FROM EDITION 11 OF THE TRADITIONAL AIKIDO EUROPE JOURNAL – SPRING 2024
Last November I combined the seminar of Lewis Sensei in Magdeburg with the friendship seminar in Weesp and in between I visited Ruud Jaspers in Alkmaar, Netherlands. Ruud is the Aikido weapons maker providing weapons to most members of our community for many years already. He was willing to give me an interview.

Can you tell us something about your professional experience and about your aikido journey?
I have been a woodworker for most of my professional life with a couple of in-between jobs as a cook and later in a bakery working with intellectually disabled people. I make art but also furniture, kitchens, toys, and I also do repairs.
My aikido journey started fairly late, in 1997 when I was already 41 years old. I trained in a Hombu style dojo and visited seminars of Sugano Sensei, Tamura Sensei, Suga Sensei and French teachers like Christian Tissier, Claude Pellerin and Alain Peyrache. We also visited Doshu’s first European seminar in Paris in 2000.
My teacher also practiced Kendo, so we practiced with bokken regularly, but weapon training did not play a significant role in aikido training. Sugano Sensei also taught some partner exercises with bokken for which you could get separate certificates. But overall, and I say this in hindsight because I did not realize this at the time, weapon training was scarce and a bit shallow. I was enthusiastic about weapon training though, and of course after a couple of months I made my own weapons of hornbeam, which was a little light and not so hard, but it did not splinter. The bokken was Aiki style with a pointed tip, a slim model.
Then, after seven years of training I heard about Lewis Sensei and started training with him. From then on everything changed, and in fact I had to start all over again. Everything was so different from what I was used to, the instruction so much more detailed, footwork, position of the hands, etcetera. It was a huge challenge. For example: my bokken made a whooshing sound when I made my cuts and Lewis said that that had to go. I could not manage it and handed my bokken to Lewis because I thought that it was because of the shape of the weapon that it made that sound. But when he made some cuts, I could not hear a thing, so then I knew it was possible. It took me a while though before I succeeded. All techniques were performed differently, so I had to learn and unlearn at the same time, which was very frustrating sometimes.
When I started training with Lewis Sensei, I was first kyu and it took me another four years before I passed my shodan test in 2008. I also started teaching then. In 2010 I passed my nidan test. In the meantime, Gertjan Jongh started a dojo, and I joined in, and we shared classes. I liked teaching very much and learned a lot. In 2014 my enthusiasm for aikido slowly diminished and a while after failing my sandan test that summer, which was a sign, I decided to stop training and teaching. I think you cannot do aikido half-heartedly. I still feel I made the right decision, although I still like aikido very much and even do suburi practice regularly to keep myself in shape and stay sharp.
When did you have the idea to make weapons yourself and how did you start it all?
After the ‘non-whooshing’ lesson I was ready for a new bokken, and Lewis lent me one of his, a Tsukuba bokken he got from Saito Sensei. I copied that one using Ipé, a Brazilian hardwood. I also made a jo of the same wood. I liked them very much, and soon they were in demand by my fellow aikidoka. The Ipé wood turned out to be a bit splintery eventually, especially the bokken, so I started to look for other wood species. I guess, I tried at least twenty or so over the years. Jatoba, also a Brazilian wood, was very promising and I made lots of those. However, over the years the quality of the wood on the market declined rapidly and became less heavy and strong. Massaranduba was the next candidate but also failed in the end. Although I used wood from well managed resources, I was not very happy using tropical wood. Also, I had a lot of waste due to imperfections, and prices were going up as well. Then I discovered compressed bamboo, or strand woven bamboo as it is officially called, and decided to check it out. I tried a few brands and finally settled on what I use now. So far, the feedback I get is very positive.
Can you describe the process of making a bokken, from the moment you select a certain part of wood, then the various steps it takes and the tools and machines you use? How long does it take you on average to make a bokken?
I use templates to cut out the rough shape of the weapon on a bandsaw and then cut them to exact size and thickness using a router. I then round off the handle and cutting surface by hand using microplane wood rasps. After this the bokken must be sanded with various grids. The last step is to finish them with hardwax oil or tung oil. When they are dry, after a couple of days, I polish them with fine steel wool and then they are ready for action.
