Complete Kendo. John J. Donohue

Чтение книги онлайн.

      The importance of the shinai (and therefore of Kendo) is that it permits trainees to engage in simulated combat without fear of serious injury. No Kendo sensei would say, however, that this freedom means that the proper attention to proper form and to basic techniques should be overlooked by any serious trainee.

      The shinai is made of four bamboo staves bound together. The saki-gawa is the covering that is placed over the tip of the weapon. A string runs from the tip down the symbolic "top" of the shinai shaft. About one third of the way down, the staves are bound together by a leather tie known as the nakayuki. Finally, the handle, or tsuka, also of leather, serves as a place to grip the stave and to hold the base together. The shinai is both a practical and aesthetic object, and there is a specific way of tying the various components together. A basic guide is replicated on page 20.

      Trainees should take the time to maintain and care for their shinai. The bamboo staves that are the weapon's main component will splinter after hard use. Before every practice session, the student should carefully examine the shinai and its fittings to make sure that no jagged splinters are exposed. Use a piece of sandpaper or a sharp knife to trim jagged edges. Small cracks that develop in the individual staves can be repaired using carpenter's glue.

      The leather ties and string that secure the sakigawa, nakayuki, and tsuka in place should also be routinely checked, tightened, and replaced when necessary. Finally, the shinai should be oiled to keep it from drying out. With proper care (and good technique) a shinai can last the Kendoka for a year or more (although it is always a good idea to have an extra handy, particularly during matches). In recent years, graphite shinai have been produced for serious practitioners. They are flexible and strong, and do not wear like more traditional shinai. They are, however, considerably more expensive than bamboo foils and, because these graphite models are relatively heavy, some Kendoka prefer using bamboo shinai in sparring.

      Through the use of the shinai, Kendo students can also replicate the fast-paced, emotionally charged experience of a duel. As anyone who has experienced this sort of competition can tell you, it is a grueling test of an individual's ability to apply the basics of what he or she has learned to a fluid situation.

      Ideally, Kendoka should train with all three types of swords. It is particularly important as the student progresses that he or she gain some familiarity with the use of the katana, since handling it effectively is a very different matter from using the shinai. This conviction has led to the well-known saying in Japanese swordsmanship that Kendo and iaido form two wheels of the same cart—both are necessary to go anywhere.

      Bogu