Around the world, samurai and their famous swords serve as enduring symbols of Japan and Japanese culture. Among visitors to Japan then, opportunities to engage with samurai history and culture are in high demand. I was fortunate enough to receive such an opportunity at Musashi-no-kuni Mugai-kai, a dojo for practitioners of the iaido katana-based martial art. Iaido is typically described as a style that places focus on well timed draws from the sheathe, often captured with great style in the samurai films of old. However, my visit to Musashi-no-kuni Mugai-kai, chock full of opportunities to learn, watch, and directly participate in the action, provided a rich samurai experience that far surpassed the fantasy of such films.
I participated in a model version of an experience that’s regularly offered to foreign guests. The following is an overview of the experience interspersed with my own takeaways.
The experience starts with a well-paced and informative explanation from the shihan master, regarding iaido, its history, and the particular version of it that the dojo practices. I don’t want to spoil all of the juicy details here, but just know that the explanation touches upon the philosophical underpinnings of the art in a way that grants the experience an extra thread of meaning.
Visitors then change into gi, the traditional garb that practitioners of the art wear, and watch a kata katana form demonstration performed by students of the dojo. Every slash, every step of the kata is the crystallization of both countless hours of training and hundreds of years of honed tradition.
I found myself totally mesmerized by the kata. The quiet, controlled power of the students’ movements paired with the hypnotic flashes and refractions of light born from their swords sparked my imagination and brought to life memories of black and white jidai-geki films, of clashes of sword and will. Before long I wanted to get up there and try my own hand at the kata.
The rest of the experience is more interactive. After teaching guests how to draw and sheath a katana, the shihan allows them to hold the sword and really feel its heft. Please note that the sword here has had its edge dulled, so as to avoid any accidents.
For the final stretch of the experience, guests are handed model swords and individually taught simple moves, including dodges, slashes, and counters. When the moves really start to click, you’ll feel like you can take on the world. This is the highlight of the experience, hands down.
I really adored this bit. For the first time, I was able to pull off techniques I had only experienced via television screen and controller. Moreover, I had so much context trailing behind each of my movements, the context of the explanation, the context of the kata I had watched. I felt that I was participating, even if for a moment, in something impressively deep, something important.
As a final treat, guests are allowed to take photos with their gi and katana. Pairing these with the calligraphy that decorates the walls as a background makes for a really awesome picture. Guests then change, and the experience comes to a close.
Overall, I had an absolute blast at Musashi-no-kuni Mugai-kai. I learned about swords, held swords, and even got to do a bit of fighting with swords. I walked away from the experience, feeling very satisfied while still wanting more. For those looking to inject a bit more action into their Japan trip, this dojo comes highly recommended.
Location: 2-4-6 Kami Ochiai, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 161-0034 Japan
Price: ¥25,000~ (¥5,000 per person; starting price is set to 5 people regardless of whether fewer than 5 people participate)
Number of participants: 1-20 people (see note about pricing above). The dojo has stated that a party of 10 people is ideal. A party of 20 people is the absolute maximum and extends the time to about 2 and a half hours to allow for sufficient changing and practice time for each guest.
Gi sizes: Height 140 cm~
Age: 10 years~
English support: an English speaking staff member will interpret for guests.
To make a reservation, please access the site below. The reservation portal can be found at the bottom of the page.
<Author>
Joseph Bayliss
Travel Consultant at WaWo Japan Travel