Iaido news

Load up on swords, bring your girlfriends
The Japan Times - Mar 6, 2010
"When the sword strikes the enemy's shoulder, take the sword down diagonally," instructs an iaido teacher, a master in the art of drawing a sword. ... Samurai birthday party a cut above
Edinburgh Evening News - Feb 26, 2010
Iaido is a martial art using the katana, commonly known as the samurai sword, and is rapidly gaining followers throughout Europe. ... Japanese Festival
Boise Weekly - Mar 3, 2010
On Friday, the IJA brings you Japan Night, which promises demos of kendo and Iaido, Shorinji kempo, traditional flower arranging and a Shamisen performance. ...

Iaido books

Practice Drills for Japanese Swordsmanship

by: Nicklaus Suino
This book had basic moves which is good, but never went into further detail. The illustrations were stick figures from a side view; there was no way to infer anything from them. I would not have gotten this book for my son if I had known the "true" lack of knowledge it contained.
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Flashing Steel, 2nd edition: Mastering Eishin-Ryu Swordsmanship

by: Masayuki Shimabukuro, Leonard Pellman
There is a lot of great stuff in Flashing Steel, but there are also a few things to consider before purchasing. The back cover claims, "Flashing Steel is the most comprehensive guide available in iaijutsu...." when in fact its not. It also says, "...with ten partner exercises applying iaido principles in realistic attack and defense situations." I personally wouldn't say they are realistic at all. All that aside, the book is really geared towards beginner to intermediate iaido practitioners and here it delivers.
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The Art of Japanese Swordsmanship: A Manual of Eishin-Ryu Iaido

by: Nicklaus Suino
Though I really enjoyed this book, without a basic knowledge of Iaido, one could easily find the drawings too complex to follow. The book is of value more to a student of Iaido who is taking lessons from a sword master. This text when used in combination with hands-on training would be the best combination. In conclusion, this is a book for anyone interested in basic Japanese Swordsmanship. Rating: 4 Stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: Wakizashi-Jutsu Manual, Tanto-Jutsu Manual, Martial Art Myths, Monadnock Defensive Tactics System, Use of the Straight Baton, PR-24 Police Baton Advanced Techniques, Samurai Aerobics: The Samurai Sword workout, Never Trust a Politician).
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Flashing Steel: Mastering Eishin-Ryu Swordsmanship

by: Shihan Shimabukuro, Leonard Pellman
First let me start by saying this is a fantastic book as the other reviewers have said. With that said the 2nd Edition is that much better. I own both editions. Where the first edition might have 4 photos of a series, the 2nd edition has 16 to 20. This means that you can see what the intermediate positions look like. The first edition is ~270 pages while the second edition is ~335. Also, the second edition is physically larger.

Even if you already own the first edition I would recommend the second edition.
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