The Toyama Ryu Iaido DVD with Yoshitoki Hataya was recently released and is an exceptional overview for any Toyama Ryu student or prospective student. Due to our dojo’s proximity, or lack there of, to Japan and language barriers abound it was very refreshing to get a well thought out and thorough explanation of all Toyama Ryu techniques and kata. Something that is difficult even when the man himself pays a visit for a seminar.

The DVD starts off with a history of Toyama Ryu and then goes into an insightful interview with Yoshitoki Hataya where he explains his philosophy behind Japanese sword arts and how this relates to Toyama Ryu. Continuing on to an unintentionally humorous overview of sword etiquette, overview of all of the kata and kumidachi. The DVD ends with an amazing display of all of the tameshigiri cuts by the top Toyama Ryu instructors from Japan. Very cool stuff!

This DVD is a must-have for anyone interested in Japanese sword arts, learning Toyama Ryu, or who wants to perfect their techniques. DVD is available from East Coast Martial Arts Supply.

Chapters:

• The History of Toyama Ryu
• The Toyama Military Academy Military Sword Methodology
• The Toyama Ryu After the war
• Interview (Meaning of Tameshigiri, Reason for Using Straw in Tameshigiri, Tameshigiri / Kendo / Kata, Difference Between Iai / Kenjutsu / Batto, Demonstrations, About the Japanese Sword)
• Etiquette
• Kihon Happon no Kata
• Kihon Happon no Kata Explanation
• Kumidachi no Kata
• Sword Guidelines
• Tameshigiri