Budo, Kobudo & Japanese Artisanry - The Seido Blog

After the closing of the Horinouchi workshop who held about 40% of the production in, 2019, the production capacity dropped and the situation quickly became critical.
Where are we today? Well, it's not looking good, not at all.

What’s a Fukuroshinai? How is it made? Where did it comes from? In this detailed article, you'll find all the informations you need.

Nowadays, the term "made in japan" has lost its meaning. How can you be sure what you are buying? Analysis of the situation.

In September 2019, the Horinouchi workshop who held about 40% of the production of all made in Japan wooden weapons, closed its doors forever. This article comes back to the reasons of that event, the state of the industry and how the prices of the products will evolve in 2020.

If choosing one’s Bokken is an easy task for a beginner, it is a much harder endeavor for veterans in need of a tool able to support the focus of their work. The weight, length, species of wood but also the curvature and thickness of the Bokken play a determining role in the weapon’s behavior during practice. Let’s review all those components.

If Japanese Bokken have become so appreciated over time, it is mainly thanks to the quality of the wood they are made of. Kirishima Sankei, a sylvan region situated on the island of Kyushu, produces exceptional wood and has thus attracted many generations of the most skilled cabinetmakers and wood workers of the country. Resistance, resilience, sturdiness, flexibility, weight, density, colour… Each wood species possesses unique characteristics, each carefully chosen for a specific purpose. This article will delve into the origin, the different qualities, and reasons behind the use of each species.

A few months ago, I wrote a post about weapons from the perspective of traditional craftsmanship. Today, I would like to continue talking about those weapons, but with a different perspective: what consequences the choice of a Bokken can have on your training.

For a decade, Seido has been deeply involved in assisting/counseling its partner craftsmen to help them going through this difficult time. Today, it is with heavy sadness in our hearts that we have to publicly announce that we failed at providing enough support to the Horinouchi workshop, to the point that the workshop is closing mid-September 2019. Let's start with a quick translation of the letter we received from the workshop in early August 2019.

The past few months, we've spent a great deal of time publishing our interviews made at the last wooden workshops of Japan this summer. Aramaki and Matsuzaki's interviews are already live and Nidome's interview is almost ready too. Following our encounter, and consistently with the subject we've discussed in those interviews, Master Aramaki sent a letter to all his partners presenting the situation at his workshop. Here is a free translation of this letter.

August 2017, enjoying the quiet summer months, we traveled across Japan to Miyakonojo and the Kirishima Sankei region to visit 3 of Japan's last Bokken workshops. We've conducted 3 interviews and here's the transcript of the second one with Master Matsuzaki Yoshiaki, including some additional comments and information.