[UriDepkeeks]

There's Tozando in Kyoto. Good range of prices and designs. Mine is from there. And there's Moribudo in Tokyo.

www.tozando.com and www.moribudo.co.jp

[Nadin Maison]

All iaito are all usually made that way, and as far as I know, so are the kendo kata iaito. The mekugi is not a cone, but a peg, and doesn't really need to be there.
I wish it wasn't made that way. However, since the blades are typically made from an alloy (mine is made from zinc-berylium), rather than iron, hitting them with more than a glancing or grazing blow (necessary in kata 5 and 6), is a very bad idea. However, that is all you need for kendo kata.

[Larisochka]

Bringing swords out of Japan is not too difficult. It requires some paperwork, and as long as if it is a gendaito (modern sword made by traditional methods) and not a cultural treasure/ important cultural property of Japan, it should be no problem. Just make sure when you leave you have all of the papers you need to verify the identity of the sword.

Bringing swords into Japan, now that is a pain in the A$$!

[Essefsbyday]

Originally posted by stakenaka
Just make sure when you leave you have all of the papers you need to verify the identity of the sword.
Is that just the receipt from the shop, or is there more to it than that?



Dave

[RarensussyRen]

Has anyone done this and/or knows the ins and outs of this? I want one for solo kata practice, and possibly iaido at a later date. Also there the "joy of ownership" thing. Cant see me affording a real "sword" but would appreciate all advice to avoid customs hassle. If its going to be a nightmare I'll just source from E-bogu or whatever, but I'd like to have a feel of a sword before buying to find one that is "me" if you know what I mean.

Thanks guys



Dave

[diemeareendup]

Originally posted by stakenaka

The quality is top notch: they use real same (skate skin) for the tsuka, laquered saya, etc... in short, the only thing that is fake about it is the blade itself, and the fact that the blade is glued into the tsuka (done for safety reasons. It is done for all iaito).
........

Horrendous. The tsuka being seperate and the bamboo mekugi act as a shock absorber.
I know one rarely strikes/cuts anything with one but you still need the absorbance. To get that shinken feel. Are the Kendo kata iaito constructed in the same way? I would hope not.

Hyaku

[fgfblog]

If it's an Iaito you will have no problems. The security company who does the baggage check will call the airport police. Some of them know enough about swords to distinguish between an Iaito and a Shinken and will simply verify that its an Iaito.

You can take out a shinken too but its a more involved process that takes time to arrange.

Had a laugh a few years ago. A group of us went to Italy to do demonstrations. As the shortest blade was 3 shaku we decided to ship them all in a crate. When we arrived in Italy the police were waiting for us as they thought we were arms smugglers!

Hyaku

[affewheillMapew]

I agree with alex. I also bought my iaito from tozando. The quality is top notch: they use real same (skate skin) for the tsuka, laquered saya, etc... in short, the only thing that is fake about it is the blade itself, and the fact that the blade is glued into the tsuka (done for safety reasons. It is done for all iaito).