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knghtazrael
17th January 2008, 19:20
I plan on asking my Sensei this but thought that I'd get some opinions from here as well. On occasion we practice Sword work. I know when we pick up a bokken or Iaito for practice or when putting it away we turn to the Shomen holding the sword in two hands in front of us and bow. However on good days I like to go outside and practice question is do I still hold the sword like that and bow and if so in what direction?

Josh Reyer
18th January 2008, 00:08
I plan on asking my Sensei this but thought that I'd get some opinions from here as well. On occasion we practice Sword work. I know when we pick up a bokken or Iaito for practice or when putting it away we turn to the Shomen holding the sword in two hands in front of us and bow. However on good days I like to go outside and practice question is do I still hold the sword like that and bow and if so in what direction?

Whichever direction you determine to be the front (shomen).

carl mcclafferty
18th January 2008, 04:15
To ni rei, bowing to the sword can be done anywhere.

Phil Hobson
18th January 2008, 15:08
How we do it in our dojo (or rather, outside our dojo) won't do you any good if your dojo and sensei do it differently. So rather than offer potentially misleading advice, let me encourage you to follow your plan and ask your sensei.

Tamagawa
18th January 2008, 16:21
However on good days I like to go outside and practice question is do I still hold the sword like that and bow and if so in what direction?The bow you are referring to is actually a bow with the sword to the Shomen,Kamiza or Shinzen. This is the front of the dojo where you can find a kamidana, pictures etc. Outside, mostly we don't have this, so this kind of bow is then not done. However if you can train in front of a temple, shrine or even place a kamidana outside, you can bow in that direction.

Brian Owens
19th January 2008, 12:21
The bow you are referring to is actually a bow with the sword to the Shomen,Kamiza or Shinzen.
Not necessarily.

I can't speak for your school, but in some schools the bow to the shomen is done with the sword held at one's side (or on the floor, if the swordsman is bowing from seiza).

The bow with the sword held horizontally would often, in those schools, be a bow to the sword, not to the shomen; a show of respect to one's training tool.

To ni rei versus shomen ni rei.