Hey all I recently started Iaido and was wondering about preserving the wooden sword, I've got oils that I can use to coat it but I've heard that applying a wax like paraffin wax or beeswax is a good way to finish after the oils have soaked into the wood grain. I'm mostly wondering if it's needed to use wax afterwards.

TL;DR - do i need to buy my sensei gifts for mistakes i make?

Edit: thanks to all of those who already replied. I want to make one addition to what my Senpai said about getting sensei, wine, or sake. He said that they “only “get him a gift once in a while like when students come back from vacation. Not all of the time after every “mistake”.

Hello fellow Iaidoka,

I’ve only been practicing Iai for a short while. The other students and i follow our sensei and senpai at our dojo in Europe. The atmosphere is very pleasant, everybody is very friendly including sensei, who is European but has lived in Japan and is aware of the rules and ettiquetes of respect, is only strict when needs to be and is generally just making sure we learn something new at every lesson.

But…

Both sensei and senpai told me recently about giri. The sense of debt, or duty to my sensei. What i previously thought about giri is that it means being on time to class, help prepare the dojo, make tea, and make sure I’m helpful and actively participate in class.

But what i have come to understand is that this debt is created by all practitioners at our dojo my making mistakes and it creates shame to our sensei which has to be “compensated” and i quote my senpai: “with a bottle of wine or sake” to our sensei.

I’m really struggling with this fact because it doesn’t feel right to me. Maybe it’s because i’m a westerner European, and this form of respect is too eastern Japanese. To clarify, i would get my sensei a gift if i felt like the situation called for it (to western traditions) but not out of shame for making mistakes.

To clarify what i mean with mistakes, i mean not doing something proper which i haven’t learned yet. (Footing, posture, dresscode etc).

I am thankful to my sensei for teaching me, but compensation for this ‘debt’ i feel is paid off by listening to him, practicing and learning at home (folding hakama for example), being on time, and paying for lessons(!).

Am i wrong? How have you experienced giri?

Thank you for reading and i hope to read your point of view.

I was looking into buying a shinken, not a Japanese one but something available locally.

While I was doing my research I noticed there are some people naming their Katanas, some can be simple as Tsukikage月影 while some swords have fancy names that derives from a Japanese folklore god.

And then I wondered, who names these swords? I would assume that the owner and/or user would name their swords, but considering the Japanese swords are made incredibly traditionally applying with Shinto beliefs it would not be surprising for the person who makes the sword to name the swords.

Edit: Surprisingly I asked about something related to historical stuff carried to modern world and I did not know it was an "anime weeb" thing, although I do see a lot of snarky comments here. There's a saying that some people can only describe what they perceive, and I think there's nothing wrong with naming their precious belongings.

I thought of this after watching Samurai Sentai Shinkenger. In this season of the long-running Super Sentai, the 6th ranger, Umemori Genta, is an iaijutsu practitioner. He uses a tantou called Sakanamaru alongside its sheath to perform rapid iai strikes.

Would this be possible to pull off in actual iaido?

A little background: I’m 40y, have advanced rank in karate/kobudo, some kung fu/judo training and live in northern Indiana. Any reputable schools within a hundred miles or so? Any advice is appreciated.

I was reading a book from Danzaki Tomoaki sensei and one of the paragraph says "In Showa 14 May 1st, he has received 5 dan each of 日本伝居合、大森流、英信流 from Nakayama sensei.

Now in my understanding the Omori ryu and Eishin Ryu are the MSR's Shoden and Chuden, but I have never heard of the Nipponden Iai. Since this was in Showa 14(which is 1939), I don't think this would be the same with ZNKR's Seitei Iai. My best guess is that the Dai Nippon Butokukai had its own sets of kata like the ZNKR Seitei and since Nakayama sensei was involved with the Dai Nippon Butokukai back then, he was to teach the kata sets to Danzaki sensei at that time?

I might join Iaido (Musō Jikiden Eishin-Ryū Iaido) as there is a place near me and I have a few questions:

I heard that they're are different styles of Iaido? What are the differences between styles?

What kata are in Iaido?

Is there a belt or ranking system?

What is the curriculum in Iaido?

Is there sparring in Iaido?

Do I have to get my own bokken?

Thanks!

Hi everyone, do you know why one shouldn't touch the fuchi while handling the iaito?

My Sensei gave me the homework to search but I couldn't find anything. Can you please help me? Thank you everyone

Hello. I recently got interested in iaido. I read somewhere that when you buy a katana the size of the blade is determined by your length. Right now I'm looking at several bokken, but they all seem to be about the same size (max ca. 100 cm). Does a bokken have a standard size or does the same rule apply as with the katana?

There is no mirror in my Dōjō. Where I do Karate however, there is. It's kinda useful. A lot of beginners don't really care about having your back vertical and like to bend forward when striking (punching or slashing). When there is a mirror you understand better your posture while you train.

Then again my Karate Sensei hates the mirror. He likes to hug us to straighten our backs each time we neglect it. He tells us to stop autocorrecting in the mirror, it's his job not ours!

