What is Iaido?

[Gyakuto]

As I said, it's an elegant art. A poor stroke will not cut well, and who wants to learn to hack?

That’s true but with regards realism, a hack will kill.

I don't know. If there's a lot of blood (a result we all hope for ) much would be shed by chiburi. When I wash my hands, I usually flick off the excess water before reaching for a towel.

Blood and gore tend to be stickier than water and enough would remain on you blade to make a gummy, hunky stink in one’s saya! The technique of chinugui, where the blade was wiped with a cloth are also used in Iaido. I suspect in real conflict, the blade would be wiped off on the clothing of one’s deceased enemy.

Only a handful of worthy sensei in the USA, and after I moved couldn't find one.

Yes a perennial problem. My teacher is a 2 hour drive away in the depths of Cornwall! They don’t even have electricity and running water down there!

Some dojo use blunt aluminum blades and have too much touchy feeley art vibe and not enough martial depth. I'm lucky to have been spoiled by training with some of the top guys in all the MA I have studied.

It’s difficult when those opportunities are no longer available.

BTW, my favorites among the seiteigata were tsuka-ate and uke-nagashi. What are yours?

Hmmm…I don’t really have a favourite- Shihogiri is fun as it’s a long kata with lots of changes of direction and thus gives you chance to inject some drama into it! If you can cut well, Sōgiri is fun with it’s multiple, multi-angled cuts. It’s often used in gradings to differentiate the competent cutters from the poorer ones! But a beautifully paced and well-executed Mae tells you everything you need to know about an Iaidoka’s abilities.

 

[Hyoho]

Yes a perennial problem. My teacher is a 2 hour drive away in the depths of Cornwall! They don’t even have electricity and running water down there!

Peter West?

 

[Hyoho]

That’s true but with regards realism, a hack will kill.

Blood and gore tend to be stickier than water and enough would remain on you blade to make a gummy, hunky stink in one’s saya! The technique of chinugui, where the blade was wiped with a cloth are also used in Iaido. I suspect in real conflict, the blade would be wiped off on the clothing of one’s deceased enemy.

Yes a perennial problem. My teacher is a 2 hour drive away in the depths of Cornwall! They don’t even have electricity and running water down there!

It’s difficult when those opportunities are no longer available.

Hmmm…I don’t really have a favourite- Shihogiri is fun as it’s a long kata with lots of changes of direction and thus gives you chance to inject some drama into it! If you can cut well, Sōgiri is fun with it’s multiple, multi-angled cuts. It’s often used in gradings to differentiate the competent cutters from the poorer ones! But a beautifully paced and well-executed Mae tells you everything you need to know about an Iaidoka’s abilities.

Who did you practice with? I formed Cornwall Kendo Club also doing Iaido. Joined by Phil Booth who had just come back from Japan at the time. I had passed Shodan in Elephant & Castle London with Peter West. He moved to Cornwall and we teamed up. By that time our dojo had been renamed Kenseikai. I moved and ended up teaching at Kenseikai, Japan. Recommended Peter for the adult education class I ran.