A is a Japanese sword typically made of bamboo used for practice and competition in kendo. Shinai are also used in other martial arts, but may be styled differently from kendo shinai, and represented with different characters. The light, soft wood used in a shinai distinguishes it from other wooden swords such as a bokken, which is generally made of heavier, sturdier wood. History The earliest use of a bamboo weapon to train with instead of a sword is credited to Kamiizumi Nobutsuna (1508-1572?) of the Shinkage-ryū. The modern shinai, with four slats of bamboo, is generally credited to Nakanishi Chuzo Tsugutate (died 1801) of Nakanishi-ha Ittō-ryū. The shinai was developed in an effort to reduce the number of practitioners being seriously injured during practice, making a practice weapon that was less dangerous than , the hard wooden swords they were previously using. This is also the motivation behind the development of , the armour that protects the kendoka. Due to its lighter weight compared to a bokken or a metal katana, a shinai can be wielded in a fashion that allows quicker strikes than would be practicable with a heavier sword. This also makes shinai popular in producing movies and television shows; a prop shinai with a thin metal covering can look similar to a metal sword, while allowing cinematic, showy strikes that are nevertheless fairly safe to perform. Etymology The word "shinai" is derived from the verb , meaning "to bend, to flex", and was originally short for shinai-take (flexible bamboo). Shinai is written with the kanji , meaning "bamboo sword", and is an irregular kanji reading. In kendo, it is most common to use a single shinai, sometimes called itto style. Some kendoka choose to use two shinai. This kendo style is usually called , a style that has its roots in the two-sword schools of swordsmanship such as Hyōhō Niten Ichi-ryū. A ni-to combatant uses a long shinai called the , which is usually held in the right hand, and a shorter shinai, called the , which is usually held in the left hand. The holding position can be switched, however, with the daito in the left hand and the shoto in the right. The daitō is shorter and lighter than a shinai used in the itto style of kendo. Specifications for shinai used in kendo competitions that follow the International Kendo Federation (FIK) rules, are