THE SEI DO KAI 
SUPPLIES CATALOG

WOODEN TRAINING 
EQUIPMENT

Currently in stock, one of a kind pieces

 SDKsupplies
44 Inkerman St.
Guelph Ontario
Canada N1H 3C5

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Here be some random photos



 


BOKUTO (bokken)

These weapons are made by me, Kim Taylor from a variety of woods. The designs below can all be adjusted and adapted to individual requirements. Since these weapons are each hand crafted, measurements should be taken as approximations for comparison purposes, they will vary somewhat in the finished product. I do try to match your requirements but hand made weapons are difficult to make in 1/16 inch tolerances.

For more on my woodworking, check out my personal pages.

In the measurements below the terms are as follows.

LOA: Length over all, from one end to the other. Handles are usually about 10.5 inches.

Sori: This is the maximum curvature from the mune (back) to a straight line running from the tip to the butt end.

Tsuka Gashira: The butt end of the handle, this is oval shaped in almost all these styles.

Kissaki: The tip end, the dimensions viewed end on.

Tsuba: The sword guard. (Sword guard area)
 

1. SEI DO KAI

The "Sei Do Kai" Bokuto is a general purpose design with a blunted tip for safety. The cross section is standard with a flat mune (top), the shinogi ji (area from top to the maximum width) is also flat, then an oval shape to the ha (edge). The tip is cut off flat from the mune to the shinogiline (widest part of the blade), and angled back toward the tsuka (handle) from shinogi to ha. I developed this design out of the very first bokuto I ever owned, an Aikido Iwama style. The tip and a little bit of the balance was changed over the years.

LOA 40 ½ inches, sori 3/4 inches

tsuka gashira 1 ½ x 1 inch, kissaki 1 1/4 x 11/16 inch
 

2. IWAMA

The "Iwama Aikido" style has a standard cross section with a squared tip (no "point"). Very similar to the Sei Do Kai (#1).

LOA 40 ½ inches, sori3/4 inches

tsuka gashira 1 ½ x 1inch,  kissaki 1 1/4 x 11/16 inch
 

3. JIGEN RYU

The "Jigen Ryu" has a tear drop shape at the kissaki, with more meat on the edge than on the back.This is a real "edge banger", it will take a lot of pounding on the edge, but it isn't much thicker in diametre than the Sei Do Kai so it retains its lightness. It comes in a curved and a straight form. The "point" runs in a straight line from the mune to the ha.

LOA 40 ½ inches, sori ½ inch

tsuka gashira 1 1/4 x 1 inch, kissaki 1 1/4 x 13/16 inch
 

4. KENDO NO KATA

In the "Kendo no Kata", the butt end of the handle is slightly smaller than the tsuba end. There is a shoulder at the position of the tsuba for a plastic or leather tsuba to be fitted. The point runs in a curve from the mune to the ha.

LOA 40 inches. sori 1 inch

tsuka gashira 1 3/8 x 1 inch, tsuka at tsuba 1 ½ x 1 inch, kissaki 1 x 3/4 inch

5. NITEN ICHI RYU

The style used by the Hyo Ho Niten Ichi-ryu (Musashi Miyamoto's school). The "edge" is squared,like the mune. The tip is two angles with the furthest point forward being the shinogi. Very thin and light, usually sold in a pair with the shoto which is 3/5 as long. Please note, these blades are 3/4 inch wide rather than the full inch of other models.

LOA 40 1/4 inches, sori 3/8 inches

tsuka gashira 1 1/4 x 3/4 inch, kissaki 1 1/16 x ½ inch
 

6. MUSASHI SUBURITO

A style based on the oar Musashi carved at Ganryu-jima. This shape is roughly the same as for the niten ichi ryu bokuto, but much longer and wider at the tip. The blade sides are three flat planes.

LOA 50 inches, sori 1 1/8 inches

tsuka gashira 1 3/8 x 15/16 inch, kissaki 2 x 3/4 inch
 

7. KATORI SHINTO RYU

A shorter, lighter bokuto with a standard shape. The tip is similar to the Niten Ichi Ryu, but it has three planes instead of two.

LOA 38 1/2 inches, sori 5/8 inches

tsuka gashira 1 3/8 x 1 inch, kissaki 1 1/16 x 3/4 inch

8. SHINDO MUSO RYU

jodo
                  purpleheart bokuto

This is a standard shape, almost identical to the kendo no kata, with a somewhat thinner blade and a shorter tsuka. It has a shoulder at the tsuba for a leather guard. 

shoulder on
                  tsuka (hilt)

The tip is a curved line from mune to ha, similar to the Kendo no Kata (#4).

round tip
                  (purpleheart)

LOA 40 inches, Sori 5/8inches

tsuka gashira 1 ½ x1", kissaki 1 1/8 x 5/8"


9. KASHIMA SHINRYU

This is a thick, straight bokuto with a large round wooden tsuba (3" dia, 1"thick). The tip is a curved line from mune to ha.

