Iaidô
Iaidôis the Japanese martial art of drawing and cutting in the same mo-
tion, or “attacking from the scabbard.” It dates from the mid-sixteenth
century, when warriors began to wear the sword through the belt with the
edge upward. Iaidô is practiced solo with real blades, in set routines called
kata. Some iaidô styles also practice kata with a partner, using wooden
swords or training blades with rebated edges. Some styles incorporate test
cutting. Others, however, regard cutting as peripheral to the art. Iaidô is
considered a method of self-development but is also practiced as a sport,
with two competitors performing kata side by side, and a panel of judges
declaring a winner.
The idea of cutting from the draw may have originated as early as the
eleventh century, but modern iaidô dates to about 1600. Most styles trace
their origin to Hayashizaki Jinsuke Shigenobu (ca. 1546–1621). His stu-
dents and those who followed developed hundreds of different styles,
dozens of which are still practiced. Today the two most popular are the
Musô Jikiden Eishin-ryû and the Musô Shinden-ryû.
In the mid-twentieth century two major governing bodies for iaidô
were formed: the All Japan Iaidô Federation, and the iaidô section of the
All Japan Kendô Federation. Both organizations developed common sets of
kata to allow students of different styles to practice and compete together.
Although not overly common even in its country of origin, iaidô has fol-
lowed the Japanese martial arts around the world.
The art has had many names over the years, but iaidô was accepted
about 1930. The “I” comes from the word ite (presence of mind) and the
“ai” alternate pronunciation of the word awasu(harmonize) in the phrase
kyû ni awasu (flexible response in an emergency).
The art is a Japanese budô and as such is intended mainly as a method
of self-development. The concentration and focus needed to perfect the
movements of drawing and sheathing a sharp sword while watching an
(imaginary) enemy have a beneficial effect on the mind. The art also de-
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