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What is Iaido? Iaido the art of drawing and using the Japanese sword. Initially created to be used in battle, but Iaido is today trained as a sport putting the concentration and perfection of movement in centre. Iaido is practised alone against invisible opponents in a kata (kata = exercise where you perform a set of movements (techniques) in a predetermined pattern). Iaido consist of four groups of moves: nukisuke - the drawing of the sword, kiritsuke - the blow, chiburui - the cleaning of blood from the blade, noto - returning the sword to the scabbard. The techniques are mostly performed with a live-blade Katana. History of Iaido It is believed that the first school teaching the way of drawing the Japanese sword, Muso Jikiden ryu, was founded in 1560 by a man called Hayashizake Jinnosuke Shigenobu. As time went by more and more schools began training the art of drawing the sword, some were incorporated into Kendo. During the Tokugawa shogunate Japan was relatively peaceful and the need for Iai styles disappeared. To preserve the techniques and knowledge of Iai was needed and so Iaido was created. |
