Budo, Kobudo & Japanese Artisanry - The Seido Blog

Welcome to the Seido Blog.

The purpose of this blog is neither to advertise our products nor to use it as a marketing tool. Our true goal is to share with you all we’ve learnt since we began training in Japan and since we started selling, creating and designing martial arts equipment a decade ago.

We will mainly talk about traditional craftsmanship, Budo events in Japan, and of course, of our #BudoStudies work. #BudoStudies mainly focus on video interviews and demonstration, but you will also find some in-depth articles time to time.

Feel free to contact us if you have any question, wondering about a partnership or simply if you want to say hello to the team.

Japanese Wooden Weapons Craftsmanship, the Beginning of the End

Last January, I published an article on the future of wooden weapons craftsmanship in Japan.
After the closing of the Horinouchi workshop who held about 40% of the production, the production capacity dropped and the situation quickly became critical.
Where are we one year later? Well, it's not looking good, not at all.
Read more...

Published by Jordy Delage on Thu, 15 October 2020.

Article tags: Bokken, Business, Craftsmanship, Wooden Weapons

13 comments

An Interview with Kimura Jiro Shihan

Kimura Jiro Shihan is a Japanese Aikido teacher, the successor of Kobayashi Hirokazu Shihan in Japan, and director of the Buikukai. In 2018, Guillaume Erard, a Daito Ryu practitioner and Aikido historian, and Jordy Delage - who started Aikido in a group affiliated to Kobayashi Hirokazu - teamed up for a joint interview held at the master’s Dojo in Osaka. This is the story of this encounter!
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Published by Jordy Delage on Tue, 29 September 2020.

Article tags: Aikido, BudoStudies, Interview, YouTube

0 comments

The Fukuroshinai - History & Manufacture of the Bokken & Shinai ancestor

What’s a Fukuroshinai? How is it made? Where did it comes from? In this detailed article, you'll find all the informations you need.
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Published by Jordy Delage on Wed, 4 March 2020.

Article tags: Craftsmanship, Guide, Kendo, Kobudo, Wooden Weapons

2 comments

Martial arts equipment: Is Japanese craftsmanship in danger?

Nowadays, the term "made in japan" has lost its meaning. How can you be sure what you are buying? Analysis of the situation.

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Published by Jordy Delage on Thu, 6 February 2020.

Article tags: BudoStudies, Business, Craftsmanship, Dogi, Wooden Weapons

3 comments

The Future of the Wooden Weapon Industry & 2020's price increase

In September 2019, the Horinouchi workshop who held about 40% of the production of all made in Japan wooden weapons, closed its doors forever. This article comes back to the reasons of that event, the state of the industry and how the prices of the products will evolve in 2020.

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Published by Jordy Delage on Tue, 21 January 2020.

Article tags: Bokken, BudoStudies, Business, Craftsmanship, Wooden Weapons

7 comments

Choosing a Bokken - Size, thickness, weight, wood, etc.

If choosing one’s Bokken is an easy task for a beginner, it is a much harder endeavor for veterans in need of a tool able to support the focus of their work. The weight, length, species of wood but also the curvature and thickness of the Bokken play a determining role in the weapon’s behavior during practice. Let’s review all those components.
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Published by Jordy Delage on Fri, 10 January 2020.

Article tags: Aikido, Bokken, Craftsmanship, Guide, Katana, Wooden Weapons

1 comment

An Interview with Hoshi Norio

Hoshi Norio is one of those Budoka that you never hear about outside Japan. Reserved, simple, hard-working, away from the internationalisation of martial arts. He is nonetheless an extraordinary Kendoka and police officer. He started Kendo at age 10 aiming from the very beginning to become a professional Kendo teacher.
Read more...

Published by Jordy Delage on Fri, 27 December 2019.

Article tags: BudoStudies, Interview, Kendo, YouTube

1 comment

Aikido and the lack of sponsorship A relationship that is about to evolve.

Dictionaries define sponsorship as: Money that is given, usually by a company, to support a person, organisation or activity — The act of sponsoring someone or something or of being sponsored. Let's be clear, sponsors’ primary goal is to make money: brands hope to gain visibility in return for their sponsorship and thus generate more revenues over the short or long term. So why is Aikido so desperately lacking for sponsors? As we are about to establish a partnership with the 5th Aiki Taikai and the 8th Traditional Martial Arts Night (NAMT - France), let’s use this opportunity to dwell on the subject.
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Published by Jordy Delage on Fri, 20 December 2019.

Article tags: Business, Demonstration, Event

0 comments

The different wood species used in Bokken manufacturing - Red / white oak, Isu no Ki, Sunuke, Camellia, Biwa, etc.

If Japanese Bokken have become so appreciated over time, it is mainly thanks to the quality of the wood they are made of. Kirishima Sankei, a sylvan region situated on the island of Kyushu, produces exceptional wood and has thus attracted many generations of the most skilled cabinetmakers and wood workers of the country. Resistance, resilience, sturdiness, flexibility, weight, density, colour… Each wood species possesses unique characteristics, each carefully chosen for a specific purpose. This article will delve into the origin, the different qualities, and reasons behind the use of each species.
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Published by Jordy Delage on Thu, 12 December 2019.

Article tags: Craftsmanship, Guide, Wooden Weapons

2 comments

Kanto Police Department’s Yoshinkan Aikido Demonstration / Competition

Following an exciting experience with Yoshinkan aikido practitioners at a Tokyo Police dojo, we were invited to attend the Kanto (Tokyo Region) Police Department’s Yoshinkan Aikido Demonstration / Competition on Tuesday, June 22, 2010 at “Jutsuka”, the training center for the Japanese anti-terrorist units, located in Shin-Kiba (Tokyo).
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Published by Jordy Delage on Wed, 4 December 2019.

Article tags: BudoStudies, Demonstration, Event, YouTube

0 comments

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