Overview

At Mugai-ryu, a historic swordsmanship school established in 1693, you will learn how to use a real katana sword and you will also try to attact your enemy (with a fake sword of course)!

The founder of the school, Tsuji Gettan, is said to be a descendant of the Koga ninja. He also achieved enlightenment at Kyukoji, a Zen temple. Tsujo Gettan often stated, 'The sword and Zen are one and the same.'
At Mugai-ryu you will experience holding and using a real sword while learning about Iaido (starts with a character “i”): a technique that encompasses drawing the sword from its scabbard and sheathing it back while 'being seated' in everyday life.
Emphasizing the technique of drawing and cutting with the sword from its scabbard, Iaido differs from Kendo, which begins with the opponents already acknowledging each other as adversaries

Would you like to experience the enchanting art of Iaido at the dojo of 'Mugai-ryu', considered the strongest school in Japan? Being directly taught by an expert Iaido practitioner in English, and learning about the spirit and etiquette of the samurai, will undoubtedly become an unforgettable memory in your lifetime.

【 About Mugai-ryu / 無外流 】
Mugai-ryu is a school of swordsmanship (kenjutsu) founded in 1693 by Tsuji Gettan, and it is known today as a school of Iaido. The connection between Mugai-ryu kenjutsu and iaido began when Tsuji Gettan learned Jikyo-ryu Iai from Taga Jikyoken Morimasa, the founder of the Jikyo-ryu school of Iaido.
Tsuji Gettan was born in 1648 in Shiga Prefecture. At the age of 13, he moved to Kyoto and studied Yamaguchi-ryu kenjutsu under Yamaguchi Bokushinsai. He was granted a license in Yamaguchi-ryu at the age of 26. After returning to Shiga Prefecture and undergoing rigorous training, Gettan moved to Edo (modern-day Tokyo), where he established a dojo in Yamaguchi-ryu kenjutsu in Kojimachi Ninth District.
While training his disciples, Gettan felt the need for academic and spiritual cultivation. He studied Zen and Chinese classics under Zen Master Sekitan at Kyukoji Temple in Azabu. At the age of 45, he attained enlightenment and received a verse (ge) from the second-generation head, Shinshu Oshō, under the name of his teacher, Zen Master Sekitan.
In 1693, Gettan changed his name to Gettan Sukemochi and took the name of the school, Mugai-ryu, from the verse he had received. As Gettan's character and swordsmanship skills became widely known, daimyos such as Ogasawara Nagashige, Sakai Tadataka, and Yamanouchi Toyomasa became his disciples. Thus, Mugai-ryu was transmitted to domains like the Himeji and Tosa domains and was passed down until the end of the Edo period.