first aproaching

[Manny]

Last night I went to the kendo/iaido dojo, there my friend Daniel teaches Budo taijutsu and the owner of the dojo is a kendoka and iaido sensei, Daniel show me the real katanas they had and even they were not japan made they are pretty decent about aesthetics and functionality they use those katanas por cutting (tameshigeri???). As they told me the katanas were not expencive around 200 american dollars each one but they are full tang, they can take the swords apart for cleaning and conditioning and they had a very good and sharp edge.

Mark the kendo/iaido sensei told me they train kendo, iaido and batonjutsu if I recall and told me the clases of iaido are every saturday at 8:00 a.m and the clasess starts in two weeks cause all the iaido people are on vacations.

I will give iaido a try, at this moment cant do high impact exercises or workout because of my phasitis plantar but I think starting in iado will be good for me. I will use a borrowed boken while I order mine.

Manny

 

[Ken Morgan]

You can never go wrong with iaido.

I practiced with an iaito for five years before I bought a sharp sword Manny, don't rush getting into waving a three foot razor blade around, it will not necessarily improve your iai.

 

[Langenschwert]

it will not necessarily improve your iai.

Rumour has it that the only thing that will improve one's iai is practice.

In all seriousness Manny, I think you made the right decision. You can learn the basics of swordsmanship with a simple stick. Some schools do just that, as a matter of fact.

Sharp swords are fun (I have a few very nice ones), but almost all my training is done with blunt steel or nylon wasters for European swordsmanship, and bokuto for Japanese swordsmanship.

Good luck with your training!

Best regards,

-Mark

 

[Cryozombie]

Rumour has it that the only thing that will improve one's iai is practice.

LOL... that is priceless, and probably true.

 

[pgsmith]

Congratulations on beginning your career in the Japanese sword arts Manny. Be warned, the gross movements are easy to learn but it takes a lifetime of refinement to do them correctly. Friends will look at you like you are crazy for repeating the same kata over and over attempting to get just the right angle. Your girlfriend/spouse will be intrigued and want to watch you practice exactly once, whereupon she will declare it incredibly boring and never want to see you do it again. All of your savings will end up going toward swords and sword related equipment.

OK, maybe that's just me, but you can't say I didn't warn you!

 

[Langenschwert]

Be warned, the gross movements are easy to learn but it takes a lifetime of refinement to do them correctly.

"An amateur practices until he gets it right. A professional practices until he can't get it wrong."

Good luck with your training, Manny. I've been doing swordsmanship for six years now, and I love it more than ever.

Best regards,

-Mark

 

[Vulcan]

All of your savings will end up going toward swords and sword related equipment.

And Cryozombie said it was "priceless".:boing2:

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

Good luck Manny I am sure you will enjoy it!

 

[govmulestyle]

Manny,

IMHO I would not buy a 200 dollar Iaito as a beginner. If you cannot use a bokken I recommend:

http://www.trueswords.com/bushido-musashi-unsharpened-iaito-training-katana-sword-p-4991.html

The musashi iaito is pretty good and its double pegged for safety.


Hope it helps.

 

[pgsmith]

Manny,
IMHO I would not buy a 200 dollar Iaito as a beginner. If you cannot use a bokken I recommend:

http://www.trueswords.com/bushido-musashi-unsharpened-iaito-training-katana-sword-p-4991.html

The musashi iaito is pretty good and its double pegged for safety.

Hope it helps.

That may be a suitable sword for playing samurai in the back yard, but it would never be allowed through the door in my dojo. A decent iaito for daily practice will start at about $300. "Replica" swords like the one you linked to are too dangerous to be used for serious practice. You won't find them in any legitimate dojo of the Japanese sword arts.

 

[Sojobo]

Hello,

I was keen on studying batto with a Daito-ryu group I was with (at the time) and so I purchased an Iaito that set me back about £ 280.00 GBP (that’s about $ 430.00 US).

There was a sword ban imminent here in the UK, so I decided to beat the legislation and purchase it.

Shortly after, circumstances meant I was unable to train with the school (in Batto) so it gathered dust for about 2 years (well it didn't really as it was in a sword bag).

I have recently started training in a Koryu Bujutsu which of course has Kenjutsu and Iai/batto central to its pedagogy - so it has now started to see the light of day again.

However just like pgsmith, my instructor insisted on giving the piece a thorough inspection before he allowed me to use it in his dojo.

I must admit, I was relieved when he handed it back to me saying "that's a nice piece" - and allowed me to use it.

My point is that function is paramount. Swords may look and sound good - but safety is really important - as you can end up really hurting yourself and others if the product is not fit for purpose.

Gary

 

[Daniel Sullivan]

Last night I went to the kendo/iaido dojo, there my friend Daniel teaches Budo taijutsu and the owner of the dojo is a kendoka and iaido sensei, Daniel show me the real katanas they had and even they were not japan made they are pretty decent about aesthetics and functionality they use those katanas por cutting (tameshigeri???). As they told me the katanas were not expencive around 200 american dollars each one but they are full tang, they can take the swords apart for cleaning and conditioning and they had a very good and sharp edge.

Mark the kendo/iaido sensei told me they train kendo, iaido and batonjutsu if I recall and told me the clases of iaido are every saturday at 8:00 a.m and the clasess starts in two weeks cause all the iaido people are on vacations.

I will give iaido a try, at this moment cant do high impact exercises or workout because of my phasitis plantar but I think starting in iado will be good for me. I will use a borrowed boken while I order mine.

Manny

Welcome to the wonderful world of the Japanese sword! I recommend sticking with a bokuto/bokken until your instructor has told you to do otherwise. Then purchase what your instructor recommends. I'd avoid the under 300 dollar swords, as most are decorative pieces and unsuited to actual sword work.

Daniel