A sword class in Shugakuin and two weapon workshops along the Eizan railway, all in the north of the city.
Pick a day, or the first and last day of your stay in Kyoto. We check the booking calendar of every session and show which ones still have places.
Type: Sword basics
Type: Weapon forging
Type: Tin casting
Kendo Experience runs the most reviewed sword session on this site, plus two workshops where you make a ninja weapon. Despite the name, none of its sessions is kendo in armour. The sword class teaches basics with training swords, and the workshops are about metal. All three venues lie in the north of Kyoto, on or near the Eizan railway.
Each session has its own venue, so check the station before you plan the morning.
| Photo | Experience | What you actually do | Nearest station | Min. age | Duration | Reviews ↕ | Price ↕ | Book |
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Kendo and Samurai Experience Kendo Experience (Studio NIN) | Sword basics in training wear: grip, stance, strikes, blocks, footwork | Shugakuin, about 15 min on foot | 7 | 2 h | ★ 4.8 (1,276) | $102per person | Book now |
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Ninja Weapon Forging Kendo Experience (Studio NIN) | Shape and engrave a steel shuriken to keep | Hieizanguchi, about 1 min | Not stated | 2.5 h | ★ 4.8 (683) | $146per person | Book now |
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Ninja Weapon in a Tin Workshop Kendo Experience (Studio NIN) | Cast a small weapon or a mask in tin | Demachiyanagi, about 3 min | 5 | 2–2.5 h | ★ 5.0 (177) | $108per person | Book now |
Per-person prices are loaded from GetYourGuide and include taxes and booking fees. Paid extras such as the kunai at the forging class are not part of the price shown.
Each session with the same facts, so age limits, location and what you actually do can be read across. Tap a session to see its programme, venue and house rules.
Sword basics with training swords in an old house in Shugakuin. Despite the title, there is no kendo armour and no sparring.
You change into training wear and learn strikes, blocks and footwork with training swords, with time for photos and video at the end. The session takes place in an old house with a large gate in Shugakuin, in the Sakyo ward in the north of Kyoto.
The title says kendo, but the session does not include kendo armour (bogu) or sparring, and the product page lists no cutting. Children can join from 7.
An old house with a large gate in Shugakuin (Sakyo ward), about 15 minutes on foot from Shugakuin station.
Details as the studio lists them on its booking page; points it leaves open are marked as not stated in our tables.
Forge a shuriken at around 800 °C, engrave a kanji and take it home.
At the studio by Hieizanguchi station you heat steel to around 800 °C, forge your own shuriken and engrave it with a kanji. The finished piece is yours to keep.
A kunai is available for an extra charge. Forged weapons can only travel in checked luggage, and import rules in your home country apply.
About 1 minute on foot from Hieizanguchi station (Eizan line).
Details as the studio lists them on its booking page; points it leaves open are marked as not stated in our tables.
Cast a small ninja weapon of 8 to 10 cm in tin. Open from age 5.
In the tin workshop near Demachiyanagi station you cast a small ninja weapon of 8 to 10 cm and take it home. Children can join from 5, which makes it one of the easier formats for families.
According to a review, a knife or a mask costs extra.
Studio about 3 minutes on foot from Demachiyanagi station.
Details as the studio lists them on its booking page; points it leaves open are marked as not stated in our tables.
The session takes place in an old house with a large gate in Shugakuin, about 15 minutes on foot from Shugakuin station. Training wear, equipment and shoes are lent to you. The instructor starts with etiquette and sword safety, then teaches grip, stance and basic movements with training swords before moving on to strikes, blocks and footwork. Photo and video time follows, and the session closes with a talk on the samurai code and how kendo developed. It lasts about two hours and takes children from 7.
The programme has no bogu armour, no sparring and no cutting. One guest expected the masks seen in photos and did not get them, and another found the house and garden run-down. If kendo in armour is what you want, the kendo page covers the session that has it.
The forging class meets at the red postbox in front of Hieizanguchi station, at the northern end of the Eizan line. You wear a samue and a headband, shape and engrave a steel shuriken, and keep it. A kunai costs extra. The tin workshop is three minutes from Demachiyanagi, at the southern end of the same line, and takes children from 5. You cast a weapon of 8 to 10 cm or a mask. Both are compared step by step on the weapon making page.
Demachiyanagi is where the Keihan line from Gion and Sanjo ends and the Eizan railway begins. From there, Shugakuin and Hieizanguchi are further up the Eizan line. If you combine the sword class with a workshop on the same day, check the start times on both product pages and allow for the walk from Shugakuin station. Replica swords are on sale at the studio; they fly in checked baggage only.
The two-star review concerns the condition of the house and garden in Shugakuin, not the teaching. The three-star review is from the forging class, where the guest expected more hammering than the session gave.
“kahai was our instructor, he was very professional and informative. The true passion of the history shines through. This is not an experience to mess about, this is a serious activity with lots of respect taught.”
“Amazing experience, way better than expected! We learned so much with Taka and the instructions was clear!”
“So much fun! Taka and Shun were very friendly and knowledgable, we had a great time and learned a lot, and left with a great souvenir!”
“Sawan was very kind and a great teacher!”
“The house is run-down and dirty. The garden is ugly and poorly kept.”
“I thought we would be more hands on for this experience it wasn't really explained before booking that you don't really do any forging. … overall we used a sand machine to shape the blade for 10 minutes and hammered our weapon that was heated for us.”
Reviews written by guests after their session, from GetYourGuide.
Not as the sport is practised. The session teaches sword basics with training swords in training wear, without bogu armour or sparring, and includes a talk on how kendo developed.
The sword class is in an old house in Shugakuin, about 15 minutes on foot from Shugakuin station. The forging class is by Hieizanguchi station and the tin workshop near Demachiyanagi station.
Yes. The sword class and the forging class are led in English, and the tin workshop lists English and Japanese.
No cutting is listed for the sword class. The training swords are for strikes and blocks.
Replica swords are on sale. Like the forged pieces, they travel in checked baggage only.
All samurai, kendo and ninja sessions in one table.
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