Taijitsu – Techniques for Gyakute Dori
Bukiwaza – Kumkitachi
Concept – “Being one with your weapon”
This is my bokken, beaten and battered, but mine and one of my more precious possessions. I remember the night I picked it out. Ishikawa-san led Adrian and me to a back room of the dojo where weapons for sale where being kept. It was late in the evening, and we uchi deshi were expected to wake ungodly early so I knew I had to choose quickly. But truth be told, I was so excited to receive a set of weapons in Iwama, I had no patience for deliberation.
My bokken is ever so crooked and has many dents and knicks. It has darkened over time with use and sweat so much that it doesn’t even resemble its Japanese White Oak species. There is a very small knot near the handle, and a chip on the top where the grain was starting to split that I had to fix with wood glue. I’ve taken to calling it Hayamaru, “Being Hasty.”
All that being said, I wouldn’t trade it for anything and asked my wife for it to be buried with me when I die.
Aikido of Fairfax 