How do you go about it mentally since you have a long background in aikido and meditation? Are there any rituals you start your work with? What is important to you during the work and when you take a break?
My mental approach towards making weapons, well, it is straight forward. There is this material I want to shape and there is resistance; it is hard, heavy, there are sharp edges, there is dust, noise. In short, it is hard work. There is also the challenge, or invitation if you will, to bring something of value and beauty into the world.
I prefer to work alone and if everything goes well, I become one with what I am doing, there is no thought, just ‘work’ happening, even the sense of time is absent. It is just what it is. I am not being philosophical here; it is very simple and very down to earth. You could call it meditation, but I do not like to use that word very much because it is so abused and contaminated. It is just something that happens when there is total attention. As a matter of fact, relating this to aikido, that is what I think O-Sensei was talking about when he said that there is no opponent in aikido. Through my work I can very much relate to that experience. But enough of that.
Did you ever meet any other bokken maker or have exchange with someone on a professional level, or how did you study and improve? How did you choose the curvature, thickness, length?
I have never met any other weapon maker. I guess, there are not that many around. I adapted the original bokken from Lewis to attain a balance that fitted the weight of the material that I am using. Also, in bokken work you are always aiming to control uke’s centre, so when being attacked, you deflect the energy, neutralize it. Now when you have a bokken with more weight towards the tip there is the danger that you are drawn out too much and so lose contact with your own centre and at the same time focus too much on uke’s weapon instead of their centre. Therefore, I am experimenting with balance.
The feedback that I get from the Aikido community is overall quite positive.
Why is the tip in Iwama ryu bokken flat or absent?
I think the flat tip of the Iwama style bokken is to emphasize that it is a weapon in its own right and not made for cutting with the tip, but for crushing with the part that is approximately twenty- five centimetres down the ‘blade’.
What defines the ideal wood for bokken and jo in your eyes?
In Japan wooden practice weapons were sometimes referred to as ‘throwaways’, so that makes it clear that they were not made to last forever. They were cheaply made and discarded after a few fierce training sessions. I think in Aikido our approach is different. We are taught to never meet our partners energy directly, but to move around it, neutralizing it. So why would it be any different in buki waza? In practicing like this we spare our weapons. Having said that, we still need a weapon that can easily take a good blow. Japanese oak, in this respect, is a fine wood: It is heavy, dense, and of course it is the traditional wood to use. But it will splinter eventually or even break because it tends to dry out and become brittle over the years. Aikido is now being practiced all over the world and there simply is not that much Japanese oak, so we must find substitutes.
Are there any European woods that would be suitable, for example yew or oak?
In my opinion, European indigenous woods are not up to the task because they are either too light or too soft and/or not strong enough. The only exception I can think of is holly oak from southern Europe, but that is not easy to get in the right dimensions.
Why do you predominantly use compressed bamboo nowadays and what are its characteristics?
The use of tropical wood is becoming increasingly problematic. Forests are cut down at an ever-faster rate. The rapid economic expansion of China is adding to this problem in recent years. The Chinese have concessions in Asia, Africa, and South America, where entire forests are rapidly disappearing, the trees being shipped to China. So, if you ask yourself where your future bokken will be coming from... Ironically, it might come from China, but not made of wood, but of bamboo. In the case of Aikido weapons that would be strand woven bamboo.
To make this material, bamboo stems are crushed, and the resulting strips are immersed in resin and then compressed into beams in a twelve hundred tons press. The resulting material is extremely hard and dense (1050 kg/m^3). The resin content is about seven to eight percent. Also, this product is available in different colours, i.e. natural (boiled input strips), caramel (carbonized input strips), or chocolate (thermally modified input strips, often used for outdoor application). Strand woven bamboo is available in beams or is sawn into planks. Because of the high hardness and hardwood look it is ideally used in indoor applications where the hardness is utilized such as flooring and for tabletops.
