Equipment
Clothing
Beginners can start training in normal sports clothes. They should be comfortable, the sleeves should not be too wide, and the trouser legs should not be too long since Iaido practice is traditionally barefooted. Later, the traditional attire is needed in the form of a Gi jacket, a Hakama and a 4- to 5-metre long belt, the Obi. The price for this kind of attire is between 125 and 200 Euro in total.

The sword for exercise
For the beginning, a Katana-shaped wooden sword called Bokken or Bokuto is sufficient. Bokuto can be purchased for around 10 to 25 Euro. With further progress in training you should build or buy yourself a Saya for the Bokuto, since its handling will be part of the training. Advanced Iaidoka need a Iaito, a sword in the form of a traditional Katana. An Iaito has an aluminum blade and is blunt, so it is considered a sports device and does not fall under the law of arms. The prices for an Iaito are between 300 and 750 Euro. A transport bag for the Iaito costs between 40 and 75 Euro. A real katana with a folded blade is only needed for practice from 6th Dan on. The prices for such swords range between 4,000 and 10,000 Euro.

A word on security
After several people showed up to train with decorative swords, we thought it necessary to address this subject. Decorative swords are, as the name indicates, intended exclusively for decoration, to be hung on a wall. Under no circumstances are these devices designed for the demands that occur when a sword is being used for practice. It can, therefore, happen more than easily that such decorative objects are divided into their individual parts during exercise. This is not beneficial to the health of the bystanders. In addition, these decorative swords are usually sharpened, which may increase the risk of injury, especially for beginners. Therefore, for safety reasons, training with decorative swords is not permitted.