Ask John: Why do Some Characters Use Wooden Swords?

Question:
Why do many of the martial arts masters in anime who use a sword wield a bokken instead of a steel blade? Two examples off the top of my head are Outlaw Star’s “Twilight” Suzuka and the black belt sword master in Yu Yu Hakusho’s Genkai tournament arc.

Answer:
There are several possible reasons why a swordsman may use a boken instead of a real sword. The fact that one must be licensed to own a real steel sword in contemporary Japan and the fact that a boken is less likely to kill an opponent, therefore less likely to get the swordsman arrested for homicide, can probably explain the use of boken in Samurai Girl: Real Bout High School and Shaman King. In the case of more far-fetched fantasies like Outlaw Star and Yu Yu Hakusho, which don’t occur in contemporary Japan, the use of a wooden sword may be traced back to the influence of master swordsman Miyamoto Musashi. One of Japan’s most famous historical swordsmen, Musashi is said to have become so skilled in swordplay that during the end of his career as a samurai, he was such a formidable warrior that a real sword became unnecessary. His skill was honed to a point at which he could be deadly with just a wooden practice sword. In that tradition, it can be interpreted that anime characters like Suzuka are so skilled in martial artists that a real sword has become excessive and unnecessary.