Samurai kenbu in Kyoto: choose and book

What this ticket is

The ticket is entry to one performance at the Samurai Kenbu Theater, in the basement of the Gozan building in Kyoto's Higashiyama ward. A performer introduces kenbu in English, then dancers show traditional and new-style sword dances, some of them with a folding fan. When the dancing ends, the performers return for photos, and you finish with a short hands-on sword lesson. It is a performance first and a lesson second, not a class you sit through for hours. The theatre is run by Ginbu Co., which opened it in 2014 with the stated aim of increasing the presence of kenbu.

What the ticket covers

Three things are included: entry to the theatre, the kenbu show and the short sword lesson. Two things are not: hotel pickup, and food and drinks. Eat before or after, and make your own way to Higashiyama. Booking through GetYourGuide returns your money in full if you cancel at least a day before, and offers a pay-later option that holds the date without a charge today. Nothing in the ticket depends on a seating category or a menu choice, so the booking itself is simple. The fare shown on the page is for one adult, and the calendar adds up the total for your party before you pay.

• Included: theatre entry, the kenbu show, a short sword lesson
• Not included: hotel pickup, food and drinks
• Cancellation: free up to 24 hours ahead, done yourself on GetYourGuide

What happens in the room

Shoes come off at the door, as in a Japanese home, and your reservation name is confirmed at reception. A performer then narrates the history and techniques of kenbu. Each demonstration comes with a short account of samurai culture between the 12th and 19th centuries, and the dancers move through complex sword sequences that follow poems once recited by samurai before battle. Folding-fan technique comes next; the sword is only picked up at the end. Pieces and order can change between performances, so treat this as an outline of the hour, not a fixed programme. The guide to the art form below explains what the poems, the sliding walk and the fan are doing.

Read next: What is kenbu? Sword dance and samurai poetry

The sword lesson

After the show you pick up a sword, draw it slowly from its scabbard and grasp the blade. At the instructor's command you swing gently at first, then with more force. If time allows, there is a go with the fan as well. It is a taste of the movement, enough to see why a dancer's cut looks so controlled, and nothing more. Follow the instructor's commands, because the swings are meant to be slow and deliberate. For a longer session with costume and a photo shoot, the same company sells a separate sword class with its own booking, and its terms differ from this ticket.

Show, class or drum show?

Three Kyoto bookings sit close to this one. The kenbu show is for watching first and trying second. The sword class is for people who want to take part from the start: it asks for exercise clothes, offers a costume and a photo shoot, and has no watching-only place, so it will not suit a friend who just wants to look on. The taiko drum show near Kawaramachi is a different art, a 45-minute non-verbal concert where photos and video are welcome and children aged six and under watch free. Pick by what your hands will be doing: watching, swinging a sword properly, or sitting in front of the drums.

Picking a date

Start with the calendar. The show is tagged as likely to sell out, so don't leave it to your last evening in Kyoto. If your dates are fixed, book the slot first and fit the rest of the day around it. The calendar gives each date's start times, and the time you pick appears again in your confirmation. Because the calendar shows only real availability, an open date is a seat you can hold today. Reserve now and pay later keeps the date without charging you today, and you can cancel free until 24 hours before. The theatre asks guests to cancel through GetYourGuide themselves, not by message or at the door. If your plans are unsettled, that combination is the reason to book early rather than late.

What guests describe

Guests who write about the show tend to mention skilled, powerful performances, the historical context that comes with each piece, and the chance to swing a sword and take photos afterwards. Some say they enjoyed it more than they expected. A few travellers say the narration could be clearer, which is why this site has a guide to the art form: a little background about poems and movement makes the English introduction easier to follow. Overall, guests describe it as an informative and enjoyable cultural show, with the explanation as much a part of it as the dancing. Reviews also single out how friendly the team is.

At the door

Arrive for your slot rather than hours ahead. There is no waiting room, and people without an appointment cannot wait inside. There is no room for large luggage or travel bags either, so leave them at your hotel. Expect to take your shoes off, so wear socks you are happy to be seen in. No photos or video are allowed during the show, though the performers return afterwards, and that is when guests pose with them. The theatre also asks guests not to arrive under the influence of alcohol. Getting there from Kyoto Station is simple by subway.

Read next: Getting to the Samurai Kenbu Theater in Kyoto

Language and who it suits

The narration is in English, and the instructors speak English and Japanese. The booking page, calendar and confirmation can be set to your own language and currency, which helps when you are arranging a group. The booking page lists wheelchair access, though the theatre is in a basement, so confirm the route through your booking if you need step-free access. It suits curious adults, couples, friends and families who like to see how something is done. Nobody needs any Japanese, and nobody needs any sword experience, because the lesson starts from the very beginning. If you want to film the dancing itself, this is not the show for it; the drum show welcomes cameras throughout.

Read next: Shigin: the chanted poetry behind kenbu

Fitting it into a Gion evening

The theatre sits in the Sanjō–Hanamikōji part of Higashiyama ward, the district that holds Gion, so the hour pairs easily with a walk through its streets. Book the slot first, then plan a stroll and a meal around it, since neither is included. Gion has its own manners: Kyoto's tourism office asks visitors not to stop, touch, follow or photograph geiko and maiko without permission, and to stay out of private property. The Gion guide on this site covers the details, and it is worth a read before you wander the lanes at dusk. A drum show near Kawaramachi, a separate booking, is another way to fill a second evening in the same stretch of the city.

Read next: A Gion evening around the kenbu show

Who this isn't for

This is not the show for anyone who wants a long martial-arts lesson, if you need to film the performance, or if you plan to arrive with big bags and nowhere to leave them. It is also the wrong pick for anyone expecting a sword fight: kenbu is a dance performed to poetry, and the lesson is short. If you want hands-on time from the first minute, book the sword class instead, and if you would simply like to understand more about kenbu before deciding, read the art-form guide first. It is free, it takes a few minutes, and it will tell you quickly whether a dance set to chanted poems is something you want to spend an hour on.