This 40-inch bokken — a wooden training version of the Japanese katana — has some of the same parts as the real thing but in much less lethal lightweight hardwood. Use it for practicing kata but remember that even a wooden sword can do damage. Some of the old masters were famous for defeating skilled opponents with nothing more than wooden bokken.
Many types of bokken or bokuto (wooden sword) are available, with many taking a much simpler form than this fancier and more fragile training blade. The cord-wrapped handle and the matching wooden scabbard give the student of the katana a wooden replica with much the same feel as the heavier steel version but none of the durability. Heavier bokken designed for sparring practice look more like batons than swords and are built to strike and parry without taking serious damage.
A carved wooden blade like this one won’t hold up to impacts and shouldn’t be considered for sparring practice. Only a few types of hardwood will hold up to that sort of abuse when pared down to dimensions resembling a sword blade. Most of this type, manufactured in Asia from more common materials, are much more decorative.
For a training tool of this type, the Bokken with Cord Wrapped Handle and Wood Scabbard is well-made with an accurately shaped blade and detail a student of the sword should appreciate. If you don’t plan to learn the trade, this bokken would still make an interesting piece for display.
