Samurai Sword Experience with Master Shimaguchi
Understanding the Katana
Step into the world of the samurai in Aizu-Wakamatsu on this immersive 2–3 day experience featuring authentic sword training with master choreographer Tetsuro Shimaguchi — renowned for the legendary Kill Bill Vol. 1 fight sequence.
Aizu Wakamatsu
Upon request
2 ~ 3 days
2 ~ 6
Few years after the ancient Japanese samurai class was disarmed following the Japan’s Meiji Restoration (1866-1867), there was a revival of interest in traditional Japanese sword.
Train with choreographer Tetsuro Shimaguchi who created the legendary Crazy 88 fight sequence against O-Ren Ishii’s army in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill Vol. 1.
One thing you will learn about traditional Japanese swordsmanship is the special importance given on ritual and Etiquette, to acquire the right spirit of respect and reverence for the art and the sword itself.
Join your private expert guide for an unparalleled two-day exploration of revered martial arts and samurai history. Discover Aizu Wakamatsu, a city steeped in warrior legacy, where you’ll train in authentic techniques and explore the iconic Tsuruga Castle.
Elevate your experience with a luxurious stay at a traditional ryokan in Aizu Wakamatsu offering exquisite regional cuisine.
One of Japan’s most fiercely preserved samurai cities, Aizu-Wakamatsu resisted the Meiji Restoration to the end. Tsuruga Castle, the Byakkotai legacy, and a warrior culture that never quite surrendered — this is where samurai history is not reconstructed, but remembered.
Tetsuro Shimaguchi choreographed the Crazy 88 fight sequence in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill Vol. 1 — one of the most celebrated sword sequences in cinema. Training under him is not a tourist activity. It is instruction from one of the world’s foremost authorities on the art of the blade.
Japanese swordsmanship is inseparable from ritual and etiquette — the bow, the grip, the stance, the spirit. What Shimaguchi teaches is not performance. It is the philosophy of the sword, passed down through a lineage that predates cinema by centuries.
Tetsuro Shimaguchi does not offer public classes. This experience is arranged privately and exclusively through Wanotabi — your group only, at a pace and depth that no group tour can replicate.