Still, the angle of the sword, the angle of the sheath. What do you guys practise at home to compensate for a lack of mirror? Or ‘what is practised in the Dōjō stays in the Dōjō’?

Hi all, thanks for the previous info on obtaining Iaido equipment in the EU, it was very helpful.

I'm from the UK originally, but lived in Japan between 1999 and 2011, and have family there (my partner is Japanese). I practised Shotokan Karate as a young teen in the UK for a couple of years and loved it (wish I had never stopped). I discovered Iaido when I lived in Japan but never got around to joining a club. I now live in Milan, Italy, and am about to turn 50, I would really like to start practising Iaido finally. There's a chance we may move back to Japan in future (two or three years time), which I know would increase the choice of clubs somewhat!

So far I have found these three groups with classes in Milan:

https://www.shumpukan.org/iaid- Starts with "federation kata" (whatever that translation means), then goes on to Muso Shinden Ryu
http://www.mumunkwan.org/iaido/ Muso Shinden Ryu
https://www.zanshin-dojo.it/ Hoki Ryu

I am planning to contact all three groups and request watching a class or having a demo lesson, but if anyone has any good info or advice before I do, it would be very gratefully received. Also, if anyone knows of any other groups in Milan or the surrounding area, please let me know.

Questions:
1)What should I be looking out for to make sure I join the "right" club for me, other than going on instinct?

2. Language. My Italian is very poor (my Japanese is much better!), but I am under the impression that with martial arts in general it is not so important, as it's more about watching and repeating actions many times with feedback from the sensei, then practising at home. Is my lack of Italian likely to be a big hindrance?

Again, thanks in advance for any advice!

Can anyone recommend a good online store in the EU for Iaido equipment? The items on Amazon all looks poor quality. I don't mind spending more if it's high quality. Thanks in advance for any advice.

I started taking Iaido with my wife in January. We are enjoying it quite a bit, and our sensei even let us start using Iaito recently, but I am personally having a few other issues.

After practicing, my hips hurt really bad, too the point of keeping me up at night. My sensei said I have good placement so that's not the issue. I've never really had good hips or knees, so I'm thinking I just need to work on strengthening them. Any recommendations on how to do so with good stretches/exercises without going to a gym/buying things?

EDIT: [UPDATE] Took the advise y'all gave and also talked to my sensei. So it is getting easier. Still not to a point where it's not a struggle for me, but each time is an improvement and I can tell I'm struggling less. OvO/

Hello! I would like to try practicing iaido! However, in my city there's only kendo (and my reaction time is much much slower than the average, so I would just be constantly getting hit lol). What are some great iaido online courses? What equipment do I need for them? I have pretty limited space too, but I can always just buy infinite storage of mobile data for a month and go outside to a foresty park nearby me. I would like to just try it out as well if there is gonna be a try-out trial.

In considering an appropriate iaito, ideally from Tozando. With a 2.35 shaku blade, an 8.0 sun tsuka is the recommendation.

Would it be inappropriate to chose an 8.5 sun or even a 9.0 sun tsuka instead? I'm asking as I wonder how much differential there might be with the handling and responsiveness with a slightly longer tsuka than what Tozando recommends for a 2.35 shaku blade. What are your experiences is the one or two inch difference going to impact overall handling experience. Am I over thinking this?

I'm aware my Sensei will have specific recommendations for me, and I will be consulting with them before I order my iaito when they give me the go ahead some months later.

Do note: It is my intention to purchase a keiryo (light) version to use for the first two years of training, then later move to a standard or heavier iaito should I still be practicing. I am quite fit and already in my mid 50's with some years of previous martial art experience in my background.

Thank you.

Hello.
I'm noobie, and want to buy my first okayish laito. budget around 300usd? Where can I get one, I don't mind if its used a bit.
I have one that is 20 years old, but its probably not safe to use in training as it makes a lot of noise when i put the sword in the tsuba. Its made in China, and feels not robust...

Cheers.

With starting point and revolving around the (return of the) "Women in Iaido" seminar (led by Kinomoto Miyuki-sensei, Iaido Kyoshi 8 dan, Shinkage ryu) in The Netherlands, Caroline Lindholm, iaido representative in the Swedish Kendo Federation, has written a very important article for anyone to read. Perhaps a bit extra if you are, or have been, taking the position of training students in iaido, but important for anyone.

https://ksperspectives.com/2024/04/02/women-in-iaido-seminar-netherlands-by-caroline-lindholm-sweden/

I especially agree with the sentiment "there is no “male” or “female” iaido – only a correct form with some slight individual variations in presentation." Bodies are different, and we should have that in mind, rather than the incorrect "male OR female body; and they are all like this and that" idea. What can prevent us from good cuts are not that we can't cut exactly like our sensei, it's that we need to find how to cut correctly with the conditions/prerequisites we individually have. And learn to see how others must adjust to cut correctly, too, according to their individual conditions/prererequisites.

What did you find was the most interesting about the article? What is your main takeaway?

