Wooden sword

Mokgeom (목검, 木劍; also spelled mokum or mokgum) means "wooden sword". It is a wooden practice weapon used mainly when learning swordsmanship. A synonym is mokdo (목도). English-language pages gloss it with the Japanese bokken (木刀).

In kumdo

• The 대한검도회 (Daehan Geomdohoe) lists the mokgeom among kumdo equipment, together with the uniform (도복, dobok), the protective armour (호구, hogu) and the bamboo sword (죽도, jukdo).
• In that association's 2022 exam notice, the 검도의 본 (geomdoui bon) for 5th and 6th dan is performed with a mokgeom brought by the candidate. The 7th dan uses a real sword (진검, jingeom).
• A post from a 대한검도회 dojang says students learn the basics of the sword and its techniques with the mokgeom until they reach dan rank. It gives blade and handle lengths of 74–76 cm and 27–28 cm for adult men and upper-secondary students. For adult women and lower-secondary students it gives 64–65 cm and 26–27 cm, and for primary-school children 55–56 cm and 23–24 cm.
• The same post advises beginners to pick a slightly light mokgeom, because one that is too heavy can strain the wrist ligaments.

In other Korean schools

• Hapkido schools that teach kumdo have beginners use the mokgeom (or mokdo) for the attacks and counters of their techniques. Advanced students may later cut with a live blade.
• Haedong Gumdo uses the mokgeom for basic practice.
• In Hankumdo, students move from practising without a sword to the mokgeom. Later they use an aluminium practice sword (가검, gageom), and only much later a real sword (진검, jingeom).

Material and shape

Korean sources name very hard woods for making it, such as 박달나무 (bakdalnamu), oak (참나무, chamnamu) and ebony (흑단, heukdan). A Korean community wiki says the mokgeom commonly seen in Korea is curved and single-edged.