Environmentally, bamboo is very promising. It grows incredibly fast. After six years the stems can be up to thirty meters high and are ready for harvesting. It turns out that a well-managed bamboo forest, where twenty to twenty-five percent of the mature stems are harvested yearly, can store enormous amounts of carbon dioxide. Even more than in an unmanaged plot, where old and dead stems disturb exponential growth. Bamboo plants have a root system consisting of underground parts, called rhizomes, from which the stems grow above the ground. The rhizomes anchor the plant to the soil and supply it with water and nutrients to produce new rhizomes. One single bamboo plant therefore has multiple stems. The extensive rhizome network also helps to hold soil and restore water tables, making bamboo very suitable for reforestation of poor grounds. There is so much more to talk about bamboo but let us leave it at that.
I believe in the potential of strand woven bamboo for aikido weapons, and I am excited to work with this material and value the feedback I get from the aikido community.
Is there any difference in the selection for wood for a tanto?
When making tantos, strength and/or hardness is no consideration, so I use all kinds of wood for those if they are beautiful in appearance. I am using bamboo increasingly for tantos also, but if I happen to come across an interesting piece of wood, I might turn it into a couple of beautiful tantos.
What makes a good bokken or jo and what do you recommend when selecting a weapon for oneself?
A weapon of the right weight can be a significant help in training. But what is the right weight? What is a good balance? When you are a skilled practitioner, you will probably know exactly what you are looking for, what fits you, but for a beginner: Where to start if you do not have the right feel yet? When selecting a bokken for instance, do some suburi and see how it feels. When it feels a little heavy, that is ok, then you have something to work with. But when it feels too heavy after doing second suburi for twenty times or so, it probably is. It is a little like tai jutsu: your partner should give you exactly the feedback that you need, not too much and certainly not too little, because in both cases you stop learning. Since a weapon cannot adapt its feedback, you are the one that must adapt but within healthy limits. I like to work with a heavy bokken because it really forces me not to use strength or it will work against me.
Can you also tell us something about regular maintenance of weapons? Oil or varnish and what to do if they are chipped?
I recommend inspecting your weapons regularly and make sure the surface stays smooth. If necessary, you can lightly sand the weapon on damaged spots using fine sandpaper (grit 240). Then apply a light coat of oil. Let it soak in for about fifteen minutes and then rub off the excess with a piece of cloth and let it dry overnight. I always use tung oil, but you can use any good drying oil. Do this regularly, about every two or three months or so, depending of course on how often you train and how heavy the contact during training is. My experience is that when you use your weapon well and not abuse it by banging away at each other, the weapon usually stays in one piece.
And what to do if there is a bend in the jo or bokken?
When a weapon is bent it sometimes helps to bend it in the opposite direction for some time. However, with the strand woven bamboo this problem has not occurred because there is hardly any tension in the material, contrary to weapons made of wood.
I read that there are only very few wood and weapon craftsmen left in Japan due to low wages, missing recognition, and lack of successors and that they face a real problem of not getting the right wood anymore. So, will we be forced to train without high-quality weapons, or how do you see the future of Takemusu Aikido in this respect?
The situation in Japan seems to be quite alarming indeed! There are only one or two companies left that produce aikido weapons in any substantial quantities. Wood is also getting scarce, that is white and red Japanese oak (akagashi and shiragashi respectively). So, I guess we must find our own solutions. Like I said before, I do not know of any indigenous wood that will stand up to the task. I guess most of the aikido weapons will be produced in China. What that will mean quality-wise is up for grabs. And I guess there will still be weapons on the market made of tropical wood.
Could I make my own bokken?
That would not be an easy job. You would need woodworking tools and machines but also the skills to use them safely and properly. However, if you are handy and diligent you just might pull it off. It would of course be rewarding to make your own weapons. Like James Krenov, a famous furniture maker who referred to himself as the impractical furniture maker, I guess I could call myself the impractical weapon maker, but I am used to doing it my way although it is not the most efficient one.
Do you offer workshops?
I do not offer workshops, but if people are really interested, they are always welcome, and I can reveal all my secrets.
Thank you very much Ruud for this interview and for offering me a demonstration in your workshop!
This can be seen here: https://youtu.be/oBV3KUpjXjQ
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