Articles
Plain writing about iaido for newcomers and curious visitors — what the art is, how to start, and the things worth knowing along the way. None of it replaces a teacher; all of it is meant to make your time on the floor make more sense.
What Iaido Actually Is (and Isn't)
A plain explanation of iaido for people who have never held a sword: what you do, what it feels like, and the things newcomers usually get wrong about it.
ReadYour First Class: What to Expect
What actually happens at your first iaido class — what to wear, what to bring, what you'll be asked to do, and how not to feel lost walking in the door.
ReadChoosing Your First Iaitō
A practical buyer's guide to your first practice sword: length, weight, balance, and the honest answer to whether you should buy one at all in your first months.
ReadThe Four Movements Inside a Kata
Nukitsuke, kiritsuke, chiburi, nōtō — the four building blocks that make up almost every iaido form, explained for newcomers in plain terms.
ReadThe Twelve Seitei Kata, Briefly Explained
A short guide to the twelve ZNKR Seitei iaido forms that almost every beginner learns first, and why this standardised set exists at all.
ReadShoden: The Ōmori-ryū Set
An introduction to Shoden, the first transmission of Musō Shinden-ryū — the twelve Ōmori-ryū forms practised from seiza, and what makes them the foundation of the school.
ReadReihō: Why Etiquette Comes First
Bowing, where to put your sword, when to step onto the floor — the etiquette of an iaido dojo explained for newcomers, and why none of it is empty ceremony.
ReadLooking After Your Sword and Saya
How to clean, oil and store an iaitō, how to look after the saya, and the small habits that keep a practice sword safe and pleasant to use for years.
ReadWhat Test Cutting Teaches You
An honest look at tameshigiri — cutting rolled mats with a live blade — why dojos practise it separately, and what it reveals about the technique you've built in kata.
ReadWhere Musō Shinden-ryū Comes From
A short, honest history of Musō Shinden-ryū iaido — from Hayashizaki in the 1500s to Nakayama Hakudō naming the school in 1932 — without the usual myth-making.
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