# Tsuba



## ejaazi (Nov 3, 2007)

Greetings! I practice Aikido and we use the sword. The style of sword I use to study was called Aiki-Ken or the Iwama style. This style of bokken was practiced without the use of a tsuba and the cuts were always straigh down the middle with no contact to the hand or arm. Now the style I study is more like Iaido and this style of bokken has a tsuba with the sword cuts also going down the middle, but also down the side of the opposing sword to the persons hand. (Hope I'm explaining this right) My question is, which one is correct as far as true swordsmanship goes - with or without a tsuba? Which method would be considered true practice of the true sword arts? Thanks!


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## pgsmith (Jan 15, 2008)

> My question is, which one is correct as far as true swordsmanship goes - with or without a tsuba?


Yes. 
It depends upon the school as to whether they practice with or without a tsuba. Some ryu do, and others do not. Easier to answer is whether aiki-ken is representative of "true sword arts". The answer to that would be no. The objective of aiki-ken is to improve your understanding of aikido through the use of a bokken, not to teach proper swordsmanship.

Without having decades worth of personal experience, the only way to know if your training is consistent with actual Japanese swordsmanship is to study your school's history. If it is a traditional school of the Japanese sword arts with a legitimately knowledgeable instructor and ties back to the honbu in Japan, then you stand a much better chance of getting authentic training. If it is a modern made school with no ties, then there's no real way of knowing whether you're learning legitimate Japanese swordsmanship, or just fancy movements.


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## kaizasosei (Jan 15, 2008)

i don't like to use those plastic tsuba that always slide around.  i prefer the sword to be more free. 

also for combat, i have virtually forgotten about the tsuba alltogether, but if i had one i think i could use it and would enjoy the added safety.  but in many bokken sparring ive had, i didn't really care about the tsuba. ive been hit enough times on hand that were sometimes not padded or gloved. and that was with tsuba -it amazing that i didn't snap some bones.

and for training at home, i can't even remember where i put those cumbersome things, come to think of it.- i much more like the feel when you extend the arms out without the tsuba.

j


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## Sukerkin (Jan 16, 2008)

A very good answer from *pgsmith* above :tup:.  It's oddly like the answer to the OP I meant to give when I saw it a couple of months ago  ...  but then forgot to respond as the grip of dotage tightned .


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