| Focus | Weaponry (Katana) |
|---|---|
| Hardness | Forms competitions only. |
| Country of origin | Japan |
| Creator | Nakayama Hakudō (c.1873–1958) is generally credited with first use of the term "iaido". |
| Parenthood | Iaijutsu |
| Olympic sport | No |
Iaido (居合道 Iaidō) is a modern Japanese martial art associated with the smooth, controlled movements of drawing the sword from its scabbard, striking or cutting an opponent, removing blood from the blade, and then replacing the sword in the scabbard. While new students of iaido[1] may start learning with a wooden sword (bokken) depending on the teaching style of a particular instructor, many of those who study iaido use a blunt edged sword (iaitō). Few more experienced iaido practitioners, use a sharp edged sword (shinken).
Practitioners of iaido are often referred to as iaidoka.
Because iaido is practiced with a weapon, it is almost entirely practiced using forms, or kata. Multiple person kata exist within some schools of iaido, when iaidoka will usually use bokken for such kata practice. Iaido does include competition in form of kata but does not use sparring of any kind. Because of this non-fighting aspect, and iaido's emphasis on precise, controlled, fluid motion, it is sometimes referred to as "moving Zen."
Iaido forms (kata) are performed solitarily against one or more imaginary opponents. Some iaido schools, however, include kata performed in pairs. Most of the styles and schools do not practice tameshigiri, cutting techniques.
A very important part of iaido, is nukitsuke or the life of iaido. This is a very quick draw of the sword, accomplished by simultaneously drawing the sword from the saya and also moving the saya back in saya-biki.
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The word iaido approximately translates into English as "the way of mental presence and immediate reaction." It was coined in the 1930s, replacing the earlier and more literal name battōjutsu (抜刀術 "art of drawing the sword").
Battōjutsu is the historical (ca. 15th century) term encompassing both the practice of drawing the sword and cutting (tameshigiri). The term iaijutsu (居合術) was known before the Tokugawa period (before 1603) , and the term iaido was known from 1932. Iaido is due to the general trend (stemming from gendai budō) to replace the suffix -jutsu with -dō in Japanese martial arts in order to emphasize a philosophical or spiritual component.
Iaido is the usual term to refer to the modern self-improvement oriented-form taught e.g. by the All Japan Kendo Federation (AJKF), while Iaijutsu is used for some amongst the older koryū combative techniques. The primary emphasis in iaido is on the psychological state of being present (居). The secondary emphasis is on drawing the sword and responding to the sudden attack as quickly as possible (合).
In the book Bugei Ryuha Daijiten by Watatani Kiyoshi and Yamada Tadashi, Hayashizaki Jinsuke (Minamoto no) Shigenobu is credited with establishing the influence and popularity of the art early in the 16th century, that is today widely practised as iaido.[2] However, around a century before his birth, the dynamic art of iaijutsu had been developed by Iizasa Ienao, the founder of the Tenshin Shōden Katori Shintō-ryū.
The Tenshin Shōden Katori Shintō-ryū (天真正伝香取神道流) included iaijutsu in its curriculum in the 15th century. The first schools dedicated exclusively to sword drawing appeared some time during the late 16th or early 17th century. Hayashizaki Jinsuke Minamoto no Shigenobu (林崎甚助源の重信) (1546–1621) is generally credited with being the originator of the first dedicated school of sword drawing. Little is known of his life, leading some scholars to doubt his historical existence as a real person. The two largest schools of sword drawing that are practised today are the Musō Shinden-ryū (夢想神伝流) and Musō Jikiden Eishin-ryū (無雙直傳英信流). Both schools trace their lineage to Hayashizaki Jinsuke Shigenobu through Hasegawa Chikaranosuke Hidenobu.
