There were no suitable swords available in Germany at the time, so contacts in Japan were used to bring the first Japanese Iaito to Germany.

The most modern technology of the time (the fax machine) was used to communicate internationally. The Internet was still relatively unknown at the time and smartphones were a long way off.

Mr Polzin made a name for himself very early on in the German budo scene. As the Internet became increasingly popular, it was clear that an online shop was the right way to reach even more fans of the Japanese sword. Japan-Budo.com was born!

Japan-Budo.com was the first German online shop to offer Japanese Iaito in different lengths. Japan-Budo has helped to shape the image of Iaido in Germany from the very beginning.

The extraordinary range of Japanese antiques, old samurai swords, training accessories from bokken to clothing and even customised blacksmith work from Japanese master blacksmiths has also developed over the years due to the excellent, friendly contacts to Japan.

But time did not stand still and running a company is exhausting. Werner Polzin therefore decided to cut back a little at the beginning of the 2020s and slowly withdraw from active business.

Shop operation in the second generation

This is the beginning of my role, or rather the role of my company Andara GmbH for Japan-Budo.com. In the early days of Mr Polzin's company, I was at most in planning with my parents, but nowhere near the world.

My personal contact with martial arts and online trading began shortly after the millennium (2000). I was an active martial artist at the time and, like Mr Polzin, I became an online retailer myself through the need for suitable accessories. About 20 years have passed since then. Japan-Budo and my company existed in parallel with slightly different focuses.

Through a chain of coincidences, Mr Polzin and I came into contact. The trust was there immediately and so the plan developed that my company would continue to operate Japan-Budo.com in the future.
As Mr Polzin and I are neither related by blood nor marriage, it is a great honour to be able to continue running this online shop that has matured over the years.

So it came about that Japan-Budo.com passed into the second generation after about 30 years. I hope that after another 30 years I will be able to look back on an equally successful history and will then be able to hand over to the third generation of shop owners with satisfaction.

The concept behind Japan Budo remains the same and will be continued as it always has been.

I am aware that many customers have built up a very deep relationship of trust with Werner Polzin over the decades.
I can promise you that I will continue to run the shop with the same honesty and motivation.

This is the story of Japan-Budo.com. I look forward to accompanying you on your journey through Japanese culture.

Stefan Pfeiffer