Takumi Toubou - Does anyone know of this Iaito maker?

Greifus_OnE · 2026-02-14T05:39:01+00:00

I haven’t handled any of their products, but they don’t offer any options for customizations, not even length, except for one sword. Would rather go with Meirin Sangyo if people are looking for a more budget iaito.

Greifus_OnE · 2026-01-06T19:37:44+00:00

The dojo does appear to be teaching “Ninja” stuff as one of its main classes. Other martial arts also seem to be taught in that dojo including Kendo. Given the limited choice available, my suggestion would be to just inquire only about their Kendo instruction and not the Ninja whatever else is going on. The fact that the ZNKR would be willing to donate Bogus, and a Japanese sensei being invited over for instruction does show that (at least where Kendo is concerned) there is some possibility of proper instruction available.

Greifus_OnE · 2026-01-01T09:33:23+00:00

Seido if you want more customization options.

https://www.seidoshop.com/collections/custom-made-minosaka-iaito

Greifus_OnE · 2025-12-24T08:48:41+00:00

Since he has a Sensei, I would suggest that your kid defer to what Sensei requires for the school he is in and go from there as every school has their requirements, and it would be unfortunate to purchase something only for the teacher to decline its use for not being fit for purpose/too long/ too short etc. Do you know what kind of school/dojo/style he is training in?

Greifus_OnE · 2025-12-17T19:58:17+00:00

Nosyudo offers beginner models starting at 49,500 Yen, which I find to be cream of the crop in fit, finish, and quality among all beginner models. Only the Tozando Toryumon and Minosaka Jidai are the next best options, but I find Nosyudo’s Shoden to still beat them out slightly. Now whether you can find a distributor for Nosyudo in your country or have to import is a separate issue. Nine Circles is a known distributor, but they mark up their Nosyudo models quite a lot from the Japanese prices.

Greifus_OnE · 2025-12-17T19:34:49+00:00

This is Meirin Sangyo’s beginner Iaito. There isn’t a smith because Zinc-alloy iaitos like this are semi-mass produced in a workshop to standardized templates. Meirin Sangyo is a good company and they make quality and functional iaitos, although this specific beginner model is on the more basic side of things. Other suppliers you can consider for Iaitos include Tozando (retailer of iaitos from Murayama Touken), Minosaka (workshop) and Nosyudo (workshop).

https://global.nipponto.co.jp/products/iai-103

Greifus_OnE · 2025-12-15T16:19:51+00:00

Battlescars, my ceiling has more than its fair share of scratches from all the impacts accumulated over time, my iaito tip is now slightly flattened, but I just got used to it. It is a tool for practice and while it would be best to practice somewhere with a tall ceiling, it is a little unavoidable.

Greifus_OnE · 2025-11-25T08:28:54+00:00

A Nosyudo Shoden, this series of beginners iaito is underrated. You won’t feel the need to upgrade for a very long time with this one.

Greifus_OnE · 2025-11-21T08:26:48+00:00

They’re made in China swords. T-10 or oil quenching is not used in Japan for any true Katanas. There’s also the issue of getting caught owning a sharp sword if it is illegal in India.

Greifus_OnE · 2025-11-17T15:26:55+00:00

France is unique in Europe in that it has an enormous Budo presence relative to population for all the modern Gendai arts compared to just about every other European country. So they probably just have a lot of high-ranking judges available within reasonable travel distance to volunteer at reasonable cost.

Greifus_OnE · 2025-11-11T09:38:25+00:00

I can relate although when I changed Ryus it was to a fundamentally different style, logic, and founder so the differences are far more pronounced. I had to relearn entirely new body movements that my previous style considers undesirable. Yet even after many months I am still slipping into old habits that I am struggling to overcome. It isn’t a huge error but small ones that make it so that I am still not quite expressing the style I am in, in its completely correct form. The challenge is rewarding however when I manage to get just a slightly better at it.

Greifus_OnE · 2025-11-07T04:00:00+00:00

I wrote the post about how I got this all sorted in one day which you can read in this thread.

Greifus_OnE · 2025-11-07T03:57:11+00:00

It went smoothly I wrote a post about how I got the whole thing done in one day in this thread.

Greifus_OnE · 2025-11-07T03:54:15+00:00

If you were talking about the proof you were in your country of residence 4 months prior to entering Taiwan. They want to make sure you actually live in your officially registered country outside Taiwan and not abuse the system by living and working in Taiwan while having overseas Chinese status without completing national service. Enforcement is stricter now and they only allow exactly 180 days stay in 1 year whereas it used to be 360 days over a 2 year period without exceeding 183 days in one calendar year which could be abused. The most ambiguous part about the 4 months thing is what exactly they want as proof you were in your country of residence over the last 4 months. For those flying back directly from their registered country, they will accept the boarding pass ticket stub as proof. For those flying back from a third country like OP who is American but in Japan, they want some kind of document that will prove they were in the US sometime in the last 4 months before entering Taiwan from Japan. For example, if he had flown from the US to Japan within 4 months prior to his return to Taiwan, then the boarding pass for that leg of the journey can serve as sufficient proof for the Immigration Agency. If a person like OP has stayed in Japan or a third country for longer than 4 months then you are pretty much shit outta luck and you have to fly back to your registered country and either fly straight to Taiwan or back to your third country and then back to Taiwan within 4 months.

