Magnolia Mugaikai
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July 2, 2025: Magnolia Mugaikai hosted Nomura Yoshitaka Sensei, 9-Dan, Sohan from the Yokohama Mugaikai. It was a great pleasure to have our senior instructor here to provide detailed instruction. We look forward to seeing everyone in Yokohama in November - come join us!

 

The 12th Mugairyu International Taikai was held on Sunday, November 17, 2024 in Yokohama, Japan. There were pre-taikai training on November 13 - 15, as well as a training session led by Konishi Soke on November 16. A very successful event - see HERE for a brief photo gallery of the week. Join us in Japan in 2025!

 


January 13, 2024: The new dojo in Magnolia, Texas held an opening event and embu. Many members of Yokohama Mugaikai and US Mugairyu Iai Hyodo groups attended, including Nomura Sensei and Kurt Brown Sensei. A full account of the event is on the Kenshinkan Dojo website External link opens in new tab or windowHERE.


A photo gallery of the Mugairyu Iai Hyodo highlights can be found HERE. Join us now to get started!


Welcome to Magnolia Mugaikai - the Texas Study Group for Mugairyu Iai Hyodo under the External link opens in new tab or windowYokohama Mugaikai.


Yokohama Mugaikai is led by Nomura Yoshitaka Sensei. Nomura Sensei leads the international practice of Mugairyu Iai Hyodo under Shiryukai with study groups across the globe. He regularly visits these groups to support student's efforts in learning Mugairyu Iai Hyodo.


Nomura Sensei is 9-Dan, Sohan and was conferred ‘Menkyo-kaiden’ (full mastership) of Mugairyu Iai Hyodo from the 16th Soke Konishi Misakazu Ryuoh Sensei in March, 2017.

 

Mugairyu Iai Hyodo consists of of 10 Zagi (sitting forms), 10 Tachiwaza (standing forms), 10 Iai-no-Kata (5 paired forms with long sword and 5 paired forms with short sword), and 3 Naiden (internal teachings) for a total of 33 techniques. In addition, 5 basic (Kihon) techniques are included at Yokohama Mugaikai and affiliated study groups.



Magnolia Mugaikai is led by John Mutschink, 4-Dan. Members of Magnolia Mugaikai regularly participate in training and events in Japan in addition to their regular training. For more information about training at Magnolia Mugaikai, please contact us at info@magnolia-mugaikai.org.

Getting Started

 How do I get started? Is it expensive?


Getting started is easy - just contact us at info@magnolia-mugaikai.org to join a class, observe and give it a try. If you then feel like joining, we can get you signed up. Dues and fees are generally reasonable - see our About Magnolia Mugaikai page for details.


To start, there is no need to invest a large amount of money to see if you are really interested - you can come in comfortable clothes and we can lend you a bokken to get you going. Once you have decided to commit, you can build up the necessary equipment over time. We would suggest buying equipment in the following order:


  1. Bokken (wooden sword) - this can be your first training weapon and is one you will need throughout your Mugairyu Iai Hyodo career as we regularly use them for Iai no Kata (paired forms) and drills. Bokken can be very reasonable depending on the quality and wood - this is something that will take a lot of strikes so just a sturdy, standard bokken is sufficient. $50-70 in many online shops - high quality and rare woods can be much more.
  2. Training uniform and obi - once you are committed, you'll want a solid training uniform with hakama and dogi, and an obi (belt through which the sword is held). A solid, basic uniform can run $100-150 on many online shops - more formal, high quality uniforms can be much more. We recommend just starting with a basic uniform - black hakama and black gi top are the standard for our group.
  3. Iaito - as you train longer, at some point you will want to purchase an iaito. These are the alloy training swords often used for iai kata. They are not sharp, and should not be used to try and cut targets. Iaito can be a significant investment, so we recommend waiting until you are sure you want to continue training for a long time before purchasing. A very basic iaito from a quality manufacturer in Japan can cost around $400 depending on exchange rates. More customized iaito (e.g. fittings, handle wraps, etc.) can cost up to $1500 or more.


For beginning students, the start up cost should be fairly modest - a bokken and uniform should be roughly $150-200 depending on choices. Over time, most will choose to buy an iaito, which is often the largest expense for equipment - generally $500-600. As people advance, they will often upgrade or replace their original equipment or uniform with more high quality items and fill in other items not necessary to begin (e.g. tabi, sword bags, etc.), but it is not a requirement. The key is to take good care of all of your equipment - keep it clean and well maintained - and it will last you for years.

Copyright Magnolia Mugaikai - 2023-2025.

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