Budo, Kobudo & Japanese Artisanry - The Seido Blog

As Budoka, most of us feel having moral values superior to those only practicing “sports”, we like to believe that we are better. Are you—as Budoka—more concerned by human conditions and human rights? Are you concerned with the origin of the products you buy and wear? Take your Dogi, your belt and have a look at the label. Pakistan? Bangladesh? China? Japan? Let us examine under what conditions your equipment is manufactured.

The origin of the Iaito does not date back very far, to the 60s or so. The creation of this tool for practice was primarily driven by new laws and regulations, enacted after World War ll. Since then, with the experience of many trades in the manufacture of the Nihonto (Japanese sword), some Japanese craftsmen have developed an expertise, still unparalleled outside the archipelago.
We went to the region called Gifu to visit the workshops Minosaka and Nihon Token (Jisei), two of the most famous in Japan. Familiar with this topic for some years, we had many questions to ask – which we are summarizing here.

Many practitioners choose their Aikido belt by chance, one takes what one finds. This may work out, at least for a certain time. However, white belts usually start falling apart after one or two years of practice, black belts are often too thick and uncomfortable under a Hakama. So how to choose one's belt? Here is the answer to this question.

木刀は、代表的な木製武器のひとつです。刀を忠実に再現した木製の模造刀のため、真剣の代用として稽古で使われることもあれば、素振り等、日々の稽古の鍛錬用として使われることもあります。また、非常に軽い木刀の場合は、正確な打ち方を訓練するために使われることもあります。合気道や剣道、居合道の道場では、相対的に「伝統型木刀」と呼ばれる木刀を使用することが多い一方で、剣術や古流、古武道の道場などでは、その道場の流派によって異なる独特な動きや技に合わせ、その流派に適応する特別な仕様の「流派木刀」と呼ばれる木刀が使われています。

The Sashiko fabric, also called "rice grain" fabric in the west is the core of the Keikogi (Kimono) manufacturing and is worn in Aikido, Judo and also Kendo. Although there are many prestigious designers worldwide, there are only a few artisans who are capable of weaving a high quality Sashiko fabric. In this article we will open the doors to Seido's partner workshops, the only two workshops in the world to master the entire production line from weaving to sewing, to show you how your Keikogi is made.

Choosing a Dogi is not a simple task, especially if you are a beginner. Light-, standard-, heavy-weight, traditional cut, modern cut, original cut: There are many models and choosing the one that best suits you does not only depend on the thickness of the fabric! Here we will discuss the different Seido models, fully representative of all the existing "Made in Japan" Aikidogi. However, low-end Dogi made outside of Japan are not to be part of the topic.

Enjoying the quiet summer months, we travelled across Japan to visit the officially recognized workshops manufacturing wooden weapons in Japan "Aramaki Budogu Mokojo", "Nidome Bokuto Seisakujo", "Horinouchi Noboru Seisakujo" and "Matsuzashi Bokuto Seisakujo". These last four companies fabricating wooden weapons are all located in "Miyakonojo", a small town on the peninsula of Kyushu (southern Japan), enclosed by two mountain ranges. In this article we will show all the steps of the making of a Bokken, guided through by an artisan of the workshop Aramaki Bokuto Mojojo, led by master Aramaki, the 3rd.

木刀は、剣道の形稽古などに使用される日本刀の模造刀であり、当初、「折れたら新しいものに替える消費物」として製作されていたと言われています。時代の変化とともに、木刀は、形稽古用の実用品としてだけではなく、少しずつスヌケや黒檀などの高級木材から作られるクオリティ高い伝統工芸品としての木刀製作も行われるようになっていきました。今回、木刀の歴史とその製作技術を学びに、宮崎県都城市に工房を構える木刀職人を尋ねてみました。