First official day of the taikai started at 8am with seminars. We did the first Mugairyu seminar with a big group who worked hard for almost two hours. We spent most of the time on small details like noto and chiburi, as it was these bits that Gosoke really wanted folks to work on.
After the seminar I helped Tony with the iai cutting seminar; luckily I didn't blow any of my cuts when I cut first, and then took a few folks off to the side to help them work on technique. Cutting from the draw is harder than it looks, and I think a few people were honestly surprised that they couldn't cut. But then again, not everyone practices cutting iai like Mugairyu, so I think there was much learning going on.
After that I jumped into the wakizashi cutting seminar. Tony rolled over in his wheelchair and nailed a few cuts, and I borrowed folks' swords and worked on my basics.
Did one more Mugai seminar in the afternoon with a smaller group before the demonstration in the evening. Gosoke used his new Howard Clark sword and did a stunning demo that blew everyone away. After the demo we had some dinner in the hotel and hung out chatting with Ted, Keith, and the rest of the motley crew. Keith had one of Howard's blades on sale that I broke down and had to buy. It was simply stunning though I won't see it for a year or so as it still needs a polish and mounting.
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