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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2008 9:34:07 GMT
What sword/iaito do you use when doing kata at the dojo? We've seen quite a few reviews on cutting swords here, but little on kata. So I was just wondering what everyone uses? I use a tenchi with bo-hi, the two main reasons are it has a nice tachi-kaze and its my cheapest sword so I don't start crying if the saya gets a scratch or two I realize that most people probably use iaito but at my dojo we are required to practice with bokuto only until we are ready to use a shinken. Some people choose iaito instead of shinken though (mostly girls) because of the lighter weight.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2008 13:47:05 GMT
Hi Speaktree, I usually use one of my bokkens. I have a PC Tsuru iaito that I have used as well, but only when the dojo is not crowded and there are no little kids around. I like the lighter weight of the iaito because I can do more repetitions before tiring, and my kata need a lot of repetition However, I do plan on getting a heavier one when I get used to this weight. Brian Dreier at Ronin swords has a nice one for $200 right now. I think you can get some pretty light weight shinken now, but IIRC they are harder to use for cutting. So these may not be a really good choice for a first sword. Unfortunately (or fortunately for some of us), one size does not fit all, or all abilities. "Swords....bet you can't buy just one!" DJMahoney
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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2008 15:01:47 GMT
Dj: they are only harder if your technique isn't right. With the right technique, which requires a little bit of finessing, it will cut just as well as a heavier katana.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2008 15:06:56 GMT
currently I have a Nami iaito that I bought from a fellow dojo mate. Started with a practical but it didn't give very good feedback when hasuji was achieved which bugged the hell outta me.
You'll find many discussions on many forums about bokuto/bokken vs. iaito vs. shinken for iaido practice, but I figure teh grounds for that debate is mostly out of what your particular ryu requires so therefore a debate on the subject doesn't really make sense.
personally, I couldn't see using a 2.5-3.0 pound sword to practice with for some of the things we do and for the amount of repetition involved (go senbon-giri anyone?). But that's our school in particular. YMMV.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2008 15:12:19 GMT
I actually think the best thing for any repetition for sword work is a suburito because of two reasons. The first is that doing repetition work with a subu helps you to build up strength and stamina and control and the second is that if you can gain control and precision with a subu you can use damn near any katana no matter what the weight it. Subu's are also generally really long so it throws the balance out a bit and learning to stop your cut with a subu is painful! But it is well worth it. I have been using an axe handle for years to do my practice with because they are cheaper than bokken and better in my opinion.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2008 15:41:40 GMT
we have a specific class for suburito, but our huge suburitos would likely be impossible to use for anything other than their particular exercises. The regular suburito could be used fine I suppose, but the ones we use for suburito class are huge: www.nihonzashi.com/bokken.aspx#Heavy_Suburitoimagine these bad boys in purple heart, they're like 8-9 or more pounds! we do a special set of exercises for about 40-45 minutes with the extra heavy suburito then we pick up our iaitos and go trough the 8 cuts at lightning speed to end the session. It's actually pretty cool and does a lot to help develop strength. since we are a batto school, drawing is very important (obviously) and you just can't practice that properly without an iaito or shinken, and suburito would be out of the question for entire classes.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2008 20:51:19 GMT
We just use bokkens...and people who don't have one train with whatever the hell there is... kinda "not so classy, not traditional and lame", I know. but it's very much like the ninja way:D
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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2008 21:20:38 GMT
It seems that some posters slightly misunderstood the purpose of this thread, the intention was to see what some of the members personal preferences are for their kata sword and why? I'm not looking to replace mine as I'm quite happy with it Also we already had the alloy iaito vs steel iaito discussion in another thread, so no need for us to bring it up again This is more a way to find out more about each others preferences when it comes to a kata sword. Bloodwraith, it really depends on what school you're training in, in MJER (my school) drawing and sheathing correctly forms a large part of the art, something that you can't train with a bokuto and which is also one of the things students struggle with most when they move from bokuto to iaito or shinken. On the lighter blades cutting ability I agree with you, they cut just as well. It just requires a slightly different technique as the blade has less weight, so it packs less of a 'bludgeoning' punch, but it seems to have a more razor like quality to it. Sorry if I caused some confusion!
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Post by tajima on Jun 30, 2008 21:34:26 GMT
I use the Oniyuri, sharpened. Why? It is a real sword, and also my main cutter. It helps 100% more if you do your Kata with the same weapon you use for cutting. You learn to know your sword more, you learn what works best with cutting with your sword, you train with a live blade and they don't seem so heavy...the list goes on.
Shinken for the win.
Thanks, -Tajima
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Post by Deleted on Jul 1, 2008 3:48:44 GMT
Yes, I guess that's what I meant to imply by harder.
Sorry, just thinking out loud since I mentioned moving to a heavier sword. My current one is 852 grams, has a decent sounding tachi kaze, and is a good size. It is good for me right now, but I expect to outgrow it. In fact I just got a longer heavier bokken to train with so that I don't have to buy a custom sword. Sorry - rambling again.
That's why I have a bokken with a saya.
DJMahoney
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Post by Deleted on Jul 1, 2008 4:48:51 GMT
I use the sakura and let me tell you, you are far more careful with your sheathing when you know their is a razor sharp bottle slayer in your hands, you don't sheath fast.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 1, 2008 16:35:23 GMT
That's why I have a bokken with a saya. DJMahoney still very different from noto with a shinken or an iaito. Almost deceivingly easy with bokken/saya to me ('cept for when the bastard pinches you ). If you haven't used a sword yet you'll see when you do.
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Post by ninjavanish76 on Jul 12, 2008 2:02:24 GMT
I take two katanas to class,my ryumon dragon katana and my wind katana but lately i'v been leaning more to the ryumon as it feels a little more quick in my hands.
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