Around 500 years ago, when our school Muso Shinden Eishin Ryu Iai Heiho (MSERIH) was created by Hayashizaki Jinsuke, the swords used were longer than what many schools use today. By the time of the 7th headmaster, Hasegawa Chikaranosuke Eishin, the swords used by samurai became shorter. However, our school today still uses the original sword lengths. The lengths are relative to an individual's height. Some of the benefits of using a longer heavier sword is that it helps to be