Discover the Essence of Japanese Culture: Japanese Sword Appreciation & Iaido Experience
Japanese swords have been crafted using distinctive blacksmithing techniques since around the 12th century. Iaido is a practice that helps you improve yourself through the training of Japanese sword techniques. The Tohoku region, known as the birthplace of Iaido, offers a variety of tours where you can experience Japanese swords and Iaido firsthand.
In Inakadate Village, Aomori Prefecture, for example, you can experience the art of appreciating and caring for a real Japanese sword by learning from a local swordsmith!
In Semboku City, Akita Prefecture, on the other hand, you can practice Iaido with a master in a dojo along Kakunodate Bukeyashiki-dori, a street lined with samurai residences.
In Murayama City, Yamagata Prefecture, the birthplace of Hayashizaki Jinsuke Shigenobu, the founder of Iaido, you can learn the basics and etiquette of Iaido, and even watch a demonstration of cutting a tatami tube with a real sword!
Japanese swords are revered as works of art, and the spirituality of Iaido can be deeply felt through training with a real Japanese blade. Discover the essence of Japanese culture in the Tohoku region.
Master the Art of Appreciating and Caring for Beautiful Japanese Swords!
In Inakadate Village, Aomori Prefecture, you can take part in a Japanese sword experience led by Kunihiro Nakahata, the prefecture's only swordsmith!
First, the swordsmith at the Japanese Sword Workshop "Katana no Iori" will give you a lecture on the art of sword making. Afterward, you'll have the chance to learn the key points of appreciating Japanese swords, which are also highly regarded as works of art. In addition, you can hold a Japanese sword yourself and learn how to care for it!
The tour also offers a chance to chat with the swordsmith over tea and sweets. This is a perfect opportunity to ask an expert anything you've ever wanted to know about Japanese swords.
*Reservations for the experience are expected to open in April
Experience Iaido—the Samurai spirit—in Kakunodate, known as Little Kyoto!
Kakunodate in Semboku City, Akita Prefecture, still preserves its old castle town with bukeyashiki (samurai residences) dating back to the Edo period (1603-1868). At the martial arts stadium along Bukeyashiki-dori Street, you can experience Iaido—the art of drawing a Japanese sword—while dressed in a traditional dogi (martial arts uniform).
Your instructor is a highly skilled Iaido master with years of dedicated training. After a lecture from the master instructor, you'll learn proper etiquette, Japanese sword techniques, kata (forms,) and practice cutting human-shaped targets. Moreover, you'll get to know the history of Kakunodate's samurai, the traditional martial arts of the region, the deep spirituality behind the training, and its continuation.
This plan includes a visit to the "Sacred Ground of Iaido," where you can witness the practice of tatami-tube cutting with a real sword!
In Murayama City, Yamagata Prefecture, you'll find the Nihon Issha Hayashizaki Iai Jinja Shrine, where Hayashizaki Jinsuke Shigenobu, the founder of Iaido, trained and developed Battojutsu, the art of sword drawing. Your Iaido experience will start with a visit to this shrine, known as the "Sacred Ground of Iaido"!
After visiting the shrine, you'll head to the nearby Murayama Iai Shinbukan, where a high-ranked Iaido instructor will teach you Iaido etiquette and the basic form, Shohatto. The highlight of the experience is watching the instructor, highly skilled in Battojutsu, cut through a tatami tube with a real sword. This is a unique opportunity to sharpen your concentration and mental strength in the birthplace of Iaido!
