Wooden Sword

The wooden sword, or bokken, is a katana made of wood that is primarily used in all forms of Kenjutsu. Before recieving the Murata-tou, Saeko Busujima uses her personal wooden sword in combat. It is a special sword with ties to the Busujima Clan and the Yamato Dynasty.

Overview

 * "The mysteries of the Yamato Dynasty and the Japanese people are sealed within this sword. The Busujima Clan, descendants of a family that has protected the throne since ancient times, have transcended time and space to continue protecting those secrets. This has nothing to do with the story of 'Highschool of the Dead', though. - Daisuke Sato

The wooden sword is a blunt weapon shaped like a katana. It is made out of wood, and therefore, is less effective than a real katana, however, with enough power, it is capable of fracturing the human skull.

Plot
The Bokken was owned by Saeko Busujima for an unknown period of time. She uses the bokken to fend off infected in the school. Afterwards, she kills a bitten student with the bokken. After she kills the student, she uses it at Rika's house and in front of Saya's house. Afterwards, she gets a real katana and leaves her bokken behind.

Bokken
A bokken (木剣, bok(u), "wood", and ken, "sword") (or commonly as bokutō 木刀 in Japan) is a Japanese wooden sword used for training. It is usually the size and shape of a katana, but is sometimes shaped like other swords, such as the wakizashi and tantō.

Bokken should not be confused with shinai, practice swords made of flexible bamboo used in kendo.

The bokken is used as an inexpensive and relatively safe substitute for a real sword in several martial arts such as kendo, aikido and kenjutsu. Its simple wooden construction demands less care and maintenance than a katana.

In addition, training with a bokken does not carry the same risks associated with that of a sharp metal sword, both for the user and other that may be near by. While its use has several advantages over use of a live edged weapon and shinai it can still be deadly, and any training with a bokken should be done with the up most care.

Injuries occurring from bokken are very similar to those caused by clubs and similar battering weapons and include compound fractures, ruptured organs, and other such blunt force injuries. A bokken can be more dangerous as the injuries caused are often unseen and inexperienced practitioners may underestimate the risk of harm. It is not a sparring weapon, but is intended to be used in kata routines and to simulate for the student the feel of a real sword.