Medieval Weapons - The Passion of Swords

Iaido is an ancient Japanese martial art that can be defined as follow:

“The art of smooth controlled movements of drawing the sword from its scabbard, striking or cutting an opponent, removing blood from the blade, and then replacing the sword in the scabbard.” 

Iaido is almost entirely based on performing  “Kata”. Iaidoka are often reffered to as performer in the art of “moving Zen”.

Looking for a Iaido Sword?

While new student of Iaido often start with a wodden sword (bokken), we will concentrate on what most student use:  Iaito training swords.

Iaito training swords are unsharpened swords made mostly of aluminum-zinc allow which is often cheaper and lighter than steel.

IMPORTANT: These swords are not suited for any type of contact. They are designed and used for practice only.

Amongst all the Iaito swords available here are some of the best you can get for a decent price.

Hawei Gorin Iaito: These are the perfect training katana. The compostion of these swords makes them more durable than other swords made of aluminum alloy. Comes in three different sizes: 27, 28 and 29 inches.

Hanwei Meijin Iaito Katana:  This is without a doubt the best Iaito sword we have to recommend, it is also the most expensive. This particular practice sword is forged with T10 high-carbon steel with grooves (bo-hi) on both sides of the blade.

Nami Iaito Swords by Hanwei: These are probably the most common of the Iaito swords simply because they are manufactured by a company trusted for the quality of its swords and because they are affordable to anyone. Available in size of 26, 28 and 29 inches. Also available is the Nami Iaito Wakizashi.

And finally  the Tsuru Iaito by Hanwei: This is the best choice but the Iaidoka looking for a practice sword located in the mid price range. Comes in various sizes: 27, 28 and 29 inches. You can also purchase the Tsuru Iaito Wakizashi to have a complete set of practice swords by Paul Chen.