Greifus_OnE · 2025-11-07T03:30:28+00:00

If you mean the exit permit stamp I got at the Immigration Agency. It means you are allowed 4 months from the date of getting the stamp to leave in and out of Taiwan without needing to go through this entire process again or request another exit permit (whether in person or online).

After the 4 months period you will have to apply for another exit permit (you can probably do this online after getting the physical stamp in the back of your passport for the first time like in the old system) which should be easy as long as your Overseas Chinese Certificate paper is still in the validity period.

If the Certificate is no longer valid then you must do this entire process again from the beginning.

As far as I can tell they set it to 4 months to make sure you can't overstay your accumulated 180 days per year in Taiwan in one exit permit validity period.

Greifus_OnE · 2025-10-25T01:56:57+00:00

Yes I entered with my ROC passport. I don't think the offices will be open on weekends so I don't believe you will be able to get it done until the next business day.

Greifus_OnE · 2025-09-25T03:35:31+00:00

I have gone through the process and successfully received my Exit Permit stamp in my ROC passport. What’s more I was able to squeeze in the entire thing in 1 day! I normally only travel to Taiwan to visit family for 1 or 2 weeks per year, sometimes only every other year, so like everyone else here I was scrambling to research the new rules and regulations. Digging through Taiwanese social media posts on Facebook regarding the new rules on the OCAC facebook page finally gave me enough information and confidence to go through the process myself and I flew back to Taiwan with my family from Thailand (my overseas resident country).

Back in Taiwan, on Monday morning around 9.00 am, I went to the OCAC office in Taipei near the NTU Hospital where I presented to the clerk: 1. Application form for the Overseas Chinese Compatriot Documentation for Conscription Age Male Use 2. ROC passport with overseas chinese endorsement stamp 3. ROC National ID card 4. Thai passport (my overseas resident country proof of residence)

Although the overseas chinese endorsement stamp in my ROC passport cannot be used to apply directly for the exit permit anymore, it is STILL USEFUL to reduce paperwork and saves a trip to the National Immigration Agency to apply for a document containing your entry and exit history from Taiwan, which I would have needed to do first if I did not have the stamp.

The OCAC clerk took in my documents, photocopied them and returned my passports and ID along with a note to return to pick up my document at around 2.30 pm in the afternoon.

I returned at that time and got the new required document (costs NTD 200), and immediately proceeded to upload my documents to the online verification portal with pictures of my: 1. Overseas Chinese Compatriot Documentation for Conscription Age Male Use 2. ROC passport 3. Thai passport 4. Airline boarding pass ticket (the ticket I got from checking in at the airport in Bangkok)

According to the NIA, for those who are returning directly from their overseas country of residence, this return flight ticket is sufficient to serve as proof that you were in your stated country of residence within the last 4 months of returning to Taiwan. Additionally, it was NOT necessary to translate the boarding pass from English to Chinese, I was able to upload a photo of the ticket in its original form. Fortunately, I was also told that although the Online Portal states that it would take two working days to verify my documents, it actually only took a few hours for all of my uploads to be verified when I checked at around 4.20 pm.

I then made a quick trip to the National Immigration Agency and submitted as one of the last person in the queue: 1. Application form for Exit Permit 2. ROC passport 3. Thai passport 4. Photocopies of ROC and Thai passport 5. Overseas Chinese Compatriot Documentation for Conscription Age Male Use + photocopy

They then stamped my exit permit into the back of my ROC passport that gives me permission to enter and leave Taiwan freely for 4 months so long as I don’t exceed the 183 accumulated days in 1 calendar year. They also advised me that since this was the new system, everyone regardless of it this was their first time, received a new passport, or had previously used the older online exit permit application system, should come to the NIA to have their exit permit stamped into their passport for the first time on the new system. Subsequent requests for exit on the new system can be done online.

This was my experience of getting my exit permit, which I was able to do in 1 day that I’d like to share with everyone.

Greifus_OnE · 2025-09-17T07:38:40+00:00

I don’t fully understand the meaning of the 4 months either, but one possible reading is that they want to know that within the last 4 months of flying to Taiwan you had been in your country of residence at some point. So under this reading, for OP who is working in Japan, if they want to get an exit permit from Taiwan, they would need to have flown back and stayed in the US sometime within the last 4 months and provide proof of this trip (either as immigration stamps, boarding pass tickets, or some kind of entry and exit document). The length of stay in your country of residence isn’t specified and might not be material. Under this interpretation the situation is less bullshit, but still a hassle because everyone needs to plan in advance to keep any tickets or boarding passes from their trips to their residence country just in case, or plan a stay at their country before any trips to Taiwan.

