Enjoying the quiet summer months, we travelled across Japan to Miyakonojo and the Kirishima sankei region
to visit one of the last wooden weapon workshop of Japan: "Aramaki Budogu Mokojo".
The founder, master Aramaki the first, began manufacturing Bokken about a century ago, in 1921.
Like his grandfather and father, the grandson of the founder, Master Aramaki, 66 years old, still perpetuates the tradition.
Our founder....
It was probably during the Taisho era,
or the end of the Meiji period
when my grandfather
moved from Fukuoka to Miyakonojo.
Why he came to Miyakonojo.. well,
he realized that there were oak trees in abundance.
Our forefathers were fleeing soldiers of the Taira (Heike) family,
who hid in the mountains.
And one of their villages was called Aramaki
and this was where my grandfather noticed the copious
oak trees, decided to manufacture Bokken,
and came to Miyakonojo.
In Miyakonojo are the most oak trees
and so he got to manufacture Bokken,
then the war started, which we lost.
And after that, Japanese martial arts, the Budo, got prohibited.
However, thanks to General MacArthur's approval of Budo,
then ban was lifted and the production of Bokken was relaunched.
But at that time, my grandfather
was already sick.
My father took over from him
and with it, it was the second generation manufacturing Bokken.
And with me, it's the third generation.
So, since then, already 100 years have passed.
Therefore, the founder of the Bokken of Miyakonojo, that's us.
Miyakonojo covers over 90%
of the Bokken manufacturing in Japan.
Now, there are 4 workshops
providing the Bokken for the entire Japan,
but previously, there were about 36.
And those workshops used to make the handles of hoes used in agriculture, hammers etc.
the wood was used to make those handles.
Utilizing that wood,
there were many of those workshops for wooden handles.
But they all switched to Bokken as they were selling.
So there were 36 workshops.
Because in Kendo it's mainly the Yudansha using the objects,
so if we only were to focus on the shape of the Bokken,
but neglect its balance, the Yudansha will of course not buy it.
That's why the business got bad
and most companies were forced to quit.
And now, only 4 workshops are left.
And everyone was doing research,
competing to fabricate
a sword that is easy to use.
In the past, wooden swords were about as thin as a thumb.
Those my grand-father was making.
So when in Japanese Kendo armors were created and worn,
one wouldn't strike the body directly anymore but the newly created Kendo armor (allowing to strike harder)
and that's why the Bokken got bigger (and therefore more resistant)
In the end, my father (2nd generation)
received the permission by the Japanese Kendo Federation
(to create) their Bokken type and in the end its shape was determined like that.
So the current Bokken type is already the one that my father (2nd) generation made.
When I was little, I tinkered with news paper
different Bokken shapes and studied various types -
I can still remember that.
So this, the current Bokken type the Kendo Federation chose,
is the one my grandfathers created.
Other workshops bought our Bokken to copy its shape so now, it's the same shape everywhere.
When it comes to the Koryu Bokken, even if it's the Bokken of the same school,
the type changes, its dimensions etc.
depending on the Dojo and the teacher.
"Ours is correct, this is correct..."
the teacher of each Dojo says this.
Anyway, I let them send me a sample,
of which I manufacture a copy and send it back.
Otherwise, it's impossible because I'm told by everyone that "this is the correct",
or "that is the true one" or "this the original".
No matter the Bokken, I ask for a sample first.
And if they are considering a second purchase in the future,
I let them order one for spare that I keep here.
Yes, that happens.
I met the lead teacher of the Jigen Ryu
And a Karateka, the one who is said to have fought against a tiger,
master Oyama. I even got to meet him.
We got a Sai from him, one of those iron Sai.
"I'll leave this here as souvenir" he said.
He was a master with a great physique.
Those kind of teachers we met.
We do not sell directly to private clients
but if you'd come all the way to visit us, we'd sell you something.
So teachers come to meet us, asking
us to change the size, even for Nunchaku, or have it done differently.
So, various teachers who want something in particular, those are the ones
who come to meet us.
So when we meet them, we can also explain to them
different points about the material
"this here might get difficult" etc..
That for example the fiber of the timber cannot always be aligned horizontal,
and that I cannot sort out all timber to their specific expectations. That's what I explain while taking the order.
Well, our specialty..
We consider the balance, or the curvature as important.
These are the points we emphasize.
I mean, you position yourself (kamae) with the Bokken,
and then if the curvature isn't well crafted,
that's so disturbing.
Just like before, there was one I had to redo.
Take off a bit more here and there...
Even if it's just a small thing that you'd barely notice, I'll redo it.
