Our Nami, Gorin and Tsuru iaito are a breakthrough in design and functionality. Made of a special stainless steel, they are much more durable than aluminum alloy Iaito. Steel has the “feel” of a live blade and is not prone to distort when making a practice cutting stroke. These very affordable practice swords are the ideal training tools for safely practicing the ancient art of Iaido. Study on the use of the Japanese sword is a very serious endeavor. Students of Iaido (Way of the Sword Draw) typically learn the sword using various instruments. Most likely they will begin with a bokken / bokuto (wooden sword) and then an Iaito (un-edged training sword) before handling a Shinken (live sword). Iaito are an integral tool in the learning process allowing students to practice with a sword with a sense of safety for themselves and for those around them. Iaito by CAS Hanwei are light (less than 2lbs.) and extremely well balanced to reduce the wear-and-tear on specific joints. The un-edged blades are crafted in 400 series stainless steel with a simulated hamon and are fully tempered to withstand repeated drawing and practice cutting strokes. Each blade features a bo-hi (groove), which both reduces blade weight and produces an audible feedback when practice cutting strokes are made correctly. We offer three distinct models with various fittings. Each model comes in 4 blade lengths 26”-29”. Key Features: * Stainless Training Blade * Authentically constructed * Designed for Martial Artists Specifications: Blade length: 19 3/4" Overall length: 27 1/4" Weight: 1lb 4oz Point of Balance: 4" Width at Guard: 1.08" Width at Tip: .75" Thickness at Guard: .24" Thickness at Tip: .19" Sori: 1/2" Specs will vary slightly from piece to piece.