Just received a pair of cotton, suede soled Tabi. There is a slight gap between the tip of the toe and the front of the Tabi of maybe half a centimetre. Is that acceptable, or should they be "skin tight"? The next size down will be a full centimetre shorter. Any advice greatly appreciated.

Hey I have an issue well, many but one concerning my Iaito it keeps falling out when I bow.

I understand the reason why it's doing this and as a Jr. Practitioner I should have learnt more. But is there any way to "tighten" the seal back up?

Thanks in advanced

Looking for a quality reference manual (total beginner so I guess up to Shodan) that’s pretty comprehensive in terms of the absolute basics. Any YouTube series as well? Also, if there are any affordable online courses out there, I’d be willing to take a look at those as well.

Thanks 🙏🏼

I am looking for a bag to hold an iaito, Bokken , Jo and Tanto. Preferably a canvas or something similar. I am looking for a replacement bag for my sensei whose bag just broke. I live in Japan also. Any one have any recommendations?

Hello all,

I bought an Iaito from Tozando while I was in Japan earlier this year that I really fell in love with. I didn't think to ask while there but now that I have it at home, I'm afraid to practice with it and damage the saya as I have hard tile floors. Unfortunately the saya doesn't have a kojiri and I was wondering what other alternatives to a professional kojiri I might be able to find as I don't think a kojiri just snaps on, correct? Something rubber or another impact absorbing softer material would be awesome so as not to potentially scratch my floors, too, haha.

Any input would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

Hey there fellow iaidokas.

Just a quick message, I wanted to celebrate obtaining my ShiDan yesterday, in an overheated gymnasium, after an Open where I "survived" to the 1/4th of finals against some amazing mudans, especially the one that defeated me, whom with just one year of experience barely lost the finals. Some people are amazing.

So for the Shodan passage, we had to show Mae, Tsuka Ate, Kesa Giri, Moroteu Tsuki and Sanpo Giri!

Anyway, it was a fun experience, and sonce I started my journey into Iaido by asking you fine people about it, I wanted to thank you too!

Hi everyone!

I’m currently deciding between the Minosaka Tensho Koshirae and the Nosyudo Tokujo for my first iaito, both with lightweight blades. I’ve done a lot of research, but I’m still uncertain about a couple of details, especially the tsuka (handle).

What are the differences in tsuka thickness and grip feel between these two models? Does the Minosaka Tensho Koshirae tsuka tend to feel thinner or more neutral in hand? Does the Nosyudo Tokujo tsuka offer a more ergonomic, thicker feel, or is it similar in size? For reference, I have medium-sized hands, and I want to make sure the grip will be comfortable during practice sessions without straining my wrists. Any insight into how the grips feel for extended use would be really helpful!

Thanks in advance for your help!

Hello again fellow practitioners, I am back with another question.

I am looking into learning Musō Shinden-Ryū Iaido style and I was wondering whether it extends to Naginata as well.

I would also like to know when I should start Naginata, could I start along with Iaido or should I wait to start Naginata?

(Also what is the Naginata martial art called or is it just called Naginatajutsu?)
Thank you all very much for answers to any of my questions 😄

Could you guys please show me your favourite knot of the sageo for transportation? Mine is just to wind it around the Saya and then fixate it somehow.

Hey there, I just bought my first Montsuki from nine circles and I’m a bit disappointed. Can someone tell me where I can find a better quality?

Hello, everyone. For context, I've been practicing several martial arts for a few years now, and I've had a few discussions with the older Senseis over where to tie the obi. I'm the only consistent woman on my dojo, and for anatomical reasons, I tend to tie my obi higher up the waist than my male counterparts, because if not, it would wiggle up my waist and loosen up. They tie it under their hip bones, but I tie it on or over my hip bones. I know that, traditionally, the knot should be where the hara is, but I believe that the placement of the hara in the body is more of an area that a specific point, so even if my knot is a bit higher, it still wraps around the area where I feel my hara to be, subjectively.

