Hello everyone. Thank you for reading this article. I’m Shogo, the manager of this website and the interpreter/instructor at Yushikan Kyoto’s Samurai Training Activity.
Recently, there have been more and more of these 90~120-minute samurai experiences or katana training activities nationwide in Japan. Most activities teach you how to draw, sheath, and wield a katana, and at the end, you cut a rolled-up tatami mat with a real katana. I have worked at three different “samurai experiences” and have been training katana martial arts for about nine years now.
Because there are so many options, it is confusing for many travelers. Therefore, to avoid wasting your precious time, I would like to share with you three points you should look out for when choosing your activity.
- The price is too low
- No information about the instructor
- A Ryuha style that doesn’t train mat cutting
If the price is too low, the instructor’s explanations may be inadequate, or you may end up with other customers who engage in dangerous behavior. Choosing the most expensive facility may not be necessary, but I would be concerned about safety if it is extremely inexpensive compared to others.
Next, look for a profile of the facility’s instructors. If a properly experienced instructor is teaching, they should be proud to introduce themselves. If there are no referrals, there is probably some reason why they cannot. I feel you cannot call yourself an Iaido instructor unless you have at least ten years of experience.
Finally, even if they are martial arts instructors, they may not usually practice Shizan (mat cutting). As far as I know, I have found the experience of Shizan (mat cutting) at the end despite it being a “kendo experience.” Since Shizan (mat cutting) is never practiced in kendo, there is a possibility that the instructor is teaching on his/her own without knowing the dangers of Shizan (mat cutting) or the correct way to teach it. If the instructor has proper experience in Shizan (mat cutting), he or she should have a history of competing in tournaments and videos or photos of Shizan (mat cutting) being performed outside of his or her facility.
If you have any other questions about this topic, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Also, if you want to participate in any of our activities, please book through our Airbnb or TripAdvisor pages. We look forward to meeting you all.
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