Both schools trace their lineage to Hayashizaki Jinsuke Shigenobu through Hasegawa Chikaranosuke Hidenobu. 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). Little is known of his life, leading some scholars to doubt his historical existence as a real person. 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.
The first schools dedicated exclusively to sword drawing appeared some time during the late 16th or early 17th century. The Tenshin Shōden Katori Shintō-ryū (天真正伝香取神道流) included iaijutsu in its curriculum in the 15th century.
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. 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 secondary emphasis is on drawing the sword and responding to the sudden attack as quickly as possible (合). The primary emphasis in iaido is on the psychological state of being present (居).
by the All Japan Kendo Federation (AJKF), while Iaijutsu is used for some amongst the older koryū combative techniques. Iaido is the usual term to refer to the modern self-improvement oriented-form taught e.g. 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. 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. 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”).īattōjutsu is the historical (ca. 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. Most of the styles and schools do not practice tameshigiri, cutting techniques.Ī very important part of iaido, is nukitsuke or the life of iaido. Some iaido schools, however, include kata performed in pairs. Iaido forms ( kata) are performed solitarily against one or more imaginary opponents. Because of this non-fighting aspect, and iaido’s emphasis on precise, controlled, fluid motion, it is sometimes referred to as “moving Zen.” Iaido does include competition in form of kata but does not use sparring of any kind. Multiple person kata exist within some schools of iaido, when iaidoka will usually use bokken for such kata practice. Practitioners of iaido are often referred to as iaidoka.īecause iaido is practiced with a weapon, it is almost entirely practiced using forms, or kata. Few more experienced iaido practitioners, use a sharp edged sword ( shinken). 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 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).