[Catalogov]

Thank you very much for the replies. This is helping me a lot.

For those of you interested, I'm located in Salem, MA. I'm 25 minutes north of Boston on the North Shore.

The dojo that is right down the road from me is Shodokan: http://www.shodokan.org/5kendo/kendo.html.

I'm afraid that in terms of sword work they only do Kendo, which seems a little different than what I'm interested in. I think iaido is what I'm looking for. The emphasis on katas, and solo work without sparring interests me.

Any ideas? I'll probably go to a kendo class next Wed. simply to observe and talk to the sensei.

Thanks again. Your responses have been very informative.

I think you should visit other dojos besides this one as well for comparison. This dojo have no affiliation with the AUSKF(All US Kendo Federation, which is the governing body of Kendo here in the US.) Though there are dojos that are not AUSKF members yet but are hoping to be affiliated with it that are fine(And are not common since new dojos don't just spring up all over. I'm not aware of any such dojos in MA right now.), there are, however, some dojos who are not AUSKF members that are McDojos, meaning they really do not know Kendo and are NOT seeking affiliation. Any dojo that is McDojo oriented will not be recognised by the AUSKF and no rank you earn will be legit or recognised. I could not find any info on Osamu Sekiguchi, 3rd dan(According to the website) who seems to be the sensei of that dojo. So, I've no idea who they are. Someone else here may know. You really need to ask specific questions of them. They should be happy to tell you what you want to know.

The AUSKF is who gives the Kendo gradings.

Here are the dojos that are currently members of the AUSKF. All sensei are 4th dan or higher:

AEUSKF(All Eastern Kendo Federation-the regional Kendo federation, which is a member of the AUSKF.)
Acton Doshikai Kendo & Iaido Club
138 Main St.
Acton, MA
Mon. 6:30-10:00 Wed. 6:30-9:30pm
Contact: Barry Poitras (978)801-5672

This dojo has 3 locations in MA. Please look at the site for contact information as well. Seems to be different than what's listed on the AUSKF site. But, do try both.

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AEUSKF
Boston Kendo Kyokai
St. Paul's Church
15 St. Paul Street
Brookline, MA
M W 7:00-8:30pm
Contact: David Harrison(617)327-3104

Check the site for accurate location. Seems to have been changed.

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AEUSKF
Sei Zan Kendo Kai
Munson Library
1046 S. East St. Amherst, MA 01002

Practice schedule: Thursday: Iaido 6:30-8:00pm; Kendo 8:00-9:30pm Saturday: Iaido 1:00-3:00pm; Kendo 3:00-5:00pm
Contact: Thomas Hooper (413) 549-3864

I could not find a website for this dojo. You will need to either e-mail or call. This dojo also teaches Iaido.

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There is one more dojo named Boston Shufukai Kendo. This dojo is an AUSKF dojo.

Here is their website:

http://www.shufukai.com/

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Well, that's all the Kendo dojos I have.

There is a Koryu dojo that only teaches Iaido. You could visit that too.

Boston Iaido dojo

http://www.bostoniaido.com

This dojo teaches Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu(MJER) Iaido. Please see the site for more information.

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Well, that's all there is. That's more than enough anyway. Please do visit more than one dojo. And, please be aware that a drive is common in getting to a good dojo with a qualified teacher. Many of us drive more than an hour one way to the dojo.

If you visit say, three at least, of the dojos I gave you, besides the one you came up with, you will have the ability to make an educated decision on what you want. Please make an effort to do so. You won't be sorry, I guarantee it.

Please do call ahead. Don't just show up. This is standard etiquette. They will let you know if you may only watch or may participate.

Well, I hope this helps! Good luck and let us know what you end up choosing.

Kaoru