Overview
This experience begins with a simple question:
Can you remain calm, aware, and prepared regardless of circumstance?
This is not an experience about becoming a Samurai.
It is an experience that asks whether you can live with the qualities the Samurai sought throughout their lives.
Tanjō is a traditional Japanese short staff practice transmitted alongside the Mugai Ryū tradition.
Its origins can be traced to Japan's transition from the Samurai era to the modern age.
After swords were prohibited from being carried in public during the late nineteenth century, many former Samurai adopted walking sticks for everyday use and self-protection.
From this historical context emerged sophisticated techniques that applied the principles of traditional swordsmanship through an ordinary object.
For over 340 years, Mugai Ryū has preserved not only martial techniques, but also a deeper path of self-cultivation.
Often described as "Moving Zen," its purpose is not to prepare for conflict, but to cultivate a body and mind capable of responding appropriately to whatever life presents.
The experience begins with Zazen meditation.
From stillness, participants progress through etiquette, body mechanics, combination drills, and Tanjō practice.
Each stage is connected through a unified philosophy: awareness becomes movement, movement becomes action, and action becomes character.
Participants learn how posture, breathing, timing, rhythm, and balance influence both martial practice and everyday life.
Through guided instruction and personalized feedback, they discover how hesitation can be reduced and how movement becomes more natural, efficient, and adaptable.
This is both a traditional martial discipline and a modern approach to self-protection. Yet its purpose extends far beyond self-defense.
The goal is not merely to protect oneself.
It is to cultivate a body and mind capable of living with clarity, composure, and readiness.
The Samurai believed that true preparedness existed whether a sword was present or not.
Through discipline and self-mastery, they remained composed while carrying responsibility unseen.
More than a martial arts lesson, this is an introduction to Budō: Tanjō
— The Way of Movement, where awareness, adaptability, and self-mastery become one.
◆Hougyoku Takeda / Chairman of the International Iaido Federation Hougyokukai.
7th-dan Kyoshi license holder in Mugai Shinden Mugai-ryu Iaido Hyodo. Board member of the Iaido Association.
The Way of Movement:Clarity, Adaptability, and Self-Mastery
Select the date & Reservation
This plan is a request reservation. It is not confirmed until we check availability and send a confirmation notice.
Location
「International Iaido Organization Hogyokukai Grand Headquarters Dojo」
SCOP21 Bldg. 3F, 4-20-10 Kuramae, Taito-ku, Tokyo, 111-0051, Japan
Price
The price covers Budō-Tanjō lecture (history, philosophy & body mechanics), training, rental hakama, certificate, and taxes.
Transportation costs are not included.
If you require transportation arrangements, please specify your request in the remarks section of the application form.
Schedule
10:00 AM — Dress in Traditional Hakama
Prepare to enter the mindset and discipline of the dōjō.
10:10 AM — Zazen Meditation
Cultivating stillness, breath, and awareness before movement begins.
10:25 AM — Reiho (Etiquette)
Discover how traditional etiquette develops posture, presence, and respect.
10:35 AM — Lecture: Mugai Ryū and the Philosophy of Budō
Explore the lineage of Mugai Ryū, the meaning of self-cultivation, and the path of continuous growth.
10:50 AM — Body Mechanics Training (Unarmed)
Develop awareness of balance, posture, and natural body movement.
11:10 AM — Mitt Training & Combination Drills
Learn continuous movement and rhythm while reducing hesitation and unnecessary pauses.
11:25 AM — Tanjō Practice (Fundamentals & Applied Techniques)
Experience how body awareness, timing, and movement become practical technique.
11:50 AM — Demonstration by Takeda Sensei or Senior Practitioners
Witness the refinement and composure cultivated through years of disciplined practice.
12:00 PM — Individual Feedback Session
Receive personalized guidance and insights into your movement and body awareness.
12:10 PM — Certificate Presentation & Commemorative Photos
12:20 PM — Program Concludes
Leave with a deeper understanding of readiness, movement, and self-mastery.
※The start time is flexible. Please let me know what time works best for you
Dress Code
No dress cord.
For the Iaido experience, you will wear the traditional uniform we provide.
Please let us know your height and clothing size when you apply.
Payment
Payment in advance / Credit card JPY only
Booking deadline
Booking must be made at least 7 days before the experience date
Cancellation policy
・From 20 days prior to the experience date: 20% of the total experience fee
・From 14 days prior: 25%
・From 7 days prior: 50%
・From 1 days prior: 100%
Cancellation fees are calculated based on the scheduled experience date.
Further remarks
Please let us know in advance if you have any iaidō experience.
For those experiencing it for the first time, we will provide easy training and guidance tailored to your needs.
No alcohol permitted before joining.
Due to unavoidable circumstances, programs or workshops are subject to last-minute changes and cancellations.
If you are more than 30 minutes late without prior notice on the day of your appointment, it will be automatically canceled.
In such cases, no refund will be issued.
Select the date & Reservation
This plan is a request reservation. It is not confirmed until we check availability and send a confirmation notice.