Shinai
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A shinai is a Japanese sword typically made of bamboo used for practice and competition in kendō. Shinai are also used in other martial arts, but may be styled differently from kendō shinai, and repre
A shinai made of bamboo
Johnny Devine (left) uses a kendo stick on Buck Gunderson during a match.
Bokken
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A bokken or bokutō is a Japanese wooden sword used for training in kenjutsu. It is usually the size and shape of a katana, but is sometimes shaped like other swords, such as the wakizashi and tantō. S
Shinai
…from kendō shinai, and represented with different characters. The light, soft wood used in a shinai distinguishes it from other wooden swords such as a bokuto (木刀), usually called a bokken (木剣) outside Japan, which is generally made of heavier, sturdier wood. The earliest use of a bamboo weapon to train with instead…
Various types of bokken
Various styles of bokken