A shippei (竹箆, 竹篦) is a bamboo staff which curves slightly, approximately 15 inches[1][a] (or half a metre[3]) long, which is used as a "symbol of a Zen master's authority" in Zen Buddhism.
[4] In contrast to the keisaku, the shippei was often used as a disciplinary measure for meditating monks.
It can often be found at the side of a Zen master in a zendo and is also "one of seven items that make up a Zen monk's equipment.
"[3] It is fashioned out of two pieces of bamboo that are shaped into the form of a spatula[2] (or short bow[1]), wound with rattan,[1] and lacquered.
[2][b] Sometimes curved in the shape of an S, the shippei may be elaborately decorated with a silk cord or have carvings.