Make a Fukuro-Shinai (15th century Japanese training sword)

The Fukuro-Shinai, a length of split bamboo covered in a loose leather sleeve, has been used for full-contact, unarmored training and fencing dating back to the 15th century. It was first used by the Yagyu family, who founded the Yagyu Shinkage Ryu school of swordsmanship. The Fukuro-Shinai is still used by a variety of Kenjutsu schools, including Yagyu Shinkage Ryu, Kashima Shinden Jikishinkage-ryk, as well as a handful of other traditional Japanese martial arts.

...And that's all the history I've got for you. It's a pretty straight forward concept. A few notes on the form and function of the Fukuro-Shinai....

The FS differs significantly from the much more well-known, modern Kendo shina. It is made of one piece of relatively light bamboo (as opposed to the heavy, overlapping layers used in a modern Kendo shinai) and it is padded with cloth and leather. The Kendo shinai is stiff and heavy and can cause some serious bodily harm if a good blow makes contact -- which is usually not a problem because modern Kendo practitioners wear heavy armor or Bogu. The Fukuro-shinai is designed for full contact work in normal dojo attire. It can still cause injury and you will definitely feel it if you catch a good strike, but it is unlikely to send anyone to the hospital. 

I would like to say right off the bat that the Fukuro-Shinai I made is not a historically accurate training tool. It's also probably not kosher in a lot of dojos, depending on how traditional your instructors are. If you're interested in taking the extra steps to make it accurate (i.e. real leather, different handle wrap, more natural materials), it shouldn't be very hard to figure out. 

Also, while I'm at it, please do not stab, burn or impale yourself while following this tutorial. Additionally, do not use your completed fukuro shinai outside of a fully consensual training situation.  People don't like being hit with sticks without their permission. I take no responsibility for any physical or emotional harm caused either during the following of this tutorial, or as a product thereof. Etc. Etc.

Still with me? Let's do this. 

Step 1 Selecting Materials

Bamboo and Leather:  The Iron Fist and The Velvet Glove

Okay, first you need one piece of quality bamboo,  a little bit longer than the total length of the that sword you want to make. Bamboo is 90% of the shinai, so choose wisely. Ideally you will want fresh bamboo that can be dried for at least a month (tends to be more flexible), but you can use the commercially available bamboo that they sell at garden centers in a pinch. The latter is kiln-dried, which makes it brittle sometimes, but it should work. Make sure you get a very straight, solid-feeling piece (give it a little bend to test for brittleness if it's pre-dried), about 1-inch in diameter. I happened to know where some very good bamboo was growing wild a few towns over, so I went and harvested it, then dried it in my attic for a few weeks. 

Note: most Fukuro-Shinai are straight but I decided to use a natural curvature in the bamboo I had to give the blade a little sweep by the tip. This is mostly an aesthetic thing, but it also helps to keep me mindful about which side is the cutting edge.

Next you'll need some leather or vinyl for the characteristic "fukuro" padding. I'm cheap, so I went with white marine vinyl, which is about $9.99 a yard, very supple and has a soft, padded feel to it. There are lots of colors to choose from, but white is traditional.

Other Materials

Black electrical tape
1 meter of cheesecloth or muslin. 
10-20 feet of 550 paracord, or leather cord. 
"Shogun Assassin," "7 Samuarai," or "Yojimbo" to watch in the background

Tools

Saw
Sharp knife
Tape measure or ruler
Felt pen
Sewing machine or needle and thread
Pins
A chopstick
A rotary cutter or sharp knife for cutting leather/vinyl

Comments

[PotatoCoffee]

Nice!