and bending. These pieces are out there. Hand pick them.
You can cut a pattern with a borrowed saber saw, band saw, or even a sawzall. Then use a Power plane or hand plane to shape it. You can also run it through a table saw to shape four 45 deg. cuts, then round them off. Try it and fail and try again. It beats watching T.V. In the end, you will feel better about it AND yourself .

I made an 8' naginata out of heartwood hickory right from the sawmill for $15.00 . It is a well balanced monster I have the "other side" of the piece left for making a Bokuto. It is absolutely stunning to see and even better to use.

Think of it like Budo. Stick with it and fail! You will get better.
Have faith in yourself
You may even wind up having people beg you to make them weapons. BELIEVE ME!!


Dan



[Edited by Dan Harden on 11-14-2000 at 03:59 PM]

[Jin]

these are all excellent replies and I would like to thank everybody in advance for their time.

I think I will do both..... I would like to make one but I will buy a Kingfisher first as an example. I want to keep the naginata made of one whole peice of wood, I think it looks better IMHO

Dan-san, do you know where I could get a 8' peice of heartwood hickory in the Sarasota/Bradenton area of southwest florida..? I really doubt that Scottys would carry anything that specific, but I will give them a call and check tomorrow. I don't know of any saw-mills around here so I doubt I would have any luck there....any suggestions..??

[Harold James]

JUin and Dan:

This is in Japanese but you might like the pictures

http://www.bonchi.gr.jp/bonchipia/bsn0103.htm

[Joseph Svinth]

For additional advice on selecting wood and making bokuto, see
http://ejmas.com/tin/tinart_taylor_1100.htm