FAQ
The size of the shinai you need depends primarily on your age and gender, but also on things like your level of training. But let's first get to the official regulations... in Kendo the following shinai measurements apply for competition:
| Shinai | Gender | Children | Adolescents | Adults |
| Length | both | shorter 114cm | shorter 117cm | shorter 120cm |
| Weight | male | min. 440g | min. 480g | min. 510g |
| female | min. 400g | min. 420g | min. 440g | |
| Diameter | male | min. 25mm | min. 26mm | min. 26mm |
| female | min. 24mm | min. 25mm | min. 25mm |
The following age classes for children and youths are defined in Kendo:
Class 1: Up to 6 years, Shinai size and weight optional.
Class 2: 7-9 years, shinai size 36 or 37 and weight optional
Class 3: 10-12 years, shinai size 36 or 37 and weight optional
Class 4: 13-15 years, shinai size 37 and weight optional
Class 5: 16-18 years, Shinai size 38
The specifications correspond to the youth regulations of the German Kendobund (DKenB).
In addition to these regulations, there are of course a few "soft" criteria, such as your training condition or your general physical condition. Nobody forbids you to take a lighter sword if you have joint or condition problems - not every kendoka has to win the All-Japanese Championships...! Also, a 13 year old can be so tall that a 37 shinai is clearly too light for him. So outside of competition, it's a matter of trying things out and talking to your coach about which shinai size is the best choice.
Actually, this question is easy to answer, but nevertheless a few counter-questions must be asked first: Are you a beginner or advanced, a woman, a man or a teenager?
For a first, general selection, this information can help: Beginners should rather choose "top-heavy" shinai, as these promote the large, sweeping basic techniques. The lunging movement takes place almost exclusively through the shoulders and the shinai tip should be thrown forward in a large, wide arc. The further the centre of gravity is from the tip of the sword, the easier the movement is to execute.
Competition shinai, on the other hand, have the centre of gravity close to the hilt (Dobari style). This leads to the fact that beginners in particular work strongly with their wrists and the strike is more like casting a fishing rod than a cut with a sword...
The classic beginner's shinai in our shop is the Shinai Kenshi. KENSHI is a reasonable beginner's shinai for the training of the first months. It is made of robust Taiwanese bamboo (keichiku). The shinai is very well-balanced in its weighting and thus excellently suited for kihon techniques (basic techniques).
Usually shinai are made of bamboo. This means that there is always the risk of a strut breaking during training. To avoid this and to increase the life span of the shinai, the following should be observed:
After purchasing the shinai and before using it for the first time, it should be disassembled into its individual parts. Sharp edges on the inside, which occur during the manufacture of the shinai, should be very lightly rounded off with fine-grained sandpaper to avoid chipping. Then rub the bamboo struts on all sides with salad oil, let the oil soak in and repeat the process if necessary. Rub off any excess oil. This may darken the colour of the bamboo, but it will increase the life of the shinai considerably.
In general, you should visually inspect your shinai after every training session and also during breaks in training. If small splinters have come loose or even a crack has appeared, replace the shinai immediately. You can treat the defective shinai later as follows:
- Simply remove small splinters with fine sandpaper.
- Remove larger splinters with a shinai knife or tool and then smooth the strut with sandpaper.
- Rub the damaged area briefly with an oil rag - done!
Rotate the struts of the shinai after about four to five training sessions. The side of the shinai that is most prone to breakage is the one that is most at risk of damage.
TIP: Protect your shinai from drying out by storing it properly. Dark, cool rooms and rooms with high humidity are ideal for this.
In any case, avoid storing your shinai - and also bokken - in the car during the warm seasons!
Dobari shinai are competition shinai. The term Dobari refers to the special weighting of the shinai. Due to a particularly strong first bamboo knot, the centre of gravity of the shinai is clearly shifted towards the handle. This favours small, quick movements of the shinai from the wrist. At the same time, the shinai feels lighter.
For many basic techniques, however, dobari shinai are less suitable; it can easily happen that even large techniques are performed too strongly from the wrist, not from the shoulders. Large techniques are supported by shinai whose centre of gravity is shifted more towards the middle of the shinai. The classics among these shinai are koto-shinai (translated: old sword).
SSP stands for Shinai Safety Promotion. It is a certificate introduced by the Zen Nihon Budogu Kyodo Kumiai (the association of martial arts manufacturers in Japan) in cooperation with the All-Japan Kendo Federation (ZNKR).
The manufacturers undertake to check the shinai during production in terms of safety, quality and specifications (length, bamboo density, weight...) as carefully as possible.
In Japan, the SSP label on shinai guarantees the official recognition of the shinai for competition.
All shinai at Kendo24 bear the SSP certificate and thus comply with the strict regulations of the ZNKR (Zen Nihon Kendo Renmei)!
The manufacturers undertake to check the shinai during production in terms of safety, quality and specifications (length, bamboo density, weight...) as carefully as possible.
In Japan, the SSP label on shinai guarantees the official recognition of the shinai for competition.
All shinai at Kendo24 bear the SSP certificate and thus comply with the strict regulations of the ZNKR (Zen Nihon Kendo Renmei)!