What is Madake?

‘Madake’ is also called Giant Timber Bamboo or Japanese Timber Bamboo, is a bamboo species in the genus Phyllostachys. This species is native to Japan and is often used for many different types Japanese traditional craftsmanship. 

This is the traditional bamboo used for making Shinai in Japan. Due to the Bamboo plant having a life cycle of about 60 years, the majority of the Madake bamboo in Japan blossomed and died 25-30 years ago. Because of this high quality Madake bamboo has been hard to get your hands on in the past few decades, making Shinai made of genuine Madake very expensive. 

Madake is known to have thick and flexible fibers  this makes it an ideal material for making Shinai. Also in general, Madake is also more durable and last longer with good maintenance.