LOA 40 ½ inches, sori 0 inches

tsuka gashira 1 5/8 x 1 1/4", kissaki 1 1/2 x 1 1/8"
 

10. TANREN BO

A strength training tool of highly variable shape and size. The "standard" is three feet long, three inches square with a ten inch handle of oval shape, 1½ inches by 1 inch. Other shapes are also possible.
 

11. SUBURI TO

These are also highly variable, from scaled up bokuto to specialized shapes such as a "comma"shape, with a handle that flares out in a curve allowing a wide degree of forearm loading, depending on where it is gripped.

Got a different style? I'll try it for you, all bokuto (including those with a specific "name") can be supplied to your specified length. Contact me for a price quote. Any of the above can be purchased in various woods, depending on availability of suitable stock.

Bokuto begin at $54. Discounts are available for bulk orders. I usually have a small number of bokuto in various styles in stock, some of these may have a "scratch and dent" discount applied.

I have also developed a semi-production model I call the "club bokuto" this is usually made from "hardwood" (whatever I can find at a good price, often a mixture of woods). These are sold in lots of 10 or more, and the price is $30 each plus shipping costs. The style is the generalized "Sei Do Kai" (I've recently discovered this tip style is the same as that used on Tendo-ryu bokuto), with a moderate even curve. The tip is 3/4 inch wide which gives the bokuto lots of "beef" for heavy use. There is no shoulder but a tsuba can be fitted using a rubber ring on both sides. We will supply
rubber back rings if desired. I can usually talked into making a run using a specific wood for a small increase in the price to cover the increased cost of the wood.
 

OTHER WEAPONS

If it's made of wood I can likely make it for you. Call and ask about pricing on special orders. Some of the other weapons I make are listed below.
 

HIKING/SELF DEFENSE STICKS

Walking sticks and staffs in stock begin at $35 and feature a variety of styles and woods, often laminated in whimsical ways. The typical cane has a T-shaped handle some with metal tips, some plain. Staffs are usually 5 feet long with a retaining cord and perhaps a bear bell. Special orders are also available in any shape you can imagine.

A potential feature that may interest the photographers is a monopod adaptor in the head of the staff. Just screw off the top of your trusty stick, screw on the camera and snap away without the need to find a tree branch for stability.
 

JO

Jo can be made to any size but the most common is either one inch diameter and 50 1/4 inches length (Shindo Muso Ryu), or 1 1/8 inch diameter and 50 inches (Aikido). Jo are available in most of the same woods as Bokuto.

YARI

Spears of any length up to 9 feet are no problem. (Longer weapons must be specially shipped at greater cost). It is highly recommended that you choose hickory, ash or white oak for weapons of this size. I can produce the weapons with oval or circular shafts, and with a taper if you wish.The usual design comes with no "tip" and is intended to have a padded leather ball fitted. I can put a hole in the end, fit a rubber stopper, or do anything else you might desire which would help hold the padding in place.
 

NAGINATA

It is highly recommended that you use hickory, white ash or white oak for naginata, especially if your particular blade design has a prominent tip which is subject to breaking off. I have made several different styles, and will gladly work from your design to supply a weapon suitable to your practice.

sdk style
                    naginata, hickory
This is a good generalized design naginata we call the "SDK", 7 feet long (210cm) with a 20 inch (50cm) blade. The shaft is oval and 1" by 1.25" (25mm x 32mm)

BO

Bo are available straight (usually 1" or 1 1/8") or tapered toward each end. Some of the more exotic woods are only rarely available in suitable length for bo, but I are willing to try to find any wood you might wish.
 

TANJO/HANBO

Walking stick length weapons with and without cords, tapered or straight, with or without a metal cap... you name it and I'll try it.

YAWARA AND ESCRIMA STICKS

Anything from three inches to three feet. Describe it and I'll make it for you in whatever wood you might desire.

tessen in
                  cocobolo and kingwood

Here are a couple of tessen, top is kingwood, bottom is cocobolo (with a flash of sapwood)

tessen, kingwood
                  and cocobolo
 

TANTO

Looking for something special to give sensei? How about a tanto made from an oak tree that was standing 5000 years ago. Bog Oak is wood recovered from peat bogs in England and is almost jet black in colour but still has a recognizably oak grain. I call it "perspective wood"... when you think the world is getting too tough to handle, think of someone standing in the shade of this tree. In Egypt the pyramids were being planned, and dogs were being domesticated. In Crete the great stone temples are being built. In Sumeria they've just figured out how to write. And where this tree is growing, Stonehenge is 1000 years in the future. As you might suspect, this wood is a little cranky and it showed a tendency to split while drying but it's fairly stable now. 

Of course I can make tanto out of any other wood you might wish.
 

LAMINATION

sei do kai
                  style, some laminated, some grooved

Recently I've been doing a lot of custom lamination work to create distinctive weaponry. This has involved woods of contrasting colour, usually in three layers. If you can't decide between two different woods, for a small price I'll combine them to save you the anguish. I usually have one or two of these kicking around so ask, you never know what you might talk me into selling you.

