Kata bokken profile

[Paul Kerr]

Is there a "standard" in the bokken used for kendo no kata - specifically the curvature, kissaki style and cross-profile (hiramine or kenmine)? Many people in my club seem to use a fairly bog-standard red oak model, though I'm wondering if there are "higher specs" defined anywhere. I can't find anything here in the archives, nor in "Complete Kendo".

[tango]

i think most bokken are pretty standard, although weight seems to vary. I've used some that are heavy, some that are light.. Some seem to be "fatter" than others.. but curvature and length, i think, are pretty standard..

[stuartwilson]

I used to think that there was only one style of boken, that being the "traditional" shape we almost always see.

For a raft of different boken, see http://bokkenshop.com/eng/index.html

It's worth a look just to see all the styles.