Bamboo sword - No

Japanese: 竹刀 - しない

A type of imitation sword invented for the training of swordsmanship, taking advantage of the bending and flexing properties of bamboo. Compared to habiki and kidachi (wooden swords), it was effective in reducing the pain of being struck and preventing danger. It is also written as shinai, shinae, sugata, hinagara, and junto. In the early modern period, with the establishment of schools of swordsmanship, the use of shinai (bag shinai) became widespread as kata training with bare face and bare gloves became common. Similar to a real sword, a round bamboo about 3 shaku long (1 shaku is about 30.3 cm) was made by splitting the tip into several pieces, making a part into a sasara shape, or bundling several split bamboos together and pulling them into a bag made of leather or thick cloth. The length of the fukuroshinai varied slightly depending on the style and the height of the user, but Yagyu Munenori's fukuroshinai was cut to 3 shaku and 7 sun on the handle, while his ko-tachi was cut to 1 shaku 9 sun and 4 sun on the handle. In the mid-Edo period, new styles emerged, and instead of the flexible and light fukuroshinai, the stiff and heavy shinoshinai and split bamboo swords were invented, and armor also began to be worn in place of the iron masks and traditional do-ate and bamboo armor. It is said that the pioneering role in this was played by Nakanishi Tadazo Tanetake of the Itto-ryu school, who started practicing shinai uchikomi during the Horeki era (1751-64). At that time, the bamboo swords were made by bundling several split bamboos together, attaching handle leather and tip leather, and tying them together with a single string to show the back of the sword, which was then tied with several nakayui. From around the Tenpo era (1830-1844), long bamboo swords became popular, and larger ones measuring 4 shaku to 5 shaku 4.5 sun came into use. This caused obvious problems, and the Edo shogunate's Kobusho, established in 1856 (Ansei 3), stipulated that the length should be 3 shaku 8 sun, completing the style of the four-split bamboo bamboo sword used today.

In the Meiji period, some schools began to use bamboo swords over 4 shaku in length, and some, like Yamaoka Tesshu's Shunpu-kan, used extremely thick bamboo swords measuring 3 shaku 2 sun and weighing 370 to 400 momme (1,500 grams), which were close to a real sword; however, the Metropolitan Police Department and the Dai Nippon Butoku Kai also followed the Kobusho regulations, which led to the bamboo sword standards of the All Japan Kendo Federation today.

[Ichiro Watanabe]

Subsequent developments

The All Japan Kendo Federation's bamboo sword standards are: for junior high school students, 3 shaku 7 sun, with a weight of at least 440 grams for men and at least 400 grams for women; for high school students, 3 shaku 8 sun, with a weight of at least 480 grams for men and at least 420 grams for women; for university students and adults, 3 shaku 9 sun, with a weight of at least 510 grams for men and at least 440 grams for women.

[Editorial Department]

[Reference] | Kendo

Kendo bamboo sword
©Katsuya Nishikawa ©Shogakukan ">

Kendo bamboo sword

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

剣術の修業のため、竹のたわみしなう性質を利用して考案された模擬刀の一種。刃引(はびき)や木太刀(きだち)（木刀）に比べ、打突を受けた際の疼痛(とうつう)度を軽減し、危険を防止するうえで有効であった。しない、しなえ、撓、品柄、順刀などとも書く。近世初期、流派剣術の成立とともに、素面(すめん)、素小手(すこて)の形稽古(けいこ)が一般化すると韜撓（袋しない）の使用が盛んとなった。実刀に準じて3尺前後（以下1尺は約30.3センチメートル）の丸竹を、柄(つか)に相当する部分だけを残して、先をいくつかに割ったり、一部をささら状にし、あるいは数本の割り竹をいっしょに束ねて、革や厚手の布でつくった袋に引き込んだ撓がつくられた。袋しないの長さは、流儀や使う人の身長などで多少の差異があったが、柳生宗矩(やぎゅうむねのり)の撓は3尺に切り、柄7寸、小(こ)太刀は1尺9寸に切り、柄4寸であった。やがて江戸中期、新流が台頭し、柔軟で軽い袋しないにかえて、剛くて重い篠(しの)しないや、四つ割り竹刀などが考案され、防具も、鉄面や従来の胴当や竹具足にかわる胴が着用されるようになった。その先駆的役割を果たしたのは、宝暦(ほうれき)年間（1751～64）、一刀流の中西忠蔵子武(たねたけ)の竹刀打込稽古の開始であるといわれる。当時の竹刀は、数本の割り竹を束ね、柄革(つかがわ)と先革(さきがわ)をつけて、1本の弓弦で結び付けて刀背を示し、これを数か所の中結(なかゆい)で結んだものであった。天保(てんぽう)年間（1830～44）ころから長竹刀が流行し、4尺から5尺4、5寸という大きなものが使われるようになった。このため、その弊害が顕著となり、1856年（安政3）創設の幕府の講武所では、3尺8寸と規定され、今日使用される四つ割り竹の竹刀の様式が完成した。

　明治に入り、一部に4尺以上のものを使用したり、山岡鉄舟の春風館のように、3尺2寸の極太竹刀を用い、目方も370匁から400匁（1500グラム）という実刀に近い重いものを用いるところもあったが、警視庁や大日本武徳会も講武所の規定を踏襲して、今日の全日本剣道連盟の竹刀規格に至っている。

［渡邉一郎］