Bokken=Katana??

[Aruden]

Hi all,

I have this silly question but still unanswered. Is the bokken the training tool for the use of the katana or are they 2 separate weapons. I got this friend who purchased a katana and plays with it in his backyard, it looks neat, so I guessed I could buy a bokken and have fun with it two. I'm very interested in the katana (dunno the name of the art of the katana).
What are your opinions about that?
Thanks

 

[OnlyAnEgg]

I believe the bokken is a training tool for swordsmanship. It's also a good gudgel, for that matter; hence, it is, itself, a weapon.

Japanese sword arts, I also believe, is referred to as Iado.

 

[Cryozombie]

Hi all,

I have this silly question but still unanswered. Is the bokken the training tool for the use of the katana or are they 2 separate weapons. I got this friend who purchased a katana and plays with it in his backyard, it looks neat, so I guessed I could buy a bokken and have fun with it two. I'm very interested in the katana (dunno the name of the art of the katana).
What are your opinions about that?
Thanks

Better you play with a bokken than a katana, unless you enjoy losing body parts.

 

[Gemini]

In HDGD, a Korean sword art, the bokken is the training weapon used before picking up an actual live blade. As for a katana, there are several Japanese sword arts that practice with them. No one plays with them. They're weapons, not toys. Even an inexpensive wall hanger can be most dangerous in casual or careless hands. Please tell your friend to be careful.

 

[tshadowchaser]

The bokken is a training tool that is also a very good weapon

 

[arnisador]

I have seen 'bokkendo' taught as a separate art, but to my mind it's a training weapon for the katana.

 

[Aruden]

Thanks for the answer guys. Well when I say he plays with it, in fact he took Iaido (??) or the Japanese weapon based system-classes and now he's doing kata in his backyard. His katana isn't sharpened though i think there is still a reason to be extra careful.
So the bokken is a good practicing weapon. I did my reasearch and I found out it was being used in aikido, but it didn't looked like the fancy kata or movements you can see for example in Ninjutsu. Of course the katana when used and trained is: one strike at a time,like Kendo I guess. I'm not so much for japanese philosophy, so i don't want to take Iaido or Kendo classes, so I guess I'll stay with my bokken and train with my friend.

 

[Korppi76]

Some Traditional japanese arts has kenjutsu as part of their training.
Example in one art they start with bokken to train basics of swords, then they train with Iaito (not sharp training sword, maybe like the one your friend has) and later they move to sharp katanas.
Then again other traditional arts trains mostly with wooden weapons.

In aikido there are few pair drills (?practises) and few katas. Of course this depends about teacher.

Iaido is art of concerned with drawing the blade and cutting in the same motion.

And ofcourse legends says that Musashi used bokkens because he was so good that he didnt need real katanas.

 

[Charles Mahan]

I'm not so much for japanese philosophy, so i don't want to take Iaido or Kendo classes, so I guess I'll stay with my bokken and train with my friend.

What kind of "Japanese Philosphy" do you expect to find in an Iaido or Kendo class?

 

[DavidCC]

There is also shenkendo.

 

[Swordlady]

Thanks for the answer guys. Well when I say he plays with it, in fact he took Iaido (??) or the Japanese weapon based system-classes and now he's doing kata in his backyard. His katana isn't sharpened though i think there is still a reason to be extra careful.

What style of Iaido did he take (there are several)? I'm guessing that your friend is using an iaito (an unsharpened practice sword, typically with an alloy blade). And yes, you can still hurt yourself with an unsharpened sword - if you're not careful.

So the bokken is a good practicing weapon. I did my reasearch and I found out it was being used in aikido, but it didn't looked like the fancy kata or movements you can see for example in Ninjutsu.

Ninjutsu? Like Bujinkan? You need to be more specific; there are not many legitimate ninjutsu schools in existence.

Aikido mainly uses the bokken for paired drills, but it isn't a swordsmanship art, per say. Japanese koryu (i.e., the traditional fighting systems) have a lot of emphasis in the sword arts.

Of course the katana when used and trained is: one strike at a time,like Kendo I guess.

