About Iaido
Iaido, as a distinct martial art, dates back to the beginning of the 17th Century. Many schools have developed over the last 400 years, but most were lost in the chaos of the mid Twentieth Century.
Our primary style is Musō Shinden Ryū, which consists of approximately 40 solo techniques starting from kneeling, sitting and standing positions. It takes several years to become fluent in these techniques. As well as the solo forms, Musō Shinden Ryū also contains several sets of two-person combat forms practiced with wooden swords (bokken).
Like most iai schools worldwide, we also teach modern Seitei Iai. This is a set of twelve techniques that teach the principles and foundations of Iai, and provide a common basis for examination and competition. Schools have distinct traditional Ryū, but Seitei is practised almost everywhere.
Should kendo practitioners learn Iai? Yes! Seitei iai was designed to teach kendo practitioners the application of a real sword: your kendo knowledge cannot be complete unless you understand iaido. That does not mean that iaido is superior to kendo: they teach different aspects of swordsmanship.
Iaido is not a sport, although there are occasional competitions. Neither are (sword-based) techniques an effective form of self-defence in the modern world. However, the attitude of self-control and self-examination that Iaido encourages makes the practitioner more able to cope with any situation that life throws at them.
Iaido, as a distinct martial art, dates back to the beginning of the 17th Century. Many schools have developed over the last 400 years, but most were lost in the chaos of the mid Twentieth Century.
Our primary style is Musō Shinden Ryū, which consists of approximately 40 solo techniques starting from kneeling, sitting and standing positions. It takes several years to become fluent in these techniques. As well as the solo forms, Musō Shinden Ryū also contains several sets of two-person combat forms practiced with wooden swords (bokken).
Like most iai schools worldwide, we also teach modern Seitei Iai. This is a set of twelve techniques that teach the principles and foundations of Iai, and provide a common basis for examination and competition. Schools have distinct traditional Ryū, but Seitei is practised almost everywhere.
Should kendo practitioners learn Iai? Yes! Seitei iai was designed to teach kendo practitioners the application of a real sword: your kendo knowledge cannot be complete unless you understand iaido. That does not mean that iaido is superior to kendo: they teach different aspects of swordsmanship.
Iaido is not a sport, although there are occasional competitions. Neither are (sword-based) techniques an effective form of self-defence in the modern world. However, the attitude of self-control and self-examination that Iaido encourages makes the practitioner more able to cope with any situation that life throws at them.