Seitei Iaido (制定) or Zen Nippon Kendo Renmei Iaido is the standard set of iaido kata created in 1968 by a committee formed by the All Japan Kendo Federation (AJKF, Zen Nippon Kendo Renmei or ZNKR).[3] The twelve Seitei iaido forms (seitei-gata) are standardised for the tuition, promotion and propagation of iaido within the kendo federations. Although not all dojo teach seitei iaido, the AJKF uses them as a standard for their iaido exams and shiai. As a result, seitei iaido has become the most widely recognised form of iaido in Japan and the rest of the world.
The All Japan Iaido Federation (ZNIR, Zen Nihon Iaido Renmei, founded 1948) has a set of five iaido forms, Tōhō Iaido. This is essentially the ZNIR equivalent of the Seitei Iaido set. These five forms are from the five different major iaido schools.
Although there are a wide range of koryū styles practiced in Japan, the two most popular koryū styles practiced worldwide are Musō Jikiden Eishin-ryū and Musō Shinden-ryū. They resemble each other quite strongly because they branched off from one style sometime in the 18th century, first forming the branches of Shimomura-ha and Tanimura-ha.
These two branches would co-exist for many years until Ōe Masamichi Shikei, the 17th headmaster, brought together the Tanimura-ha, Hasegawa Eishin-ryū and the Ōmori-ryū to form what is today's Musō Jikiden Eishin-ryū.
The last Shimomura-ha (claimed) headmaster, Nakayama Hakudō who is considered the 16th, created a sword drawing art called Musō Shinden Battōjutsu that was heavily influenced by his Shimomura-ha training, but also took elements from other iaido-arts and would later become the Musō Shinden-ryū.
Although the schools' techniques resemble each other, there are several differences. Outwardly the most obvious differences might be seen for example in the nōtō (sheathing the katana back into the saya). In Shinden, the start of the nōtō is done on the horizontal plane, then rotated to the vertical plane by the end of the nōtō. In Musō Jikiden Eishin-ryū, the nōtō starts in an almost vertical plane and continues in that plane throughout the nōtō.
There are several branches of Eishin-ryū and Shinden-ryū that are practised today. Different lines and Iaido organisations often recognise different people as their sōke.
Mugai ryu was once one of the more famous styles in Japan in the Edo period and was developed from a strong influence of Zen. It is characterized by short, direct movements. As it was developed in 1697 by Tsuji Gettan Sukemochi [or Sukeshige], a Zen practitioner, it has deep links with Zen Buddhism. The original style created by Gettan was a kenjutsu school rather than iaido. Today's Mugai ryu iaido was established by Takahashi Hachisuke Mitsusuke and his younger brother Hidezu in mid Edo period. They studied a style called Jikyo-ryū under the fifth and last generation headmasters Yamamura Masashige. There are several distinct lineages of Mugai ryu throughout Japan today.
Suiō-ryū is a traditional style that specialises in sword drawing, both solo and paired, but other arts, like jōjutsu, naginatajutsu, kenpō and kusarigamajutsu are practised as well. It was founded by Mima Yoichizaemon Kagenobu c. 1615.
Other styles that incorporate sword drawing in their curriculum are, for example, Motobu Udundi from Okinawa, Shindō Munen-ryū, Shinkage-ryū, Hōki-ryū, Tatsumi-ryū, Tamiya-ryū, Tenshin Shōden Katori Shintō-ryū, Takenouchi-ryū, Eishin-ryū and more.
A style of sword drawing art is Toyama-ryū battōjutsu. This is a style originating in the late 19th century, and taught primarily to officers in the Second World War. It is different from the Edo period styles primarily in that all techniques are performed from a standing position. Toyama-ryū was in turn the basis of Nakamura-ryū, created by Nakamura Taizaburo (1912-2003); incorporating nōtō and kamae from older Koryū, notably Ōmori-ryū. It has been a long time since any differing schools have competed using shinken (sharp blades); hence it cannot be said that the traditional schools are superior to the modern schools, or vice versa, in the ultimate test.
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