One of the arts I practice is kenjutsu, and seeing as it is a sister art with iaido, I wanted to ask here just to be sure or if anyone knows something that maybe I or my companions don't know: is there a "correct" placement of the katana, regarding the obi and hakama? I know that it's always placed on the left side, blade facing up. But because of where I tie my obi, my bokken and katana tend to "rest" on top of my hip bone, instead of being under it as happens with my male counterparts. Is this wrong in a traditional sense, or is it okay to do as long as it's comfortable for the user (in this case, me and other women)? Thanks.

My school has two iaito ordered within the past three years from Tozando. Previous iaito had typical bamboo mekugi; however, these new ones have black mekugi. I am not sure what material they are made of, and I have not had luck removing them.

1. Does anyone know what these mekugi are made of?
2. Has anyone had luck removing these mekugi?
3. Are these standard on all recent Tozando iaito?

Thank you in advance.

https://preview.redd.it/jpb6q4rs1e6e1.png?width=1170&format=png&auto=webp&s=2a3a40763ed5718fb2eb933391997814d6c7850b

https://preview.redd.it/am53yrrs1e6e1.png?width=1510&format=png&auto=webp&s=e4456ea3d3b456f84509661adc8e8ae685d534e5

Hello everyone,

I'll be in Japan on a trip and while I was just checking I saw that the 6th and 7th dan examination will take place when I'll be there. Do you think that it is possible to enter and just have a look for a hour?

Thanks !

Hello fellow practitionners,

I'd like to ask that question to my teacher, but i won't see him until a week, so newbie question here : how are you supposed to wear the sword(s) ? Does it change depending on the ryuha, or is it the same everywhere ? Do you have to wear it inside all the layers of the obi, or the outre one, or in the middle ? And how do you wear the wakizashi when you have one (same question as the sword, where in the obi) ?

Thank you for your responses !

Hello, I am a 15 yo teenager, went through a Iaido free trial, i have been practicing another martial art involving Kata for a while(Karate), i have tried to convince my mother for a while on joining Iaido for fun, but she calls it vile and inhumane for no appearing reason. Maybe because it involves a Iaito? She talks all crazy stuff about Iaido and how it’s made to kill others without even giving me a chance to explain it’ history and usage.

Does anyone know of any good Iaido schools on Long Island? TIA.

My tozando iaito I got a few days ago seems very hard to unsheathe from its Saya it seems far too tight about and I was wondering if I should shim or just try using it till it loosens ?

During pandemic, kendo instructor taught me these, which he learned from a Japanese kendoka 30 years ago, so they were vague and imprecise. Forgive the aikido gi and Judo noise. I only had a second. I'd be grateful for any idea of what this series is called. Thanks!

I just ordered my nosyudo shoden last week. I was trying to find info on Tsuka wrap thickness. Couldn’t find much . I decided to get an extra thick wrap as I figured I would get better grip on the Tsuka. I am 5’9 and getting a 2 Shaku 4 sun 5 bu length blade. Anyone have experience with the extra thick wrap or that vs standard? I hope it isn’t uncomfortable. Thanks

Anyone have pics of their uguisu or tetsukon wraps? Trying to decide which one to go with. Thanks!

Dear Iaidoka, do any of you have experience with Online Dojo - https://gen-universe.com/ ? I am interested in deepening my knowledge about koryu and I see that among the presenters is the head of the IAIDO ZNKR section. I don't care so much about training (I train traditionally offline in doho), but about information about the history of various styles, their philosophies, etc.

This is a quick research just to know how Iaido is managed. I know it's usually handled by the country's Kendo federation but I'm wondering if there is any other organizational model that is applied somewhere.

The inquiry is basically because in my country, Iaido started as association a part from kendo. But it seems it's required by FIK a single entity that manages kendo, Iaido, and Jodo. That's why later it joined the kendo association in order to participate in examinations, tournaments, and seminars. But the Iaido organization kept its "power" and a single point of view, to the point that every Iaido dojo in the country should obey their decisions (even opening a new dojo). The main kendo association recently started to take the Iaido community into account.