Between 2020-2023, Castle Rock AIKIDO manufactured a limited quantity of its own brand of AIKIDO BOKKEN weapon set called MAKOTO (‘mah’-‘ko’-toe’). MAKOTO is the Japanese word for “truthfulness” or “honesty” and is one of the 7 virtues of BUSHIDO as articulated by INAZO NITOBE in 1899.
Unlike some more generic training weapons used in a variety of martial arts such as KENDO, JODO, KOBUDO, KENJUTSU and, of course, AIKIDO, these MAKOTO weapons are thoughtfully designed for AIKIDO practitioners with the specific intent of correcting several bad habits often committed by novice (and sometimes even advanced) AIKIDO students. Exquisitely beautiful in appearance, these weapons are carefully hand-crafted by a master woodworker in Colorado, USA. MAKOTO Japanese AIKIDO training weapons will look perfect at the front KAMIZA of your DOJO or use them for physical conditioning through TANDOKU DOSA KATA or SUBURI exercise.
The MAKOTO BOKKEN and MAKOTO JO
are now OUT OF STOCK!
Remaining items on this page are of limited quantity.
We will NOT be manufacturing more.
Once our in-stock inventory is gone… it’s gone.
Please call us to inquire about remaining inventories.
Don’t delay. Order right away.
Have Questions?
Prefer to Pay by Phone?
Call us directly at (720) 221-3665 MST
BOKKEN TSUBA KAWA
Leather Handguard for a BOKKEN
TSUBA KAWA - Leather Handguard
The MAKOTO TSUBA KAWA is a snug fit leather hand guard. Most practitioners of AIKIDO do not use a TSUBA when training. This is a major training error. The TSUBA is an essential component of the sword. It is not an optional decoration.
The TSUBA not only delineates where the handle ends and the blade begins, but the TSUBA is actually a defensive feature of the sword. Without a TSUBA in place, the AIKIDO student is robbed of several fundamental sword techniques limiting one’s breadth of defensive options such as JODAN UKE (upward block). Furthermore, without a TSUBA one is far more likely to get their hand and fingers injured by a training partner’s incoming weapon. We constantly observe AIKIDO students’ hands getting injured at seminars simply because they don’t have a TSUBA on their BOKKEN.
The TSUBA also teaches the student not to hold the sword too close to one’s scalp when in the over head position, JODAN NO KAMAE. This is a common error in swordsmanship which results in a much smaller and weaker downward cutting arc or KIRI-OROSHI.
Many students don’t like using a TSUBA because they are often made of it resin plastic and, therefore, doesn’t stay in place and seems to need constant adjustment. However, the MAKOTO leather TSUBA is form-fitted to snuggly and elegantly hold it in place without need for those annoying and flimsy rubber rings that irritate most students. Note: The MAKOTO TSUBA KAWA will not fit over IWAMA-style BOKKEN.
A TSUBA also encourages the proper gripping of the sword. A TSUBA disallows an AIKIDO student from seeking “better” leverage by widening their grip and “choking up” on the handle. Choking up leads to the all-too-common error of, in effect, “grabbing the blade.” This error, of course, were it a real KATANA, would cut off of one’s own fingers. This habit must certainly be discouraged.
Why do AIKIDO practitioners feel compelled to widen their grip and choke up? Well, it is not uncommon to observe seminar attendees strip off their TSUBA after becoming frustrated with it. But they only feel like it’s “getting in the way,” because they already developed the habit of “grabbing the blade.” Their frustration is misplaced. The problem is not the TSUBA. Often, it is because the sword handle is too short for their hand size.
MIJIKAI TO GENJITSU-TEKI - shorter and more realistic
The MAKOTO TANTO is deliberately shorter than most AIKIDO training knifes to make knife disarming techniques more realistic and more challenging to students. Most assailants utilize short-bladed weapons to make their attacks less conspicuous, not the 10″ practice knife used in most AIKIDO DOJO.
The MAKOTO TANTO has significantly more blade-handle differentiation so that a student will be able to perceive mid-technique whether or not he/she accidentally grabbed the edged part of the weapon.
TENJO HIKUI KEIKO - low ceiling training
‘OKUNAI’ means “indoors” in Japanese. During the Corona virus epidemic from 2020-2022, many martial arts programs changed to virtual training by online interfaces. Many people live in housing not condusive to martial arts training. For the AIKIDO community, this made indoor weapons training difficult.
The MAKOTO BOKKEN OKUNAI was designed for and added to the traditional Japanese AIKIDO training weapons set as an indoor practice weapon that could be swung without hitting the ceiling in most residences.
The BOKKEN OKUNAI contains a rod of steel in the blade, balanced to create the feel of swing a full-length sword. This is perfect for practicing your cutting form and/or KATA in a low-ceilinged environment. It makes attending and participating fully in virtual classes easy.
The BOKKEN OKUNAI comes with carefully placed concavities in the handle. Probably the biggest mistake many AIKIDO students make is that they grip incorrectly. To use a sports simile, the sword should be held like a golf club, not a baseball bat. That is, the sword should be held across the diagonal of the palm, not perpendicularly to the palm. Another way of describing proper sword grip (TE NO UCHI) is similar to that of a hammer.
The BOKKEN OKUNAI has two concavities or ‘KUBOMI’ carved deliberately into the handle. These concavities encourage proper gripping or TE NO UCHI by facilitating the correct placement of both index fingers’ distal aspect of the anterior meta-carpal. AIKIDO students may recognize this anatomical description as a part of the TORI WAZA called YONKYO. So, the development of the YONKYO grip is another benefit of holding the sword correctly, which often goes under-developed in AIKIDO students.
These KUBOMI also somewhat resemble the natural tapering and concavities that form from the traditional material wrappings that crisscross the handle called TSUKA MAKI. This structure further facilitates a proper and strong sword grip. In contrast, the typical “round” shape of standard BOKKEN tend to encourage improper “baseball bat” gripping. It is unlikely you will find this feature on other BOKKEN products elsewhere.
SHOSU NO KEGA - reduces injuries
Training guns are not usually included in Traditional Japanese AIKIDO Training Weapons sets. Some AIKIDO practitioners do not like to practice gun disarming techniques, but for those who see the gun as a legitimate threat of modern society, the MAKOTO TEPPO has a few distinctions that make it superior to other training weapons.
The MAKOTO TEPPO is modeled after a real firearm. As such, it has much more detail, especially in the handle, than many wooden training guns. It even includes a “beaver tail” feature that is actuality utilized as a fulcrum in creating leverage in some techniques.
Furthermore, and perhaps most importantly, the trigger guard has been cut away to protect the training partner’s index finger while practicing realistically. Most training guns have a complete trigger guard, which makes it dangerous to hyper-extension injuries to the index finger. To avoid this, the AIKIDO UKE usually holds the gun un-realistically to protect their finger. This offers a poor training experience.
While not a bright, pastel or neon color, the decorative wood pattern ensures that the training tool will not be mistaken for a real gun outside of a controlled, martial arts training environment.
English