But is craftsmanship still relevant in the fast moving 21st century?
What is it stand for in our days?
When you assign an artisan to work, you buy more than a service, you buy thousands of hours of failures and trials.
Days, weeks, months of frustration, but also moments of pure joy.
You do not just buy a "thing", but a piece containing a part of somebody's heart and soul.
Above all, you invest in the artisan's time, allowing him to make a living and further develop his art,
his passion and his style, as you develop yours on the mat.
Yeah, of course, I can tell immediately.
Even if I were only to see the tip of the Bokken I'd know who's workshop's piece it is.
And then you have the curvature and the balance - it's easy to tell.
So that's why as said before even if we make samples from paper,
we have our bad habits, everyone of us,
putting more effort into the left, or only the right side.
Or the tip lacks polishing, even though
the craftsman intended to finish it off nicely -
and that's that person's habit, overlooking something etc.
And those habits are clearly visible on the Bokken.
So when I see a Bokken, from Tokyo
the Kansai or Kanto region, samples made during the Edo period
I think "wow, how amazing!" What fantastic Bokken
these craftsmen made in the past.
Well, they also had a lot of time so they could do it.
But still, really amazing Bokken with a great balance.
So it happens that I get to see one of those samples
and I doubt that I could make a copy of it
of a Bokken so beautiful and well-balanced.
Craftsmen of that time were the best.
The way the blade thickness is adjusted toward the tip
I can still recall its image.
These Bokken, there was really great work done by those ancient craftsmen.
..what I like the most..
I like the kissaki part (the last 10 cm toward the tip)
That's the most appealing to me.
The most challenging part...
..probably the Tsuka (handle).
The handle is the one that I have to rework a few times.
I grasp it like this and think "that' should be ok"
and then I can feel a bump,
or that it is a little too small after I finish it.
So yeah, it is really the handle that is the most challenging.
And what I like is the kissaki part. It's the most satisfying thing to do.
Shaping the wood with the plane.
Pieces from woods like Ebony, about 70% of them
are made by hand.
Machine blades can't really stand the wood hardness.
You make a small mistake with the machine
and they break. Blades worth tens of thousands of yens broke.
So I do them by hand, this is more natural,
while checking the balance all along the process.
(The Hon Biwa) is pretty dense as well.
The sides are so tough.
And when I plane the wood after once it's dry, I just keep thinking "ah, it's so hard".
The Sunuke is still easier to work,
and the wood comes off the planes in big pieces.
But Hon Biwa is so firm and dense.
And one might not guess it, but it's heavy.
So no surprise the Hon Biwa was often used in the past to make the Bokken.
People back then really made a discovery using Hon Biwa.... It's so dense and hard.
With that kind of machine, It's almost impossible to work the tip.
This 3 Sun tip here. That's the part you can't do with the machine.
This here is where the art comes in.
And you can't do it unless you're a craftsman.
Yeah, you can immediately tell, checking like this.
The thickness is rather well done though.
You can more or less make a faithful copy of the curvature and the chamfering
if you just buy another Bokken
the shape from there.
This is pretty nice, right? The finish.
We fix the wood with a vise called Manriki (invented by the craftsmen of Miyakono) to work it.
But how did they do it? Is the polishing done with some kind of machine?
Yeah, that's a good one.
The balance is also good, the weight is there.
This timber is also really good.
Isn't that kind of timber used for Baseball bats?
Yeah, there are some peculiarities.
The timber also..
If only there was abundant material..
Up to 10 or 20 pieces, that's still possible
but as soon as 200 pieces are to be put out everyday - the material...
Easy to get splinters, that kind of soft wood.
Where you strike.. Japanese oak doesn't become like that.
The latter absorbs the shock, leaving just a dent
That kind of soft wood has rough fiber, you may get splinters that you feel with your hands.
That's what happens with soft wood, when you strike. Well, after striking.
All of them did a really good job.
No matter from which country, the craftsmen are pretty talented.
As long as there is the material, you could do it anywhere.
That's the same for us.
I once wanted to test the white oak from abroad,
so I bought some, studied it, checked its strength. We still have it at the back.
The company supplying timber from abroad, got to visit us once
and if there's no more Japanese oak, we'd start to purchase from them.
That's how far the discussion went.
But there's still some left, so we're not importing it yet.
But, we are thinking that far now.
Because we will be eventually running out of timber.
But I'm a bit afraid that the supply from abroad won't be stable.
So you might run out of a imported timber like purple ebony, that cannot be supplied anymore, after you finally got used to work it.
And you have to search for another supplier. So if you rely on supply from abroad,
you'll for sure find yourself at a dead end.
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