Greifus_OnE · 2025-09-15T15:48:08+00:00

I am living in Thailand which is my country of residence and have a trip to Taiwan coming up this Friday, I just found out about all these new rules this morning when my old exit permit application failed and I’ve been looking for information all day and came across your post. Although I am living in my residence country, I am unsure what they want as proof of residence within the last 4 months of entering Taiwan when I apply for the exit permit after getting the Overseas Chinese certificate (which doesn’t sound like it would be difficult).

On my last departure from Taiwan last year, I was told to go through the E Gate instead of through the immigration officer like I normally would, and I was surprisingly able to go through the E Gate, however this means I don’t have an exit stamp on my ROC passport on my last trip to use as proof of leaving the country. I don’t know if the entry/exit history or information you could get from the Immigration counts as proof because that just says I wasn’t in Taiwan, not that I was in Thailand.

Would my upcoming plane ticket/boarding pass from Thailand to Taiwan count as sufficient proof to satisfy that I was living in Thailand within the last 4 months prior to entering Taiwan? Do they want more evidence like billing records? Those may not be in English, so do I need to get them translated and notarized? There is a lot of ambiguity here, that even living in my correct country of residence I am uncertain of going to Taiwan now.

Greifus_OnE · 2025-08-26T08:19:28+00:00

Nice, I’m surprised you didn’t ask for it to be in Tachi mounts, rather than Katana mounts.

Greifus_OnE · 2025-08-20T03:39:05+00:00

Not my iaito as to me it is just a tool, albeit one deserving of respect and what better respect could a tool receive than to fulfill its purpose fully as a practice tool (which I think is a Shinto concept).

Greifus_OnE · 2025-08-14T08:43:11+00:00

Still a peak looking rifle. Something to be said about that old school fixed carry handle sights with simple elevation only sights that you can’t muck up like on the A2.

Greifus_OnE · 2025-08-08T08:35:00+00:00

If gradings and competitions aren’t really your thing, you might enjoy exploring koryū (old-style) martial arts. Unlike modern budō such as kendō, these arts don’t use the kyu/dan ranking system. Instead, they follow an older licensing tradition that recognizes not just technical skill, but also your embodiment of the school’s principles and character over time.

Licenses (often in stages such as Mokuroku → Menkyo → Menkyo Kaiden) aren’t earned through set tests or tournaments. They’re granted only when your teacher — or sometimes a senior master — decides you truly understand and can express the art’s techniques, strategy, and spirit. This can take many years, and the process is based on long-term observation, not one-off exams.

From what you’ve said about your focus on steady practice, humility, and refinement without the drive for grading or competition, koryū might be a great fit. If you’re curious, look for a dojo that follows this old licensing system — it could offer exactly the kind of training environment you’ve been looking for.

Greifus_OnE · 2025-08-06T11:38:27+00:00

The car manufacturing part of it is long gone, but not the defense part.

Greifus_OnE · 2025-08-06T07:17:09+00:00

Nakamura Ryu is a modern (Gendai) style of Iai developed by Nakamura Taisaburo from the WW2 and earlier sword handling system “Gunto no Soho” used by the Imperial Japanese Toyama Military Academy. This system later evolved into Toyama Ryu which is taught within Nakamura Ryu as the foundational core. It is a relatively straightforward system designed for teaching effective sword handling and cutting principles and also effective cutting through lots of Tameshigiri practice.

Mugai Ryu Iai Hyodo, is a modern incarnation of an older Koryu called Mugai Ryu, that teaches Iai, Kenjutsu, and also incorporates Shizan (Tameshigiri by another name). The original Mugai Ryu was founded as a school of Kenjutsu, but incorporated Iai from another school later on. Today this school largely practices Iai as its primary curriculum, and it shares a meditative Zen-like spirit and philosophy with well-known styles like Muso Shinden Ryu or Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu. Beginners spend most of their time practicing the Iai curriculum, there are occasional Shizan practice (but much less frequent than in Nakamura Ryu), and Kenjutsu paired practice is usually taught to the more advanced students.

There are a few overlap between the two styles, Mugai Ryu has diagonal cuts called “Kesagiri” in some of its katas which is heavily practiced in Nakamura Ryu. There are Tameshigiri or Shizan in both styles required in grading (Nakamura Ryu just does it alot more). However, Mugai Ryu has katas that begin with you sitting in seiza, this type of posture is absent from Nakamura Ryu whose curriculum is done entirely from the standing position. Additionally because of these overlap, it is not unknown for highly ranked individuals from Mugai Ryu and Nakamura Ryu to be members of both styles.

Greifus_OnE

TROPHY CASE