Bokken: Difference between revisions

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While ''bokken'' are safer for sparring and practice than katana, they are still lethal weapons in the hands of trained users. A famous legend to this effect involves [[Miyamoto Musashi]], a [[ronin]] known to fight fully armed foes with only one or two ''bokken''. According to the story, he agreed to a duel with [[Sasaki Kojirō|Sasaki Kojiro]], in the early morning on [[Ganryūjima]], a tiny sandbar between Kyushu and Honshu. Musashi overslept the morning of the duel, and made his way to the duel late. He carved a ''bokken'' from an [[oar]] with his knife while traveling on a boat to the duel.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Wilson|first1=William Scott|title=The Lone Samurai: The Life of Miyamoto Musashi|date=2004|publisher=Kodansha International|location=Tokyo|isbn=9784770029423|page=19|edition=1st|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0p0C7Y8lkH8C&q=musashi+came+late+and+unkempt&pg=PA18}}</ref> At the duel, Sasaki was armed with his large ''[[nodachi]]'', yet Musashi crushed Sasaki's skull with a single blow from his ''bokken'', killing him. While many elements of the story are likely apocryphal, the potential danger of a ''bokken'' from the legend is real.<ref name="lowry" />

Before the Meiji era, ''bokken'' were very likely manufactured by woodworkers not specialized in ''bokken'' manufacture.{{~~citation needed~~|date=~~July~~ 2020}} At the beginning of the 20th century, ''bokken'' manufacture started more formally, mainly in [[Miyakonojō]], a city on Kyushu Island. The four remaining ''bokken'' workshops of Japan are located in Miyakonojō.~~{{citation needed|date~~=~~July 2020}}~~

Before the Meiji era, ''bokken'' were very likely manufactured by woodworkers not specialized in ''bokken'' manufacture.<ref name="SeidoMiyakonojo">{{cite web |last=Seido - Budo Equipment & Practice in Japan |title=Handmade Bokken, Jo, Tanto, At the Aramaki workshop |url=https://www.seidoshop.com/blogs/the-seido-blog/03-handmade-bokken-jo-tanto-aramaki-workshop |access-date=2026-05-12 |website=Seido Shop |date=2020-03-04}}</ref> At the beginning of the 20th century, ''bokken'' manufacture started more formally, mainly in [[Miyakonojō]], a city on Kyushu Island. The four remaining ''bokken'' workshops of Japan are located in Miyakonojō.<ref name="SeidoMiyakonojo" />

Another notable spot where ''bokken'' were manufactured and sold as tourist souvenirs was [[Aizuwakamatsu]]. The resulting ''bokken'' were frequently inscribed with the markings of the ''[[Byakkotai]]'', a youth battalion that committed mass suicide nearby during the 1868 [[Battle of Aizu]]. During the late [[Shōwa (1926–1989)|Showa era]] in the 1970s and 1980s, these suicides were romanticized as a bold and heroic act, and ''bokken'' marked with their emblem sold well.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dailyportalz.jp/kiji/bokutou-omiyage-syugakuryokou|title=修学旅行でよく見た「お土産の木刀」を全国へ広めた会社は今|website=デイリーポータルZ|date=October 25, 2018|accessdate=May 5, 2020}}</ref>

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 While ''bokken'' are safer for sparring and practice than katana, they are still lethal weapons in the hands of trained users.  A famous legend to this effect involves [[Miyamoto Musashi]], a [[ronin]] known to fight fully armed foes with only one or two ''bokken''.  According to the story, he agreed to a duel with [[Sasaki Kojirō|Sasaki Kojiro]], in the early morning on [[Ganryūjima]], a tiny sandbar between Kyushu and Honshu.  Musashi overslept the morning of the duel, and made his way to the duel late. He carved a  ''bokken'' from an [[oar]] with his knife while traveling on a boat to the duel.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Wilson|first1=William Scott|title=The Lone Samurai: The Life of Miyamoto Musashi|date=2004|publisher=Kodansha International|location=Tokyo|isbn=9784770029423|page=19|edition=1st|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0p0C7Y8lkH8C&q=musashi+came+late+and+unkempt&pg=PA18}}</ref>  At the duel, Sasaki was armed with his large ''[[nodachi]]'', yet Musashi crushed Sasaki's skull with a single blow from his ''bokken'', killing him.  While many elements of the story are likely apocryphal, the potential danger of a ''bokken'' from the legend is real.<ref name="lowry" />
-Before the Meiji era, ''bokken'' were very likely manufactured by woodworkers not specialized in ''bokken'' manufacture.{{citation needed|date=July 2020}}  At the beginning of the 20th century, ''bokken'' manufacture started more formally, mainly in [[Miyakonojō]], a city on Kyushu Island.  The four remaining ''bokken'' workshops of Japan are located in Miyakonojō.{{citation needed|date=July 2020}}
+Before the Meiji era, ''bokken'' were very likely manufactured by woodworkers not specialized in ''bokken'' manufacture.<ref name="SeidoMiyakonojo">{{cite web |last=Seido - Budo Equipment & Practice in Japan |title=Handmade Bokken, Jo, Tanto, At the Aramaki workshop |url=https://www.seidoshop.com/blogs/the-seido-blog/03-handmade-bokken-jo-tanto-aramaki-workshop |access-date=2026-05-12 |website=Seido Shop |date=2020-03-04}}</ref>  At the beginning of the 20th century, ''bokken'' manufacture started more formally, mainly in [[Miyakonojō]], a city on Kyushu Island.  The four remaining ''bokken'' workshops of Japan are located in Miyakonojō.<ref name="SeidoMiyakonojo" />
 Another notable spot where ''bokken'' were manufactured and sold as tourist souvenirs was [[Aizuwakamatsu]]. The resulting ''bokken'' were frequently inscribed with the markings of the ''[[Byakkotai]]'', a youth battalion that committed mass suicide nearby during the 1868 [[Battle of Aizu]].  During the late [[Shōwa (1926–1989)|Showa era]] in the 1970s and 1980s, these suicides were romanticized as a bold and heroic act, and ''bokken'' marked with their emblem sold well.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dailyportalz.jp/kiji/bokutou-omiyage-syugakuryokou|title=修学旅行でよく見た「お土産の木刀」を全国へ広めた会社は今|website=デイリーポータルZ|date=October 25, 2018|accessdate=May 5, 2020}}</ref>

Bokken: Difference between revisions

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