How to Choose Your “居合刀 Iaitō (Training Katana)”

Hello everyone. Thank you for reading this article. I’m Shogo from Let’s ask Shogo, the interpreter of the online lessons and owner of this website.

We often get questions in the comments of our YouTube, asking if we are using real katana to perform the Iai/Kenjutsu techniques. They may look like real katana, but what we are using are called “居合刀 Iaitō (Training Katana).” They are blunt training katana made from zinc alloy. Although they can’t cut anything, every other part except the blades is created almost exactly the same as a real katana, so the only difference is the weight.

To train Iai/Iaido, you absolutely must have your own Iaito. But the problem is there are many types, and it’s very difficult to decide initially. If you will be participating in our online lessons, the only requirement for the Iaitō is to use one slightly longer than the standard length. What’s the “standard length?” Please check out this chart from our most recommended online katana shop, Tozando.

But if you choose an Iaitō based on this chart, it’s too short for training our techniques. If you get used to a short katana, you will misunderstand you are doing well because you can easily pull it off without being able to do the technique. Seki Sensei is about 175cm, but he uses a 2.6 Shaku (78.8 cm) katana, which is two sections longer than his standard length. I, Shogo, am 173cm and also use a 2.6 Shaku katana too. 

Everything else, like the color and design of each part, the material of the Tsuka handle wrapping, and Sageo string, is free for you to choose. Try different kinds and find out the one that you like the most. We recommend you buy one from Tozando.