Welcome to AikiWeb Aikido Information
AikiWeb: The Source for Aikido Information
AikiWeb's principal purpose is to serve the Internet community as a repository and dissemination point for aikido information.

Sections
home
aikido articles
columns

Discussions
forums
aikiblogs

Databases
dojo search
seminars
image gallery
supplies
links directory

Reviews
book reviews
video reviews
dvd reviews
equip. reviews

News
submit
archive

Miscellaneous
newsletter
rss feeds
polls
about

Follow us on



Home > AikiWeb Aikido Forums
Go Back   AikiWeb Aikido Forums > Language

Hello and thank you for visiting AikiWeb, the world's most active online Aikido community! This site is home to over 22,000 aikido practitioners from around the world and covers a wide range of aikido topics including techniques, philosophy, history, humor, beginner issues, the marketplace, and more.

If you wish to join in the discussions or use the other advanced features available, you will need to register first. Registration is absolutely free and takes only a few minutes to complete so sign up today!

Reply
 
Thread Tools
Old 05-11-2002, 06:24 PM   #1
Arianah
Dojo: Aikido of Norwalk
Location: CT
Join Date: Nov 2001
Posts: 205
Offline
Sword; sword; sword; sword . . .

Hey all.
I have been wondering this for a while, but I decided to post it now, in the hope that it will generate some replies, since the forum is usually dead on the weekends : what are the differences, if any, between all the words for "sword" in Japanese? Are bokken and bokuto synonymous? Are ken, katana, iaito, shinken, tachi, etc. etc. all the same, or are there some subtle differences that separate them?

Thanks to anyone that feeds my curious mind.

Sarah

Out of clutter, find simplicity.
From discord, find harmony.
In the middle of difficulty, lies opportunity.
-Albert Einstein
  Reply With Quote
Old 05-11-2002, 08:10 PM   #2
isshinryu88
Join Date: May 2002
Posts: 26
Offline
Hi, Sarah.

In Shinkendo, an iaito is an unsharpened katane used to practice drwaing techniques and kata without the danger of cutting something off. A shinken, I believe, means a "live blade", in other words one that is sharp. Hope this little bit of information helps.

Dave
  Reply With Quote
Old 05-12-2002, 03:18 AM   #3
Tim Griffiths
Dojo: Nes Ziona Aikikai
Location: Suzhou, China
Join Date: Aug 2001
Posts: 188
China
Offline
Re: Sword; sword; sword; sword . . .

Hi Sarah,

'to' (long o) and 'ken' are technically synonymous, if anything then 'to' refers more to a sword and 'ken' to a blade. With 'boku' meaning wood, then

bokken = wooden blade
bokuto = wooden sword

My impression is that Japanese usually use 'bokuto', and long-noses use 'bokken' (maybe as its easier to say?).

A katana and a tachi are particular types of sword, i.e. they are both ken, but a ken doesn't have to be a katana. Like 'rapier' or 'claymore' in English. The usual practice bokkens are based on katana. A tachi is longer, worn blade-down, mounted on hangers rather than thrust through the belt and is particularly used on horseback.

An iaito is an 'iai-sword' - a blunted, usually untempered katana used for iaido practice.

As Dave said, 'shinken' means 'live blade', to distinguish it from an iaito.

Hope that helps,

Tim



Quote:
Originally posted by Arianah
Hey all.
I have been wondering this for a while, but I decided to post it now, in the hope that it will generate some replies, since the forum is usually dead on the weekends : what are the differences, if any, between all the words for "sword" in Japanese? Are bokken and bokuto synonymous? Are ken, katana, iaito, shinken, tachi, etc. etc. all the same, or are there some subtle differences that separate them?

Thanks to anyone that feeds my curious mind.

Sarah

If one makes a distinction between the dojo and the battlefield, or being in your bedroom or in public, then when the time comes there will be no opportunity to make amends. (Hagakure)
  Reply With Quote
Old 05-12-2002, 12:01 PM   #4
Peter Boylan
Join Date: Aug 2001
Posts: 291
United_States
Offline
Quote:
: what are the differences, if any, between all the words for "sword" in Japanese? Are bokken and bokuto synonymous? Are ken, katana, iaito, shinken, tachi, etc. etc. all the same, or are there some subtle differences that separate them?
Bok ken and and boku, as Tim notes, both use the the same character for the "boku" & and "bo" portions. "Ken" originally meant "straight sword" and isn't used commonly by itself anymore. When it is used by itself, the character for "ken" is usually read as "tsurugi." When combined with other characters in words it is read "ken" as is in kendo and shinken.

A shinken is literally a "true sword," in other words a real, genuine, sharp as a razor, sword.

An iaito is a practice sword, generally made of aluminium-zinc alloy. These were invented after World War 2 so that new iai students would have affordable practice equipment. The new rules about who could make steel blades limited production to only 2 blades a month per licensed swordsmith. And it requires 5 years as an apprentice to earn a license.

Tachi are swords mounted to be hung at your side, edge down, and the saya was well secured to the wearer so it would stay in place during riding and fighting.

A katana is a sword mounted to be worn edge up, with the saya (sheath) simply thrust through the belt. This is really a peace time mounting for use in day to day life, where you would remove the katana any time you entered a home.

Wakizashi are short swords, generally less the 2 feet in length.

Kodachi means "little tachi" and these are similar to wakizashi.

"Daito" means "big sword" and can refer to either tachi or katana.

"Shoto" means "little sword" and can mean just about anything shorter than a tachi or katana.

Tanto just means "short sword" and refers to daggers under about 1' (30 cm).

That's more than you wanted to know.

Peter "the Budo Bum" Boylan

Peter Boylan
Mugendo Budogu LLC
Budo Books, Videos, Equipment from Japan
http://www.budogu.com
  Reply With Quote

Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Rhythm/Speed/Musubi - How they work Erick Mead Techniques 57 08-22-2006 03:47 AM
Sword analogy roosvelt General 2 10-22-2005 10:08 AM
"blocking" with japanese sword Tenor_Jon Weapons 39 09-02-2005 02:58 AM
Training iai as a part of aikido Stefaan Six General 4 07-27-2005 06:20 PM
"Muto" David Humm Language 20 04-22-2005 01:25 PM


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 04:12 PM.



vBulletin Copyright © 2000-2024 Jelsoft Enterprises Limited
----------
Copyright 1997-2024 AikiWeb and its Authors, All Rights Reserved.
----------
For questions and comments about this website:
Send E-mail
plainlaid-picaresque outchasing-protistan explicantia-altarage seaford-stellionate