Samurai University

27/02/2025

right. i give up on facebook. i click messages and it directs me to some crap. i quit.

27/02/2025

alright ...whose facebook messenger has gone all instagrammed?
i cant get my facebook messages. im redirected.l i dont like change at the best of times. but this is bad....

20/04/2015

In advanced iaido practice, a lot if time is spent on finding the right timing, with the cuts, the parries but also the walking. The ability to control your walking seems more important than ever after reading this article ;)

For centuries, Japan has taken pride in the talents of its craftsmen, carpenters and woodworkers included. Because of that, you might be surprised to find that some Japanese castles have extremely creaky wooden floors that screech and groan with each step. How could such slipshod construction have b…

01/04/2015

Introducing, the Grey Collection by The Samurai Workshop. As for now, we can confirm that no less than 50 shades will be available so stay tuned for more details!

Hojōjutsu (捕縄術) is the traditional Japanese martial arts of tying up your opponent using the sageo of your sword or other himo. It has came to our attention that unfortunately, very little attention is given to this remarkable art.

Though not common, Hojōjutsu is part of certain bujutsu koryū such as jujutsu school Takenouchi-ryū. Besides restraining techniques also several defensive and disarming techniques are taught within this school.

The Samurai Workshop - evangelist for traditional Japanese bujutsu and weaponry - is making a great effort to supply you with traditionally used weaponry as well as offering repair and customization services.

Being a tsukamakishi; the art of tying sword handles matches perfectly with Hojōjutsu and Ki***ku (the art of tying) and we are proud to announce our all-new product collection.

Introducing, the Grey Collection by The Samurai Workshop. As for now, we can confirm that no less than 50 shades will be available so stay tuned for more details!

ps. Did you know that our swords are nowadays shipped with extra long sageo of 240cm? Perfect for the practice of ZNKR iaido, Hojōjutsu and some beginner's knots in Ki***ku!

13/03/2015

Frequent sword checkups are the key to safe training and a healthy & rust free blade (y)


http://www.thesamuraiworkshop.com/university/content/7/11/en/maintenance-of-your-japanese-samurai-sword.html?highlight=maintenance

Thanks to our buddy Fuso-sensei for the Zoolander poses :)

Cleaning your katana, wakizashi, tanto or any other Japanese weapon is extremely ...

26/02/2015

There's researchers and there is Markus Sesko :)

While the studying of Nihonto may not be possible for everyone, this article provides a very good 101. Definitely a good read and there is part 2 and 3 as well (y)

https://markussesko.wordpress.com/2015/02/14/kantei-1-sugata-1/

As mentioned in the introduction, we have to start with the basics. So if you are more experienced, you might skip this chapter and stop by later. I deal here with what conclusions may be draw from...

03/02/2015

Japanese mythology is just as full of the strange and enchanting as any other culture, in fact arguably more so at times. In fact it's very easy to get lost in page upon page of cross linked literature when you find something that piques your interest, so here I detail one small part of this mythos that I find particularly fascinating. A little entrée into the world of the Nekomata!

http://www.thesamuraiworkshop.com/university/content/6/277/en/the-nekomata-_-or-strange-supernatural-cat-demons.html

02/02/2015

I'm sure we're all familiar of the term 'the land of the Rising Sun'.
This immediately shows the importance of colors used in Japanese (ancient) culture. Did you know that the names of some colors date back to Asuka period - more than a thousand years ago?
A rough estimate is that the current Japanese color system lists over 500 unique colors :) Cool huh?

Read more at:
http://www.thesamuraiworkshop.com/university/content/5/57/en/introduction-to-colors-on-japanese-swords.html

originally pictures by Unique Japan I'm sure we're all familiar of the ...

23/01/2015

Shobu Zukuri is a frequently misunderstood geometry, too quickly associated with shinogi zukuri, but 'sans yokote'. Perhaps this is because of unscrupulous dealers attempting to turn a few extra coin s out of swords with an ambigous geometry or perhaps there really is far less information out there than there should be on this elegant style. http://www.thesamuraiworkshop.com/university/content/7/276/en/what-is-shobu-zukuri.html

Katana, as you know, come in many different shapes, lengths and styles and ...

16/01/2015

in 1896, a knife that would later become widely known as the Higonokami became immensely popular in Japan. These wonderful yet simple little knives are amazingly useful and razor sharp featuring a quality of steel that you just dont see in todays affordable knives. If you're curious, theres more info available here http://www.thesamuraiworkshop.com/university/content/5/274/en/higonokami.html

17/12/2014

While the Japanese sword is often classified as a single edged weapon, this is not completely true. As the origins of the Japanese sword can be found in China, many of the existing sword geometries have some overlap with Chinese daggers, sabers and swords.

The Kogarasu maru is a great example of this as the crow's beak shaped sword tip can also be found in Chinese Tang dynasty Jian.

For more information about the Kogarasu maru zukuri geometry (and much more : ) ) have peek at the Samurai University website:
http://www.thesamuraiworkshop.com/university/content/6/271/en/kogarasu-maru.html

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Did you know that you can now, add SAMURAI UNIVERSITY as your education in your Facebook profile? How cool is that!

26/11/2014

The making of a Japanese sword is a very complex process. Traditionally a sword is made by several craftsmen; an impressive number of (at least) 8 people will deliver a contribution before the sword is finished. In this article we will roughly explain the several crafts and explain what they stand for to better understand how a Japanese sword is made.
Important to know is that each of these crafts will take years to learn and decades to master. So let’s have a look at the main contributors of a Japanese sword.

Read more:
http://www.thesamuraiworkshop.com/university/content/3/273/en/the-craftsmen-behind-the-japanese-sword.html