YOUR FIRST SHINAI

[idiotdo]

hi this is my first thread so don't get mad but what was your first shinai? mine was a exteremely old one that was full of worm holes and it broke by the end of class, so i talked with Yoshinaga sensei and he then gave me a partialy used but still in good condition carbon shinai so i'm happy:)

[Nanbanjin]

hi this is my first thread so don't get mad but what was your first shinai? mine was a exteremely old one that was full of worm holes and it broke by the end of class, so i talked with Yoshinaga sensei and he then gave me a partialy used but still in good condition carbon shinai so i'm happy:)
I can't remember my first shinai. It might have been a pretty good second hand one like yours. I remember that I turned up late to my first class by mistake and my instructor wasn't very pleased. He has always been nice to me since then though. He gave me my first carbon shinai too but it was a 38 and by the time I got back into kendo after getting home from Japan I needed a 39. I ended up giving it to some girl because I am a sucker for pretty girls.

I haven't seen my first instructor for eight years but we still write occasionally.

[louisvandalen]

I got one from a local shop after browsing arround on this site. I took it trough the hole oiling thing and polished it time after time using all kinds of oil to see which one worked best. In the end that left me with the most glossy shinai ever. I used it 2 times during practice and decided to get a heavier one. With that I got the superdeluxe leatherparts and used them on my "old" deep yellow glossy shinai. Got my self a little stand (for katana's) and put it in the corner of my livingroom. Looks cool and it's a nice memory from my very first kendo class.

Best Regards,

Louis

[D'Artagnan]

My first shinai was a £12 Blitz martial arts supplies shinai... I was actually a really good shinai. I would still use blitz shinai if i hadn't broken all the ones i already have :-( . and I must admit, i have turned into a bit of a shinai snob...

p.s. I love my Hasagawa Carbon Shinai, I don't see why everybody hates them... oh well each to thier own

[souljah]

Mine was a second hand 'Frankenshinai' that belonged to a sempai. None of the staves matched, the bamboo had gone a very deep colour and the tsukagawa had almost gone black. I didn't get a tsuba with it, so I had to ask for one every practice.

[Anime12478]

I just bought mine from the club. I should consider getting one in the next few weeks because I am not sure how long mine will last.

[Vortex]

My first was a little cheap ten dollar job. Bad balance but I didnt know it at the time. So I played with this cheap one till it wore out after awhile and I bought myself a oval grip for around eighty and never looked back. Last class a new student had one of the same ten dollar ones I used to have so for old time sake I asked for a few swings of it. Ugh... Never again!

[Neil Gendzwill]

p.s. I love my Hasagawa Carbon Shinai, I don't see why everybody hates them... oh well each to thier own
Give yourself another 5 years, you'll be back to bamboo for anything serious but still loving the maintenance-free carbon for general knocking around.

[Lloromannic]

My first shinai lasted 10 months and had a beautiful balance. It broke when a sensei gave it a killer uchiotoshi waza. He broke through the top and bottom slats!. I felt like crying, I really liked that shinai. I still have it although it is beyond repair.

[Andoru]

I bought my first one from martial arts world in Gladesville - I donated it to the beginners class not long after :D

[KHuang]

I got my from martial arts world too and it lasted only 1 month

[Nanbanjin]

I got my from martial arts world too and it lasted only 1 month
I got a bogu set from Martial Arts World that lasted about that long too.

[senki-kendo-jos]

Mine was an amusing old one of my sensei's... far too heavy for me (me being an ickle girlie)... my first PROPER one was a lovely one that sensei made for me... I still have it, altho it has been repaired several times!

[Martin (Wakey)]

I'm suprised no-ones borrowed that 'old broom' joke and applied it to Shinai.

You know the one. I've had this broom for 30 years. It's only had 8 new heads and 10 new handles.

I'd do it myself but I can only name about three parts of the Shinai and no, I don't mean this end, the middle and the other end.

[idiotdo]

wow lots of people cool, just recently 2 kids just got their uniform and i was in the class 2 more days than they had:ogre: and i think that is unfair

[Akechi]

My first shinai was an old bamboo 39 that the Sempai responsible for the beginner classes lend to me. We only have one Sensei in the country (Japanese of course) and the classes outside Lisbon are given by the most experienced Sempais.

One month later I bought through the Portuguese Kendo Association a Japanese 39 bamboo for beginners. It was cheap but is good; I still use it. I have 2 more bamboo shinais a Dobari and a Chokuto both Japanese. Sincerely I dislike carbon fiber shinais. I tried one and the sound when it hits is awful. I really don’t care much about the weight all my shinais are heavy. I oil them each 2 weeks with cedar oil to avoid drying and breaking.

[senki-kendo-jos]

I'm suprised no-ones borrowed that 'old broom' joke and applied it to Shinai.

You know the one. I've had this broom for 30 years. It's only had 8 new heads and 10 new handles.

I'd do it myself but I can only name about three parts of the Shinai and no, I don't mean this end, the middle and the other end.
Lol... I've seen your shinai... you haven't managed to break it YET... but time will tell, hee hee hee!

[Martin (Wakey)]

Lol... I've seen your shinai... you haven't managed to break it YET... but time will tell, hee hee hee!
I'm more likely to break it on my own head than to damage it while fencing ha ha....

"This is my Shinai. There are many like it, but this one is MINE."

[Simon R]

I'm still using my first shinai. It has sentimental value to me, and I'll keep it even after it breaks :D

[Meyaleleth]

lol

Well my first shinai is still my first as it has been only 7 weeks i have been practing kendo now ^_^ and yes i love every moment of it. Well it is still quite new but i will change it soon as i am a female and i am practicing with a male size one !?! Hoppefully the shorter will be so much less heavier and easier for me to use .

[Meyaleleth]

I'm more likely to break it on my own head than to damage it while fencing ha ha....

"This is my Shinai. There are many like it, but this one is MINE."

HAahhAHAhaHHAa Ive done that several times (hiting my own head!!! )
hhahahah ..i'm so silly :P

[ajk713]

My first shinai is about to break any minute...

[Meyaleleth]

My first shinai is about to break any minute...'



LOL

[Mike]

My first shinai (which I still use since I only been doing kendo since February) can be seen in this picture next to my bokken, I got it from my club and it's probably from Kendoshop. Can anyone translate the inscription on it by the way? I don't even know what language it is, but maybe someone out there knows? :)

http://img58.exs.cx/img58/8937/IMG_95.jpg