Iaido in Santa Fe, NM.

[arnisador]

A story on Gerd Kunde, described as Santa Fe's sole iaidoka:
http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/34969.html

Iaido lacks the widespread popularity of such martial arts as karate, judo or kendo. Kunde estimates there are perhaps only between 200 and 400 serious practitioners in the United States.

He attributes the low numbers to the fact there is no competitive circuit for the art's practitioners.

Eh, I don't believe the at most 400 practitioners claim. Good story otherwise! The paper had a large picture, too.

 

[Charles Mahan]

Yeah the idea that only 400 train around the US is pretty far off. Perhaps it's just 400 in what ever style he's training in. I'd say there are at least a couple hundred students within the ZNIR/Seitokai affiliated MJER world alone. in the US. Probably that many more in Canada. That's not counting the Jikishinkai folks or the ZNKR folks, or the MSR folks or the... well you get the idea.

 

[arnisador]

Yup. Still, for a newspaper story I thought it was pretty good. I hope it helps him get more students--there was contact info. at the end.