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Old 06-18-2002, 05:18 AM   #1
Beginner
Location: Denmark
Join Date: Jun 2002
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Question Weapons' weight

Hi everyone

I want to buy Jo and Bokken, but don't know exactly how heavy they can be. I want them to be made of the white kind of wood ( If you can say so ). Should a bokken be around 500g? Please help me.

Thanks for any help

Take care

Beginner
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Old 06-18-2002, 05:36 AM   #2
ian
 
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Dojo: University of Ulster, Coleriane
Location: Northern Ireland
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I've got a jo made of 'white oak' which is moderately heavy, and at first was quite tiring to use - however now I'm as good with that as with lighter or heavier weapons. You want to be able to cut and swing the weapon comfortably - different weights appeal to different people. With bokkens, you can get very heavy suburi bokkens (those ones that look like big oars) which I wouldn't recommend since they don't help develop speed

Ian
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Old 06-18-2002, 05:44 AM   #3
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Thanks for your reply ian , but give me some numbers, please
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Old 06-18-2002, 06:32 AM   #4
Michael Mules
Dojo: yoshinkan
Location: Melbourne, Australia
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well, in the interests of finding stuff out, I grabbed the kitchen scales and my bokken (white oak, btw). It weighs 600g, and I would consider it about an average weight, from the various ones I've held before.

Hope that helps. Cheers, Mike

Michael
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Old 06-18-2002, 06:40 AM   #5
Chris Li
 
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Dojo: Aikido Sangenkai
Location: Honolulu, Hawaii
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Re: Weapons' weight

Quote:
Originally posted by Beginner
Hi everyone

I want to buy Jo and Bokken, but don't know exactly how heavy they can be. I want them to be made of the white kind of wood ( If you can say so ). Should a bokken be around 500g? Please help me.

Thanks for any help

Take care

Beginner
"White wood" is probably "kashi", or Japanese White oak. It's pretty standard for weapons in Japan. It may or may not be harder to find outside of Japan - weapons made with it, that is, the raw material is fairly scarce outside of Japan (or so I'm told). I have some US made hickory weapons that work just as well as my white oak Japanese made stuff.

As to how heavy, it really depends where you are. Some places use heavy weapons some use light weapons - I'd go with whatever weight the people where you train are using.

Best,

Chris

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Old 06-18-2002, 08:30 AM   #6
Sherman Byas
Dojo: Anshindokan Dojo
Location: Chicago, IL
Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 44
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For Shiro Kashi weapons check out SDK Supplies or Tozando . Both will ship anywhere. SDK weapons are custom (but not overpriced!).

Tozando Jo, 127cm long & 520 grams

Good luck with your training!

ps. Dont be surprised if you break someone else's Jo or Bokken.
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Old 06-18-2002, 09:36 AM   #7
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Thanks for help, guys

Cheers
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Old 06-19-2002, 01:54 AM   #8
Jorx
Dojo: Pärnu Aikidoclub Singitai
Location: Pärnu, Estonia
Join Date: Mar 2002
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Grabbed the kitchen weight and my fathers and my bokkens (somwhat dark oak and white ash) are both a little under 600 grams. But I also consider them quite heavy for fast practice (heavier than standard paired work bokkens) yet I like that. They're light enough to develop speed and heavy enough to develop strength and correct movement. Please don't forget that a real steal sword is usually MUCH heavier than our usual bokken (differently balanced too).

I have 2 jo's. One is very light, which I like for paired practice (speed!) it's only 250 grams, don't know what wood and another one is heavier (500 grams) which gives the feel that you can REALLY hurt someone with that if you want to.

Anyway if you do hard paired work then none of those tools you buy will last over a year so you can buy new ones

Jorgen
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Old 06-19-2002, 01:58 AM   #9
Jorx
Dojo: Pärnu Aikidoclub Singitai
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My english is better than that Of course it's -steel- sword and bokken which is -mine-... -somewhat- great. But I'm graduating school on friday and then I can hang my brains on the wall for one year.... the year in army

J.
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Old 06-20-2002, 05:04 PM   #10
George S. Ledyard
 
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Re: Weapons' weight

Quote:
Originally posted by Beginner
Hi everyone

I want to buy Jo and Bokken, but don't know exactly how heavy they can be. I want them to be made of the white kind of wood ( If you can say so ). Should a bokken be around 500g? Please help me.

Thanks for any help

Take care

Beginner
Some of this is based on style of pratcice. Some dojos tend towards heavy weapons and hard contact and others almost never make contact and technique is geared towards soft deflections. Saotome Sensei has a fair amount of impact in his weapons work and one needs to have weapons as strong as possible (or carry four backups like a tennis player).

Also, what is your physique? If you are big boned and physically strong you can handle a heavier weapon than a small, slender person. If you try to use a weapon that is too heavy you will be too tense, too slow, and will probably get tendonitis from not relaxing when swinging full power. So giving you some sort of weight figure is irrelevant, you must go by feel.

Then there is the whole issue of balance. You might have two weapons of the same total weight but quite different balance. I prefer a weapon with the balance point towrds the cenetr of the blade while others like a weight forward sword. Once again it depends on style and preference.

George S. Ledyard
Aikido Eastside
Bellevue, WA
Aikido Eastside
AikidoDvds.Com
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Old 06-25-2002, 08:45 PM   #11
Tony Peters
Dojo: Mt Tantalus, Kaimuki Judo club
Location: Honolulu hawaii
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it is preference

Time practicing helps but even then it's a personal thing. I have 4 boken, 5 or 6 jo and 3 tanjo's I prefer the Shiro Kashi weapons for Jodo mostly because it's what I end up using the most and they are durable but I have an Ifit Tanjo that is way more comfortable than any other weapon I have and it's not even round. Shiro Kashi is essentially japanese liveoak. It is of a higher quality than the North American variety but the are woods here that are of a roughly equivilent state. Hickory is one and ash is another. Ash is really good for biger sized weapons for smaller people. folks like Kim Taylor make very nice weapons for the "discerning practicianer" (someday I will order a set from him). Differnt schools use different sized weapons as well. Those that study Saito sensei's weapons use a larger bokken (and no tsuba) than some of the more mainstream schools

Peace
Tony
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That's what makes my Thumper go
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Old 06-25-2002, 10:49 PM   #12
Edward
Location: Bangkok
Join Date: Oct 2001
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Thailand
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It is true that there are many styles out there, but in my experience, most aikido dojos adopt Saito Sensei's Aikijo and Bokken.

Iwama style bokken is different in shape than regular Kendo bokken that you usually find on the market. Iwama's bokken and Jo should weight 700 to 800 grams. Kendo style bokken usually weights around 500 grams for the better quality and down to 350 grams for really cheap ones. Shindo Muso Ryu style Jo weights around the same (500 grams) but it's diameter is smaller than Iwama's.

All the above weights are for Japanese White Oak.

Cheers,
Edward
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Old 06-27-2002, 11:26 PM   #13
Tony Peters
Dojo: Mt Tantalus, Kaimuki Judo club
Location: Honolulu hawaii
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broken hands

Iwama boken are great for its intended purpose (Iwama weapons) however in many other aikiweapons styles it will lead to broken hands and damaged joints. As stated it is larger and heavier than a Kendo or Koryu style boken and it has no option for a tsuba which is vitally important in a number of ken styles.

Peace
Tony
Suck, Squeeze, Bang, Blow
That's what makes my Thumper go
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