About Kingfisher WoodWorks

About Kingfisher

Kingfisher WoodWorks LLC manufactures wooden weapons specific to the Japanese sword related martial arts - mainly swords and staffs used in the aiki martial arts and selected wooden swords of the old schools (koryu). The company's primary focus is serving individual orders and dojos. In June of 2002, Kingfisher produced 30 bokken used on the set of Edward Zwick's "The Last Samurai". An article about this project and the evolution into the re-development of archaic techniques in weapons production is published in Vol 12 #2 2003 of the Journal of Asian Martial Arts.

On the left, is a picture of the workshop in Wilder, Vermont.

Making wooden weapons is different from other woodwork and Kingfisher uses processes unique to this specialty. The following is a brief view into the making of a wooden sword.

While machines (some fairly sophisticated) are used for rough stock removal and general shaping, this is not the essence of the work here. Practically any woodshop could create rough training weapons. Here, balancing, tuning and creating nuance are achieved with hand tools. While machines are useful, they are not a substitute for a skilled human. The operator of a machine, no matter how inventive, always works within mechanical and practical boundaries established by the machine's designer. Evidence of these limits is not only the hallmark of modern woodworking but the hallmark of mass production as it relates to artistic expression. In the Kingfisher woodshop, the cuts that create the weapon's refined shape, make it unique, authentic and properly balanced are all done by hand.

Kingfisher offers both Standard Weapons and premium process hand cut weapons. Both are shaped to exacting specifications but the economical standard weapons are made of grade levels 3 through 5 wood and sanded to a smooth finish - these are intended as reliable practice weapons at affordable prices.

The Hand Cut Weapons group are made of ultra premium grade level 6 and 7 wood and completely finished with ultra sharp hand tools without the use of sandpaper or abrasives. In natural wood, a cut surface gives a clean hand worked feeling without any loss of fine detail. These weapons are made for those seeking the finest in hand worked wooden weapons - see the pictures and descriptions below -

In the picture to the right, the bevels on a sword back (mune) of this hand cut weapon are cleanly severed, leaving the grain wide open. The wood is able to deeply accept many applications of oil finish which can then be rubbed to a spectacular finish. The cleanly cut surface, finished with a hand rubbed oil, is better protected and elevates the wood to its most beautiful appearance and authentic tactile feeling.

hand cut kissaki

Unlike most creations in wood, the success of the products described here depend on their actual feeling when held. The tactile sureness of a hand cut weapon connects the martial artist directly to the weapon.

On the left is the point (kissaki) detail of a finished wooden sword. Notice the little facets on the end and also the subtle marks of the plane along the length of the blade section. The completed weapon has the effect of being both brand new and hundreds of years old at the same time.