The Shinai is a practice weapon used primarily in Kendo. It is made of four bamboo slats (take) held together by two pieces of leather. To prevent the four “take” from getting misplaced there is a small square of metal placed between them inside the handle. A leather thong is wrapped around the “take” and tied about one-third of the way down the shinai from the tip; this holds the “take” together in the event of a break. The Shinai has become a popular tool/weapon due to its intimidating look and the loud cracking sound it makes once it strikes someone.

Our Fire Shinai’s start with a high quality, medium grade Shinai designed by actual Kenshis. We wrap the shinai in aluminum tape to reflect heat and keep the bamboo from drying out. It is then wrapped in Nomex felt for further protection, and to act as a fuel reserve. The final step is to cover it in a Kevlar sleeve for strength. The end result is a fire sword that is strong enough for medium contact combat blows, or the slower more posed martial arts routines. They have a burn time of approximately 3-4 minutes using only white gas (naptha). An over 5 minute burn can be achieved by using lamp oil (paraffin) with a spritz of white gas to help it ignite. 

The shinai is lighter than the Bokken, and much more forgiving should you be struck by one. However, due to the nature of it’s construction, you will notice some reverberation traveling down your arm as you strike. Also, keep in mind that although the these shinais were created for sparring and are strong enough to take repeated contact hits, no shinai is indestructible and all types of wood will break with sufficient stress, no matter the quality or strength of the wood. Top grade shinai’s are available on request as a special order item.