Hello. Currently in Japan and would love to bring a small iaito back to the UK with me. Has anyone had any previous experience in doing so? I’ve tried to search online but haven’t had much luck.

I'm researching for a story I have in the back burner where one of the characters is supposed to train on small iaido/kendo dojo. However, since the story takes place in a fictional version of a small-ish Brazilian city that, as far as I know, has no IRL iaido dojos, I can't just base it on the history of a local dojo.

So I wanted to know the requirements and/or the general process one needs to go through to open a proper, legit dojo IRL, cuz I really want to avoid accidentally writing a McDojo.

I think this is a beautiful martial art and would like to learn. The closest gym to me is 5 hrs away. I would like to start learning from basic videos. If you could link some I would greatly appreciate it.

I'm curious - do many people design and create their own iaito menuki? Do their ryu-ha accept those? What if one was to anodize menuki a standout colour, would that be accepted or are only traditional designs allowed, as per certain federation rules? Thank you for any light you might shed on this innocuous line of questioning.

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Should i buy bokken with or without saya to practice iaido. It seems like if you practice with bokken for too long it will affect your sword drawing when you use iaito.

What if I use bokken without saya just for strength building until I can afford to buy a iaito?

This happened just a couple of days ago. Video here, and coverage of the same incident on a different channel here. English print story here.

The English article doesn't go into quite as much detail as the video segments do. Highlights:

• A 70 year old man with a 6th dan in iaido was at a high school in Nara Prefecture giving a demonstration/lesson to students in the kendo and karate clubs
• He was attempting to demonstrate how to utilize the proper maai with a student holding a practice sword
• The instructor was using a shinken
• The instructor drew his own sword but was too close to the student, and cut him in the thigh. The wound was about 3cm deep
• The student required hospitalization, but the wound is not life-threatening and is expected to make a full recovery
• The school was not aware the instructor had a shinken, but also did not have any specific rules or protocols in place regarding permission or use. Nara Prefecture will be implementing new rules to change this.
• The instructor has resigned and and surrendered his sword, which will likely be destroyed
• The student's family has chosen not to pursue legal action

The first video segment interviewed an (unrelated) iaido instructor, who said that it was very irresponsible to use a shinken with students in such a manner, and that safe practice requires specific protocols that should always be followed: always keeping a safe distance when swords are drawn, not having a drawn sword while approaching a student, etc.

The second segment included snippets of an interview with a representative of the All Japan Kendo Federation. He emphasized that any iaido paired practice should only be done when both people have practice swords or wooden swords, and should never be done with a shinken.

I am testing for ikkyu in a few weeks and it's been just under 2 years since I started training. It feels kind of fast, especially since I can test for shodan in only a few months after ikkyu. (which will be just at 2 years of training). Although I plan to wait a bit longer for shodan.

I feel just about ready for ikkyu, though.

In comparison, I have shodan in another martial art, which took me more like 5 years of training, over double the time.

My question is: How long did you train before you tested for ikkyu?

Note: this is for ZNKR iaido, seitei.

I've done Kendo for a few years when I was younger and was looking at taking up Iaido once I recover from my surgery. I've been browsing Tozando's for some starting gear and have a few questions.

1: I understand this could be personal preference but is their a difference between silk and cotton Obi? And which do you prefer?

2: Would you advise picking up knee protectors and a half -tabi for your feet/toes?

3: I know you start with a bokken and was curious roughly how long until you migrate to an Iaito

4: When I was browsing Iaito on the Tozando's website I absolutely loved the Tokugawa Ieyasu's Sohayano Tsuurugi Koshirae

Source: https://tozandoshop.com/products/tokugawa-ieyasu-sohayano-tsurugi-koshirae?_pos=2&_sid=b874eeda7&_ss=r

I was contemplating picking this as a cheeky birthday present for myself. And I was wondering if I was ever able to use a Iaito in class down the line if this sword would be safe and ready to use in a training enviroment.

5: Any other advice or tips about getting started?

Thanks in advance everyone for your help

Hello,

I am looking for joining 'Toronto Iaido' dojo in near future. The website seems legit and professional, but it's bit far away from me, so it's hard to go there to see the dojo.

https://torontoiaido.com/

Does anyone know/attend this dojo? How is it?

There's a small gym in my neighborhood that has two training rooms. I frequently go in there to practice on my own. The floors are nice and there are mirrors. This is what it looks like.

https://youtu.be/HZrfAF6pNVE?si=wU-xn3sWg_Wr9Ucy

The gym rents these rooms to various fitness groups. Until recently, this included a karate dojo. They have since left, leaving some prime rental times available.

I have heard several friends and dojomates complain about the difficulty of practicing at home due to space constraints. I was thinking about booking one of the training rooms for an "open training" time where iaidoka, regardless of style, could come in and practice.

To be clear, this would NOT be an organized practice with group drills and such. It would just a designated time and space for people to come in and work on whatever they want for whatever time they can spare.

I know most of you don't live in my area and this wouldn't affect you, but I wanted to get a general sense of how the Iai community thinks before I move forward with it.