I study Iaido, which is, basically, the art of drawing a sword. To study Iaido, you have to have a sword, which can be either an Iaito or a Shinken; Iaito are not sharp, and Shinken are. Shinken are also used for cutting mats. I love Katana, which is a particular type of Japanese sword, around which most of these sword arts are based. At the time of this writing, I own three, and the two most recent are the topic of this artical.
Updates
- 2007-11-23
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Randy Seligmann <rescksj@...> wrote to correct me on lumping Tae-Kwon-Do in with Japanese martial arts, saying:
Interesting site, but someone needs to tell you that Tae Kwon Do is not a Japanese martial art- it is Korean and is also often spelled Taekwondo.
He's right, of course.
Background
Iaido is very formal and precise. It's more practical sibling is Iai-Jutsu, or Batto-Jutsu. In general, whenever you see a Japanese martial art that ends in "-do", it is a formalization, an abstract study, of something that used to be something you used to fight real fights with. Kendo, Iaido, Aikido, Judo, Tae Kwon Do... these are all arts which, while useful and certainly martial, are abstractions from "the real thing". When you see something ending in "-jutsu", it is an art that would most closely resemble something that you'd get taught with the expectation that you were going to someday find yourself in a big field with a bunch of other, angry people, all trying to kill each other. These are arts such as Ju-Jutsu, Aiki-Jutsu, Batto-Jutsu, and so on.
It is my opinion that the -dos were what the masters studied when they got really good, and that that information has been distilled for mass consumption. I think a good analogy would be carpentry: you can be taught carpentry by being given a hammer, some nails, and a saw, and being put to work building a barn. You learn a lot of really good skills. Then, at some point, you may decide to go take a class to learn the intricacies of routing, carving, and joining. Then you're even better. Alternately, you can just take the classes. You'll have the knowledge, but you'll be lacking a certain intimacy with the art that you can only gain by practical experience in the more mundane aspects of it.
Iaido is often practiced with Iaito, which are usually made from aluminum, and can't be sharpened. They're usually light swords, and while they can put out an eye, you're not likely to lose a finger or sever any tendons with them -- which is why they're popular. Iaito range in price from $100 up to $1000.
Shinken, sharpened swords, are made from steel, and cost anywhere from one hundred up to the tens of thousands of dollars. People do practice with Shinken, although it is better not to until you're good, you have plenty of room, and you don't mind spearing yourself. Shinken are also used for cutting.
Cutting starts with taking rice mats, rolling them tightly, binding them with rubber bands (or ties), and then soaking for 24 hours or so. They are then stuck onto short posts, forming a sort of soggy pole. Cutters then take their Shinken and practice cutting the rolls, attempting to get straight, smooth cuts, like you see in the movies where the swordsman slices a candle, and it sort of slides apart. It isn't easy to get a good cut, and there are a dozen different cuts of different difficulties.
There are two basic cost factors in Katana: the blade, and the fittings. There are many factors in the cost of a blade; the quality of the steel; whether it is folded, and if so, how many times; who made it; and how old it is. A "good" folded blade from decent steel usually starts around $1000. If it is made by an artisan, expect it to start at $4000. If it is an antique, all bets are off; really old, crappy swords can be more expensive than a new, well made one.
The other cost factor are the fittings. These are the things that make up the handle, and they, too, can be very expensive. They can be antiques, be finely carved, or be made of precious metals. The handle can be ray skin wrapped in silk, with gold or silver parts (I've yet to see one with a platinum Tsuba, but I'm sure they exist). Any decent fittings will be all hand made. It isn't unusual for the fittings to cost more than the blade itself.
Mine
I have three swords, two Iaito and one Shinken. My first Iaito was purchased for me for my birthday. It was heavy, and ended up being too short for me. It is actually good to start with a short sword, because drawing (noto) and resheathing (sayabiki) can be difficult. I recently decided to invest in a new Iaito, and (at the same time) a Shinken for cutting -- borrowing Shinken sucks.
Here are my new babies:
Iaito
The Iaito is of good quality, and is 2-5-5 shaku, which puts it at about 77.3cm. The fittings aren't jewelry-quality, but they're pretty nice.
The kashira (end cap) is buffalo horn. The tsuka-ito (braiding) is silk, and the same (the material under the ito) is ray skin. The tsuba (hand guard) is bronze, and the fuchi (the thing separating the tsuka (handle) from the tsuba) is silver. The menuki (the diamond ornament) is iron.
The segeo is a safety cord that ties the scabbard (saya) to the belt, and is insurance against losing the saya. There is a lot of ritual around the segeo, about how to tie it for this situation or that. Believe it or not, a 6' long segeo can cost $75 or more. I don't know how much this one is worth, but it is an awesome segeo. It is braided in such a way that it doesn't kink. The saya (scabbard) which you can see in the top photo, is laminated wood with buffalo horn koiguchi (mouth) and kojiri (cap). This is a particularly nice saya, in my opinion.
As you can see, this blade has a hi (groove), which was meant, contrary to popular belief, to reduce the weight of the blade, not to allow blood to escape. The habaki (the blade collar) is bronze. You can also see the seppa (spacer between the tsuba and the habaki), which is silver.
Here you can see the monouchi, which is the cutting part of the blade. Technically, this is the only part of the sword that, if used properly, is ever used for cutting. The kissaki is the curved part of the blade.
Shinken
The shinken I chose is a beast. It is very much a practical, work-horse sword. This isn't a wall-hanging sword; it is a chopping-people-up (or, in my case, targets) sword. I chose this sword because I'm still a novice cutter, and this sword is (more or less) indistructable. It is a Cold Steel sword, which is a brand; it is very heavy, very solid, and really sharp. It is not folded, and the steel is fairly hard. The alternative was much more expensive (nearly double for just the blade), lighter, and much sharper, and I'm not good enough yet to be comfortable that I wouldn't bend it. The fittings are less fancy than those on my iaito; the blade is a touch shorter (by about an inch) and the tsuka is about that much longer. The longe tsuka equates to more powerful cuts.
I'm not certain what all of the fittings are made of (I'll update this when I find out what they are), but I'd guess they're mostly iron. The tsukaito is cloth, and the segeo here is long and nicely made, but not as fine as the segeo on the iaito.
The tsuka is double-pinned. The seppas are bronze, and the kashira is more traditional (or common).
The habaki here again is bronze, and the hi extends down into the habaki. The texture on the blade is oil. These blades corrode and discolor easily, so you avoid touching them, and you always clean and oil them if you touch or use them. I like this tsuba more than the one on the iaito, although this is cheaper.
The kassiki on this sword is enormous. I like the look of the shorter kassiki, but I think this is only a matter of taste.
Summary
I'm very happy with these swords, and I expect to have both of them for quite some time. At some point, I may purchase a more elegant shinken -- something lighter, and higher quality -- but you can bend shinken while cutting with them if you make a bad enough cut.
I'd put some links here, but I'm lazy, and you can google for Iaido and Katana just as well as I can.