Broadsword for Aikido?

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[The Molinjir]

I started Aikido less than a year ago, but I am quite interested in weapons training. I already have done a bit of kendo, a lot of fencing, and now the normal weapons training (jo, bokken).
So far, I have only found a few weapons commonly used around the dojo.
If you will excuse my ignorance, is there any sort of two-handed, long (a good deal longer than bokken) broadsword or sword in any form of Aikido?

Thanks in advance for answering the question of a hapless newbie,
Molinjir

[kaishaku]

Not in any dojo i've been in. That doesn't mean you can't do it though. :D

There is a japanese sword called the daito, I believe, which is substantially larger than a katana/tachi.

[aikidoc]

Ah, the hammer of Thor. I have not heard of anything other than a bokuto/bokken.

[Bronson]

The Nodachi/Odachi Web Files (http://japantrip.tripod.com/nodachi/nodachi.html)

I've never heard of these being used in aikido training. That doesn't mean they haven't, just that I've never heard of it.

Bronson

[p00kiethebear]

incidently. Are there many ko ryu schools out there that still practice o dachi / nodachi forms?

You could always train with a suburito paul. I highly recomend this one:

http://www.bokkenshop.com/eng/297.html

Also remember that the size of your sword is directly proportional to your endowment. Everyone knows this, so it's important to get the longest sword you can. That one there is the longest one i've ever seen.

If you train regularly with it, you will have some beefy shoulders on you.

[Chuck.Gordon]

Most aikido dojo use a bokken (proper name: bokuto, both mean simply 'wooden sword'), which mimics the katana/daito, which is the two-handed Japanese long sword. You can frequently find jo (a stick 4.5 feet long or so) and tanto a (usually wooden) dagger. A few aikido systems teach bo (six-foot stick) and occasionally some dojo teach other weapons. However, the 'standard' if there can be such, is bokken (bokuto), jo and tanto.

In the Japanese koryu, you'll find all kinds of weapons, from the nodachi (great big-ass sword used to cut horses in half, more or less), naginata (sometimes fondly called God's own peanut-butter spreader) which is a sword on a long stick, iron fans, short sword, long dagger, short dager, etc etc etc. The Japanese weapons smiths were innovative and Japanese martial experiment went lots of interesting directions.

Chuck

[The Molinjir]

Wow, thanks for so many replies. I will try out as many as I can.

~Molinjir

[Matt Molloy]

is there any sort of two-handed, long (a good deal longer than bokken) broadsword or sword in any form of Aikido?

Conan the Aikidoka? :eek:

Ho hum.

Matt.

[garry cantrell]

terry dobson used to use an axe on occasion.

[Demetrio Cereijo]

Suburito?
http://www.japaneseswordsltd.com/suburgama.jpg

[thomas_dixon]

Daito is japanese long sword. Tachi/Katana depends on how the long sword is carried.

Nodachi is probably what you're thinking of. It's like a 6ft long sword.

[kironin]

Nodachi is probably what you're thinking of. It's like a 6ft long sword.


yeah, the nodachi I have handled weighed over 9 lbs !

a big mother ! :D

[The Molinjir]

Conan the Aikidoka? :eek:

Matt.

Actually, that was my nickname at a fencing school for a while, as some old kendo and SCA stuff kept suddenly appearing in my fencing style.

Two handed overhand slash with a fencing foil

:D

[Dazzler]

Paul

Bear in mind that you will most likely be practicing aiki-ken and aiki-jo.

so the emphasis on your training is likely to be the practice of aikido through a jo or bokken.

This may make it different than practicing with a weapon where the emphasis is on developing the most effective use of the weapon.

The two are not necessarily the same thing.

IMO of course!

Respectfully

D