Do they still teach Nodachi anywhere?

[Scully]

Evening All,
This may sound like a bit of a stupid quesion, but its been bugging me for a while so please go easy on me,

Are there any schools of iai/ken (or any more appropiate term) that teach the use of the Nodachi?
I don't necassarilly plan on learning it,
but it has always intrigued me and I'm just wondering if the art is still alive today.
I got given one as a child that wold hang on my wall, but when weapons lawas started getting stricter, I sold it, simply becuase I didn't have a locker big enough to fit it in, but considering how huge it was I never tried to figure it out when I still had it.

Let me know

Scully

[ScottUK]

If you consider choken as such, then yes. The Kage-ryu do so.

[UnimportantHero]

Jigen-ryu as well, based on this video demo:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVSONNESfyE

What I imagine to be their suburi is at the beginning, and they show some kata starting somewhere around the 4:00 mark.

[UnimportantHero]

Nodachi looks fun but - sigh - I really wish there was kanabōjutsu out here. Now there is a heavy weapon. I could club things all day long.... It would be heaven.

[Anorymous]

Kind of like this?

[Are2]

There's also the Hikida Shinkage-ryu.

[Marcos]

Kind of like this?

This is not a Nodachi, Nodachi is an specific japanesse sword, diferent from tachi or odachi.
The common Nodachi was made for mongolian wars, but few schools continue the learning even after mongolian wars.

This video is from Shin Muso Hayashizaki Ryu iaijutsu, one of the koryu made for, and thank you to Hayashizaki Jinsuke Shigenobu, the man who restore iai. He uses a kind of tachi, you can watch it in Hayashizaki Shrine today... his sword, as he said mesure 3 shaku of blade and 8 sun of tsuka, and also you can keep a koshigatana of 8 or 8.5 sun (we know these thanks to Tamiya Heibei Morimasa, 2º Soke of MJER and shdai of TR). But this is not nodachi.

In Tokyo Yamauchi ha of MJER (Komei Jyuku) we use the original fundation mesures, but with the sori and motohaba comon in some places in Tosa Han. But also is not a nodachi:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aymNYM92ZJA

For nodachi may be you must search for Kage Ryu, Colin Hyakutake has a good research, and few people stills practicing in Japan.

[chidokan]

I have one of Colin's old bokken/saya.... its quite interesting to try and draw it, as it makes you think about the length of stance and other influences due to the blade length, on your normal nukitsuke and noto. I take it to the dojo every so often to show these points, and then use a wakizashi to show the reverse extreme. A very useful lesson to be learnt about the sword and more importantly your ideas about what you usually do!

[yamakage]

In addition to what has already been mentioned, Yagyu Shinkage Ryu also has nodachi in their curriculum. It is quite interesting to watch. Obviously a lot of the underlying heiho is buried in the kata, but even still it is interesting to observe the difference in maai, swing dynamic, and kyoshi when weilding a large sword.