Section 1
Shinai
The shinai is four staves of dried bamboo, a leather cap, a cord down the spine and a binding a quarter of the way from the tip. Every fitting comes off, and the part that fails most often is the cheapest to replace.
6 entries
Four staves, a cap, a string and a knot.- 1.1Four staves and a knotFour shaped slats held together by a leather cap at the tip, a cord down the back and a leather grip — with the small knot partway along setting how much the whole thing flexes. Move the knot and it becomes a different implement.
- 1.2Balance pointWhere the weight sits along the length, and what shifts it.
- 1.3The tip capA leather cup that keeps the four staves together at the one place they most want to separate.
- 1.4The cordTension down the spine, and what a slack one means.
- 1.5SplintersHow a stave fails, and why it is checked before every use.
- 1.6The gripLeather shrunk on, and the wear pattern that shows how it is held.
Every entry on the site is listed on one page, and the six sections are gathered on the hub.