Читать книгу Kendo. A Comprehensive Guide to Japanese Swordsmanship онлайн

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The length of the handle or tsuka is important as this can affect your cutting action. The tsuka should fit in the crook of your right arm so that when you grip it your index finger should be just below the tsuba. Many shinai come complete with leather fittings, but in cases where the bamboo and the fittings are bought separately, many kendoka will purchase a 3.8 tsukagawa for a 3.9 shinai. The tsukagawa tends to stretch in keiko and may need shortening at some stage. In some cases this can be done by turning the front of the tsukagawa back, but in others it is easier to cut and reclose the hilt end.

Depending on source of the bamboo and whether shinai are machine or handmade there is a wide variety of price. The most expensive can be 10 times the cost of the cheapest. Japanese grown madake shinai command a premium price as bamboo grown in colder climates tends to be denser and stronger than that grown in hotter Southeast Asian countries. It is sometimes possible to tell the source of bamboo by the number of ridges on the shinai as cold climate bamboo grows slower.