Hi all,

I took part in this years Iaido championships over the weekend, this was my first entry into the UK nationals but my second tournament in total (my first being the European event representing the UK).

It came out to be a great day, in the individuals tournament I came away with the Bronze medal and in the team event myself and two others (all 2nd Dan) managed to secure the silver even though we were up against 3rd/4th and 5th dans. It came to a complete shock seeing as we figured we would be knocked out in the first round we had no hopes or idea we would reach the finals.

Great weekend all around There should be some official pictures I'll link them here once they are up.

Pilgrim1099 Wrote:That's pretty cool. They teach Iaido somewhat in the Aikido dojos here in Vermont, but I never took it upon as I studied Jit Jitsu years ago. Then over time, I got curious about Kendo (another art form) and wanted to take it, but the expenses of it were astronomical and the class was impossible to find. But that was a long time ago. So, I came upon Fencing here and thought, "Now, that's another art I've been meaning to get into". Lo and behold, I've been fencing for about four years now. So anyone who's had experience wielding the katana, or shinai, has my respect. Great job, though!

Thanks, I also practice Kendo and yes in some ways the cost can be more expensive than Iaido. Cheaper clothing for Kendo but armour can set you back £300 easily for the cheapest set that won't last long at all. The sword I am using in those pictures is an Iaito (Blunt) cost me £650 but thats because the handle wrapping is silk and its all custom made for me. You can pick Iaito up from £200 and you'll get a decent sword, however true tamahagane forged folded steel can set you back £3000 for a basic sword.

I was going to try out fencing but when I discovered the Dojo where I train now and that they do both Iaido and Kendo I decided to take that up. I've been training in Iaido for 4 years now Kendo I started at the same time but due to injury I'd say I've had only half the time.

Pilgrim1099 Wrote:I know what you mean. Fencing is'nt bad on the budget actually as the jacket cost me about $50 bucks on average along with the knickers which is required by the rules during tournaments, including the mask that I ordered from the UK that cost me about $125. Very lightweight and breathable compared to the old one I had four years ago. Mostly I specialize with the Epee as my weapon of choice switching between the pistol grip (orthopedics) and French grip (traditional). Usually the electric weapons are a bit more expensive and need a bit of maintaining to ensure the tips and contact springs are in good working condition. The most expensive epee I've seen was about close to $200 from Leon Paul but I don't have it. Foil and Saber are the other two weapon classes but I stay away from that due to the 'right of way' rules that I find confusing time to time, even though I'm getting a hang of it with the former weapon. In Sept, fencing classes will start soon. I always feel like a program dueling to the end with my blade about to derezz someone.

I'm the odd one in Kendo, as I participate in Iaido and Niten I prefer an oval grip Shinai over the traditional round. The advantage this gives me is I can cut faster as it allows me to use my fingers better. Not sure how much you know about Kendo/Iaido and I know very little on how to use Epee but with the Japanese sword you cut with your fingers and back muscles not your arms its a concept I am really struggling with and I am happy to say most high grades struggle with this also so thats good to know. So using the oval shinai allows me more use of my fingers to the cut travels faster. Most pure Kendoka (Kendo practitioners) don't like it when they fence me because of this not that I hurt of beat them just the noise that my cuts produce is very loud inside of the Helmet.

I generally always lose in Kendo but thats my fault for not going regularly enough and also refusing to do the small tournament techniques I prefer the bigger Iaido cuts. I get hit more but I enjoy myself

Some people prefer the carbon fibre shinai that cost almost up to $200 but my bamboo oval grip cost around $30 should last me a while before I have to replace it. I've just bought a Shinken for my Iaido however I won't be using it exclusively just yet as I am not 100% comfortable with the idea of a sharp sword :P

Kat Wrote:Haha. In my world swords are for dancing over. Pics looked really cool. Would love to see a video if you ever get one.

If there is a video I'll put it straight up on here, I've managed to get another 30 pictures but they are linked within facebook so I'll have to download and then upload to something else to share them

I've recently started using a shinken but only on the saturday free practice sessions and only once a month just to get a different feel. With it being lighter I've realised just how much tension I've been putting in that is just not needed at all. But I don't want to use it full time as of yet not until at least Yondan would I consider using a Shinken more regularly.

I'm considering being at the next major seminar in Germany next year. We'll see.

And you're a year into nidan and you're already using a shinken? Brave fellow. Hope your noto and draw are near perfect. I started using a shinken about six months after I got my yondan (the pics are on my Flickr page if you haven't seen it already). Nice Japanese blade I splurged for. The only difference is the waterwheel tsuba in those pictures is now on my mogito. I bought a nice edo period tsuba with brass rim which is now on my shinken. There's a better shot of it in this pic:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/10669139@N02/6898911014/in/photostream/lightbox/

And yes, those fencing arenas do look quite Tron-like. Pretty sweet.

I would love to replace the Tsuba on the Shinken with an antique, do you recommend any good places to look?

I got mine from eBay. If you keep your eyes peeled and pay attention to product descriptions and buyer feedback, you can get some great deals on antique tsubas. Might want to consult with the folks at nihontomessageboard.com about seller reputation if you're unsure.