Study an iai that isn’t “just dance” but it “can actually cut”!

The Mugai-ryu swordsmanship tradition, is said to have been mastered by Saito Hajime, captain of the third unit and lauded as the strongest swordsman of the Shinsengumi police force. Founded by the Edo period swordsman Tsuji Gettan, it reached its peak of prosperity as a major school with an enormous number of disciples, including 32 feudal lords, 156 shogun retainers and 930 vassals

In this DVD, continuing from the previous two installments, shihan (master teacher) Takeda Hogyoku, heir to a lineage of practical iaido advocating that “iaido that doesn’t cut is just dancing,” meticulously explains the kata (forms) central to the essence of iaido.

The master, who is highly reputed for his “instantly easy-to-visualize instruction,” has created a groundbreaking iaido instructional video that makes it easy to deepen one’s understanding of the tradition’s kata. The video features practical, battle-like simulation commentary throughout, setting a hypothetical enemy for each individual, actual kata.

Takeda Hogyoku
Kyoshi 8th dan Menkyo. President of International Iaido Organization Hogyokukai. Started with Kyokushin Karate and in 1999 he was the Winner of the International Kyokushinkai Karate Association Prefectural Competition in Fukuoka. Since 2010, he has received direct, private instruction from Mugai-ryū Meishi-ha headmaster Gyokuso Niina and was granted the bugo (martial arts name) “Hogyoku.” He has received the British Government-certified OSS medal from Scotland and has appeared frequently in various media. He is currently working to disseminate Mugai-ryu Iai both in Japan and internationally. His DVDs include Mugai-ryu Iai Primer [Vol. 1 & 2] (BAB Japan).

Instructional Assistance: International Iaido Organization Hogyokukai

Translation: Grigoris Miliaresis