Charles, clipp 4 shows Mr. Crowther tapping the top of his tsuka with his fist. I'm not interested in bashing him but was wondering if the action was considerd "chiburui" or is he checking for loose parts, just kidding.

<< The first time he rammed the kissaki into his left forearm and then when he felt resistance pushed it right through and out of the back of his upper arm, >>
Maybe I have been taken in by scam. The opinions I have been given about the sharpness of a good shinken make this one sound rather dull.

Man I can't believe that I thought this guy was the real deal. I was an idiot. Now that I have been training in MJER
for 8 months or so, maybe 7months I can pick this guy apart.
I still haven't tested for ranking yet. I won't test until
January of 2007. I have now started my own biz making custom
koshirae and am starting to learn every aspect of MJER.
I got to tell ya, noto still frustrates me. Sometimes I do
it great others not so great. Anyways Steve would not match
up with many sensei that I have seen.I got the oppertunity
to go to NY this year and also visited Ken Zen Dojo.
I have never had soooo much help with everything from so
many different Sensei's. I ever got to learn from
Kato Sensei and Hooper Sensei. Don't know if you guys know them, But it was VERY educational. Steve Crowther on the
other hand will just teach you to get hurt..
Check out my web site when you have a chance.

www.warriorkoshirae.com

Later,
V34

I know Ken Zen by reputation only, but it's a pretty good rep.

I had the pleasure of meeting Hooper Sensei several years ago at a major seminar in Manhattan when Nakanichi Sensei was visiting. I hope I spelled the gentleman's name correctly. That was over ten years ago. He was quite elderly at the time but could still hold his own at Kendo.

Hmm, that sounds fishy to me, I charge 200 american for my classes, in america anyhow. You get what you pay for, classes that cheap, well, I would not expect very much. Doesn't mean it nmight not be good, but most dojo's only teach weapons as an addendum to Karate or some other empty hand stlye, which is where the gravy is after all. I'd be cautious if I were you.

That only proves you are price gouging. Every so often on the forums there is a poll of traditional JSA instructors. Prices for monthly dues range anywhere from free to about $100 on the upper end. The more expensive places invariably have a physical building of some sort to pay rent on or they would be cheaper. The cheaper places are usually practicing out of a community center or something.

I train under the senior guy in the Seitokai branch of the Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu Seitokai, which is to say the branch led by Ikeda Takashi-soke(22). Sensei is a Nanadan Kyoshi and been practicing since 1980. He spent the first 10 years of his training in Chiba training directly under a student of Fukui Torao-soke(21). He's been teachin in Denton, Tx for 10 years and offers up to 5 classes a week which adds up to about 6 and a half hours of mat time a week. Senior students also have a key to the dojo and are welcome to come down and train whenever we have free time. We have our own storefront just of the town square. Sensei could charge considerably more, but his rates are pretty low. $60 a month for non-university students and $50 a month for students. That's it. Even the big seminars gather donations that are south of $100 for the entire weekend.

Most of the folks who practice a genuine style, aren't doing it for a living. They aren't even doing it for extra income. They are generally only charging to cover the bills of running the dojo. There are exceptions to the rule of course. A handful are out there doing it for a living, but they don't come anywhere near $200 a month.


There is no need to fear KenZen. They are a well known and respected establishment. I think you might be suprised at how many traditional JSA dojos exist in the US. It is a small number compared to karate and tkd to be sure, but it's not unusual to find one or two real koryu training oppurtunities in most major cities. Heck all the big cities in Texas have at least one genuine koryu training oppurtunity connected to dojos in Japan. And Texas isn't exactly a hotbed of Japanese immigration.

Is the Paul Chen 1204 Tiger Katana any good? How about in comparison to the last legend?

OK So I missed the end part of the thread. This is my first time on this forum so plz don't get too mad at me for not sticking with the conversation. Anyhooz, I am interested in buying a nice sword. At first, I was settling for silly fantasy swords, but then I started thinking...why not take a class? I'll buy myself a nice sword and then take the class so that I have an incentive to finish my training and learn how to properly use the sword. I was thinking of purchasing the Tiger Katana (Roughly $840). Is there anything else that you guys would recommend to me that is around that price range? Going over the $1000 mark seems to be a little overboard for someone who doesn't even know how to hold a sword properly. I was checking out the Last Legend from this post, and I am confused as to what means what and how the two compare to eachother. Last legend has a nice warranty policy and I cannot seem to find the policy for Paul Chen swords. Thanks to all.