Kendo isn't really Japanese swordsmanship. It's more like sport fencing.

I'm not so much for japanese philosophy, so i don't want to take Iaido or Kendo classes, so I guess I'll stay with my bokken and train with my friend.

*Real* martial art training also includes learning the meaning and "philosophy" behind the movements. Playing with a bokken with your friend in his backyard is NOT real training. And please do be careful. Bokken may not be sharp, but they can still break bones and crack skulls.

 

[bushidomartialarts]

i can vouch for that.

i saw a 97 pound woman break a thug's arm with a bokken. and she wasn't even trained.

 

[Aruden]

Thanks all for your answers.

Well I'm not experienced in Japanese martial art so I acknowledge i must be wrong about the philosophy part of it. What I meant is that I find that some Japanese arts are too rigid. Take Karate as an example. It emphasizes on strength, hard blocking, breaking boards, toughen you body by slamming boards at it etc...what's the point of it when you can evade an attack, make an angulation so you're at the point zero of the attack, be like the bamboo instead of the big large tree. Of course Aikido isn't like that, it teaches to use the opponents strength against him...so I guess there must be hard and soft styles in Japanese martial arts.
I watched some Aikido and Iaido as you call it footage and i noticed that everything is based on respect (which is real good), tradition,and for the swords cutting on the first motion with no fancy movements. I guess i must have been wrong and i idealized the ninjutsu/tai-jutsu arts.
As i am from a boxing/JKD background i may have some problems with the Japanese "philosphy" or way of approaching martial arts.
Now I realise that in order to learn a weapon or just a Japanese art you must also learn its philosophy,meditation and tradition in order to fully understand the art. That is something you don't find in boxing,savate or JKD (except the concepts).
Don't worry i will be careful with the bokken. When i say "playing around" that means, my friend do the kata he learned in his backyard. We don't fight against each other of course, we're not insane, we just do katas and some fancy movements but with extra care. I don't know in what Iaido style he trained but he has this small blunt katana.
Thanks

 

[Charles Mahan]

Aruden,

You have some pretty strong misconceptions about what Japanese arts are like. You would do yourself a big favor by getting into whatever JSA dojos are available in your area and watching a few classes. Does a lot to break down misconceptions.

BTW, Karate is not Japanese. It's Okinawan, and has a very different feel to Japanese Sword Arts.

 

[rutherford]

i can vouch for that.

i saw a 97 pound woman break a thug's arm with a bokken. and she wasn't even trained.

I have a permanent bump on the back of my head that I've had for more than 10 years, and the bokken was padded! I'd probably be dead if it hadn't been padded.

 

[Aruden]

Thanks Charles , I think I'm going to follow you're advice. There is just Aikido or Karate here, so I guess I'll go for Aikido class :-D

 

[Charles Mahan]

How sure are you that Aikido and Karate is all that's available? Where are you located?

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

Good luck in your training. Aikido is a good art to learn and I am sure that you will enjoy it.

Bokken can be both a training tool or a weapon. In the hands of someone skilled a bokken can be incredibly dangerous. Even in someone unskilled it still makes for a formidable club.

Once again, good luck.

Brian R. VanCise
www.instinctiveresponsetraining.com

 

[Charles Mahan]

A formidable club is not particularly useful in modern self defense scenarios either, for the same reason that bokuto are not useful. Oh sure you could use one, and it might work out pretty well, but there are far better weapons for self defense in the modern era. Pepper spray, a personal tazer, a good pair of running shoes, an aluminum baseball bat, a length of chain, even some good unarmed combat training...

A while back a wacko with a samurai sword was taken down by police with a combination of a firehose and extendable ladder. They tried to knock the sword away with the firehose, but he backed up against a wall and apparently his tenouchi was pretty good. They eventually pinned him down with the ladder.

 

[Cryozombie]

A while back a wacko with a samurai sword was taken down by police with a combination of a firehose and extendable ladder. They tried to knock the sword away with the firehose, but he backed up against a wall and apparently his tenouchi was pretty good. They eventually pinned him down with the ladder.

You forgot where they tried to mace him, and taser him, and none of that worked...

It was an interesting video to see.