My First Blade
It's about time I get a sword for my iaido practice.
As mentioned before, the blade of an iaito may be metal, but it is some rust-proof alloy and cannot cut; it doesn't even have a sharp edge, although you may want to be careful where the point goes. The blade of a shinken, or a real sword, is made of carbon steel and can rust if you just breathe into it, so it must be constantly oiled.
Not only are there a huge selection of shinken being sold out there on the internet (some good and some crappy, caveat emptor), but also iaito. I can't wait for an iaito to be made and delivered, so I buying it online is out of the question. No, it's not that I'm buying on impulse, but I am really pressed for time. Next summer term, I can only attend one iaido practice a week because of night classes - in the fall term, I can't attend any practices at all. It is imperative that I learn as much as I can before I am unable to attend practices. A wooden sword is still useful, but doesn't give you any idea of the weight and dimensions of a sword, nor can you practice drawing from a scabbard. Furthermore, it is always good to get a feel of the sword before you buy it, as having a proper sword is important to develop good technique during the early stages of learning.
So where do I go to buy one? Fortunately, one store, Aoi Budogu, set up a booth during the iaido seminar, complete with their wares, and I like their quality. I got the necessary dimensions from the sage advice of my sensei, so my only personal needs are that the blade be heavy to train myself for the weight of a real sword, and that the tsuka maki, or the hilt wrapping, be leather. No, it's not because it looked cool in Kill Bill, but leather gets nice and sticky for that steady grip, so I don't have to be afraid of my sword flying out of my hand and impaling some poor bystander, whether or not he deserves it. The only tradeoff is that leather is thicker than cotton or silk wrapping, so it might be tricky to handle the sword at times.
Since the seminar was long over, I had to go to the actual store to buy the sword. It's tucked away in some industrial park, but they have a showroom totally decked out in traditional Japanese style. It was samurai pimped-out, but I was more interested in what they have in inventory. Unfortunately, they didn't have a sword that meets my exact specifications, but they did have one that came close, only that the blade was lighter. An iaito being a significant investment, it took me two hours to decide on that sword, since I realized that developing technique is most important, and that a lighter blade will help me focus on that objective. When I'm ready for a heavier sword, I can have it custom-made to my exact specifications without being pressed for time.
I'm still happy with my decision. The sword feels very well-balanced, and the blade makes a nice whistle when I swing it properly. I'm not going to say how much I spent, as my parents will kill me. Especially since they're Hong Kong Chinese, who are notorious for their adverse reaction to large expenditures. Besides, I have more than enough people trying to blackmail me for other things.
Now I am one step closer in my quest to fight back the Western Devils, HUZZAH!
As mentioned before, the blade of an iaito may be metal, but it is some rust-proof alloy and cannot cut; it doesn't even have a sharp edge, although you may want to be careful where the point goes. The blade of a shinken, or a real sword, is made of carbon steel and can rust if you just breathe into it, so it must be constantly oiled.
Not only are there a huge selection of shinken being sold out there on the internet (some good and some crappy, caveat emptor), but also iaito. I can't wait for an iaito to be made and delivered, so I buying it online is out of the question. No, it's not that I'm buying on impulse, but I am really pressed for time. Next summer term, I can only attend one iaido practice a week because of night classes - in the fall term, I can't attend any practices at all. It is imperative that I learn as much as I can before I am unable to attend practices. A wooden sword is still useful, but doesn't give you any idea of the weight and dimensions of a sword, nor can you practice drawing from a scabbard. Furthermore, it is always good to get a feel of the sword before you buy it, as having a proper sword is important to develop good technique during the early stages of learning.
So where do I go to buy one? Fortunately, one store, Aoi Budogu, set up a booth during the iaido seminar, complete with their wares, and I like their quality. I got the necessary dimensions from the sage advice of my sensei, so my only personal needs are that the blade be heavy to train myself for the weight of a real sword, and that the tsuka maki, or the hilt wrapping, be leather. No, it's not because it looked cool in Kill Bill, but leather gets nice and sticky for that steady grip, so I don't have to be afraid of my sword flying out of my hand and impaling some poor bystander, whether or not he deserves it. The only tradeoff is that leather is thicker than cotton or silk wrapping, so it might be tricky to handle the sword at times.
Since the seminar was long over, I had to go to the actual store to buy the sword. It's tucked away in some industrial park, but they have a showroom totally decked out in traditional Japanese style. It was samurai pimped-out, but I was more interested in what they have in inventory. Unfortunately, they didn't have a sword that meets my exact specifications, but they did have one that came close, only that the blade was lighter. An iaito being a significant investment, it took me two hours to decide on that sword, since I realized that developing technique is most important, and that a lighter blade will help me focus on that objective. When I'm ready for a heavier sword, I can have it custom-made to my exact specifications without being pressed for time.
I'm still happy with my decision. The sword feels very well-balanced, and the blade makes a nice whistle when I swing it properly. I'm not going to say how much I spent, as my parents will kill me. Especially since they're Hong Kong Chinese, who are notorious for their adverse reaction to large expenditures. Besides, I have more than enough people trying to blackmail me for other things.
Now I am one step closer in my quest to fight back the Western Devils, HUZZAH!
posted by Cosmic Ocean at 7:57 PM
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