Re: Favorite woods
All my weapons (ken, kodachi, jo, tanto) are white oak from Japan, but even they have endured small cracks and damage over the years. A veteran aikidoist tells me that I should expect that at some point to have to replace them. There are a few woods that are much harder but they are either way too brittle—or if they are strong enough to withstand all kinds of impacts, then the odds are you can't acquire them ethically. Particularly in my country where illegal logging is so rampant and the best hardwood trees (narra, tindalo, etc) are illegal to cut.
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