EBONIZED OAK
ebonized
                    oakThere is an old method of ebonizing oak that I've tried on some weapons recently, it works very well actually, so I'm offering it to anyone who can't afford ebony, or who wants a large weapon that looks like bog oak (which is getting scarce now that my supply is running out). This treatment is "surface deep", it only works for as far as the chemical mixture can soak into the wood. This is not a dye, but a reaction with the tanins in the oak, and it will work on other woods as well. Oak, being full of tanin, seems to work best for the treatment. 

Click the photos for larger pictures.

ebonized asian oakI tried four different oaks, this is a bokuto of Asian Red Oak that has been ebonized. 

Live or
                    Evergreen oak ebonizedHere is a tessen of Live Oak, or Evergreen Oak that has been ebonized. Note the darker rays, a feature of this oak is this large ray structure.

White
                    oak, ebonizedThis is North American White Oak which has been treated. Note the resistance of some areas to the chemical change. This may be adapted somewhat by how long the treatment is applied, and how much sanding is done after ebonizing to smooth the raised grain. 

Red Oak
                    ebonizedFinally, here is North American Red Oak treated to blacken it. This was the blackest of the four, and the grain structure was more or less submerged in an even black colour. 
 

REFURBISHING WEAPONS

Just like a metal blade, a wooden weapon benefits from the occasional refurbishing to remove chips and splinters and to sharpen up lines dulled with long use. I can refinish your old favourites, removing the minimum amount of wood so as to change the weight and shape as little as possible. I can also reshape weapons, lighten them or adjust the balance if you wish.
 

WOOD FOR WEAPONS

Pricing for weapons varies depending on the particular weapon and on the wood. There are 5 levels of pricing for wood as follows.

1. Domestic hardwoods: Hickory, Pecan, Maple, Ash, Elm, Beech, Oak (red or white), Cherry, Sycamore, Birch etc.

2. Purpleheart

3. Imported hardwoods: Afromosia, Bloodwood, Bubinga, Leadwood, Osage Orange, Teak etc.

4. Rosewoods: specifically Cocobolo, Tulipwood and Kingwood, as well as such rare and expensive woods as Ziricote, Bokote, Bog Oak and a few others.

5. Ebony and Lignum Vitae: These woods are extremely expensive, and are very prone to warps or cracks, so a premium price is required.

If you would like to see one of these woods, consider buying a letter opener made of it.These are of various sizes and shapes and are priced at $12, plus $3 for shipping and packing.

For those with access to the World Wide Web, you can get information on various woods at www.woodworkerssource.net including photographs.

For more information check out the woodworking page.

For price quotes on weapons contact Kim Taylor at:

44 Inkerman Street
Guelph Ontario
Canada, N1H 3C5

tel 519-836-4357
email kataylor@sdksupplies.com

 


 

 SOME EXOTIC WOODS (just a sample)

WOOD DENSITY 

(pounds/cubic foot)

COLOUR SOURCE
Afromosia 

Pericopsiselata

45 

hard and stiff

yellow brown West Africa
Bloodwood (Satine) 

Brosimumparaense

60 

Hard and Heavy

strawberry red Amazon Basin
Bocote 

Cordiaelaeagnoides

50-60 

Hard and Heavy

brown/black stripes Mexico, Cent. Am.
Bubinga 

Quibourtiatessmanii

58 

Fine grain, heavy

light red/purple stripes Equatorial W.Africa
Cocobolo

Dalbergiaretusa

60-77

V. hard, heavy, oily

yellow/orange/red stripes Mexico, Cent. Am.
African(Gaboon)Ebony 

Diospyrosdendo

50 to 75 

hard and heavy, finegrain

solid deep black West equitorial Africa
MacassarEbony 

Diospyrosdiscolor

68 

hard and heavy, finegrain

Black with brown stripes East Indies, Philippines
IndonesianRosewood 

Dalbergialatifolia

53 

hard and heavy

brown/black stripes SE India and Sri Lanka, Indonesia
Jatoba 

Hymenaeacourbaril

Hard, Heavy, Tough reddish brown Central to South America
Kingwood 

Dalbergiacearensis

75 

hard and heavy, oily

violet brown with purple stipes Brazil
LignumVitae 

Quaiacumofficiale

70-83 

Waxy and heavy

green/brown/black W. Indies,C.&S. Am.
OsageOrange 

Madurapomifera

55 

V. hard and heavy, flexible

yellow to brown SW USA
Padauk 

Pterocarpussoyauxii

42-51 

hard, stiff

red-brown Cent EquatAfrica
Pau Ferro 

Machaeriumspecies

55-60 

hard and heavy, oily

red/violet-brown Brazil
Teak 

Teconagrandis

45 

Waxy, heavy

golden brown Burma to Thailand
Purpleheart 

Peltogynepaniculata

60-65 

hard and heavy, stiff

purple/red Mexico to S.America
Tulipwood 

Dalbergiafrutescens

55-69 

hard, heavy and oily

straw yellow and red or violet stripes Central Brazil
Ziricote 

Cordiadodecandra

50-60 

hard and heavy

brown with black stripes S. Mexico to Northern S.America

 
 
 
"It's not exactly full of beautiful models in undies but you might find something you want."


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Page last modified Aug 15, 2008 by Kim Taylor