Membership

To join one of the dôjô of the Japanese Swordsmanship Society as a Member, there is a one-time Enrollment Fee of $50. Annual Dues of $35 are paid at the time of enrollment and at each anniversary date.

 
Training

To learn more about the training, visitors are encouraged to come to any of the scheduled classes. After the class is over, visitors may speak with the instructor to ask any questions they may still have. If the visitors are interested in joining a class, they may join after having had an interview with an instructor and completing the enrollment form and paying the appropriate fees. Upon joining, the new member chooses which of the three dojo in which they want to train. This is their primary art. When after sufficient practice, and with their teachers permission, they may wish to try one of the other arts. This is discouraged until they have become sufficiently grounded in the basics so that they will not mix the kamae (postures) and waza (techniques) from one art to another art. The Naginata and Iaidô training tend to be co-located and there are a number of people who do both. This is facilitated by the fee structure (see above). Jodo is done on a different day from the others and is under the control of its instructor. There is little interaction between Jodo and the other two arts.

While we refer to the training as a class, the training is on an ongoing basis with no cycle to the training. There is not any particular day on which to start training. Though, upon occasion where there is special training where it would be inappropriate for a new beginner. For example, the Nichibukan Naginata has a Saturday all-day spring seminar that assumes prior Naginata training. But, there is a two hour Seminar the night before this where they may obtain the basics needed for the next days training.

 
Cost

For Jodo fees please see the instructor.

For a 2-hour Iaidô or Naginata class, the training fee is $20 for a non-member and $15 for a member.

For a 4-hour Saturday class in Iaidô and Naginata, the rate is $30 for a non-member and $20 for a member.

There is a monthly class fee for members of $90. This rate is only available on the first class of the month, and it is for those members who wish to take at least 6 of the 12 to 15 classes per month.

For anyone who wishes to try out the training in Iaidô and Naginata, there is a special $10 introduction class of 20 minutes of Iaidô training followed by 20 minutes of Naginata training. This requires prior agreement since the training will be on a personal one on one basis.

 
Visitors

Visitors are normally welcome to come and watch any class. Sometimes, there are closed classes, but this is rare. Notice would be posted on this web site if a class is closed. There is no fee for watching a regular class. Visitors who wish to train may do so by paying a mat fee of $20 per class. It is possible to try a class, but each instructor has their own requirements. If you wish to try an introductory class, ask the instructor of that class.