Has anyone ever done Iaido?

FeckArseInc

Iaido is a form of Japanese sword drawing. I think it looks really interesting but I don't know if you have to own a beginners wooden sword before hand to join or do the club provide you with one?

I made an enquiry email to the club but haven't heard back yet.

http://www.iaido.ie/

Would you recommend doing Iaido?

Doug Cartel

I'm going to guess that they'll let you train at least a couple of classes with a loaner. I think it would be unreasonable to expect you to buy all the kit without getting to try it for a short while to see if it's something you want to do long term.

corkma

my guess would be that they have some club gear for prcticality. no beginners going to buy the kit

maguffin

I did Iaido many years ago under Sensei Joe Ryan (Dublin) and Sensei Mike Finn (London)...enjoyed it immensely...very hard work, especially the kneeling/stepping movements.

You should buy yourself a Bokken (wooden sword) and start with that before investing in an Iai-to (training sword)

I highly recommend it.

Check some of the Iaido Katas here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byAgl-b2xFs


maguffin

whitetigerkungf

Hey Feckarseinc, you dont need to buy anything at all at the start. Clubs have bokken and whatever else you need to get going. I train off Pearse street myself and love it. All you need is track suit pants and tee shirt to start with.

arybvtcw0eolkf

whitetigerkungf wrote: »

Hey Feckarseinc, you dont need to buy anything at all at the start. Clubs have bokken and whatever else you need to get going. I train off Pearse street myself and love it. All you need is track suit pants and tee shirt to start with.

Can someone go in and view the training?.

And where off Pearse St. is your Dojo?.

Dyr

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_j5csvTB-FE

ehunt3_14

FeckArseInc wrote: »

Iaido is a form of Japanese sword drawing. I think it looks really interesting but I don't know if you have to own a beginners wooden sword before hand to join or do the club provide you with one?

I made an enquiry email to the club but haven't heard back yet.

http://www.iaido.ie/

Would you recommend doing Iaido?

Hi FeckArseInc, I'm a member of the Kensekai Iaido Dojo off Pearse St. (Video above is great directions! Thx). I absolutely LOVE IT. We train there regularly and the times are on the site you've been to.

You're welcome to sit and watch first, but we do encourage beginners to jump in and have a go. The dojo has wooden bokken that you can use, and even the odd spare obi (a belt you use to hold a sword). We have everything you need to begin training.

They teachers are very good and will work with you to make sure you really get the most out of the class. Come on down and check us out and feel free to ask us anything.

whitetigerkungf

as E hunt said people always welcome to have a look or take part, And the vid does a great job at directions

FeckArseInc

Do you find it good for your mental health aswell? I've heard Iaido described as a form of 'moving zen'.

Also, is it possible to extend what you've learned for other sword practices?

ehunt3_14

Hi FeckArseInc, I persoanlly find it very useful for my health both mental and physical. I find the movements of Iaido are not hugely demanding from a physical training perspective, however I'm generally drenched in sweat at the end of the class from the sheer mental effort of constant focus and projecting the correct intention in the movements.

That said many martial arts can claim the same, and if approached with goal of "moving zen" in mind they can certainly fulfil that . Iaido would for me. It allows me to develop a great focus and awareness outside of the dojo and has taught me to balance being highly focused while making sure that I'm not in tunnel vision.

I've had similar conversations with the other students. Some enjoy it simply as a hobby and a bit of crack, others use it as a base for deeper personal change. You get out of it what you put in, but I'd say that is true of most martial arts.

As regard application to other sword arts - yes there would be certainly be common skills and themes - the most closely associated dicsipline outside of Iai would be Kendo. But there are a wide variety of different schools even in Iai. What is common to all sword arts however is proper posture, footwork, balance, conservation and efficency of movement and Iaido teaches all these aspects well.

Is there a particular style of swordsmanship that you're interested in exploring outside of Iaido? If I knew what that was I could better advise.

mickoo

Drawing a sword sounds like great fun!!!

i dont get the attraction of this art, plus its not like as if you can carry a sword about with you.

getz

in my ealry days[1960s] we had a japanese master who came over to show us a sword kata,this one was made to be used for fighting in a narrow lane,i can still remember it,is it still taught ?

pearsquasher

Just for the record, in Bujinkan sword practice, there are elements of what is normally termed "battojutsu" or "iaijutsu". This is the skill of fast-drawing the sword. The emphasis is on surviving a sudden attack when your blade is sheathed and the strategies gleaned from its practice are the same ones used whether unarmed, or armed with other weapons. e.g. Control of distance, angling, timing, relaxed movement, guarding open spaces, dexterity, control, footwork etc. While iaido, as I understand it, emphasises the "zen" aspects of personal development, iaijutsu, is just about surviving an assault, with a 3ft razor blade.

ehunt3_14

getz wrote: »

in my ealry days[1960s] we had a japanese master who came over to show us a sword kata,this one was made to be used for fighting in a narrow lane,i can still remember it,is it still taught ?

Yep, that's still taught. It's called "Kabezoe" (Against the Wall) part of the "Okuden" or "inner transmission". These Okuden contain more of the advanced-level techniques.

ehunt3_14

pearsquasher wrote: »

Just for the record, in Bujinkan sword practice, there are elements of what is normally termed "battojutsu" or "iaijutsu". This is the skill of fast-drawing the sword. The emphasis is on surviving a sudden attack when your blade is sheathed and the strategies gleaned from its practice are the same ones used whether unarmed, or armed with other weapons. e.g. Control of distance, angling, timing, relaxed movement, guarding open spaces, dexterity, control, footwork etc. While iaido, as I understand it, emphasises the "zen" aspects of personal development, iaijutsu, is just about surviving an assault, with a 3ft razor blade.

Hi Ali, thanks for the input. I studied the Bujinkan Sword technqiues, actually, with yourself and Alex several years ago. The techqiues of Iaido are substanitally different, however they are no less practically focused than those trained in Bujinkan. In fact based on my experience of both systems I feel there is a far greater practicality in Iaido. (Mind you as the previous poster mentioned when are you ever going to be running aroudn with a sword in feudal japan? Thus the practicality is purely emphasised as a mental exercise. When do you ever need to do Sudoko in real life? But it's still a useful exercsie for mental development and helps with pratical application of the mind). The technqiues in Iai are certainly stylised, as in any traditonal MA, but the focus is VERY much on proper execution of the movements to accurately kill the opponent.

The level to which this is emphasisied changes from dojo to dojo, but I'm quite lucky as I get to train with instructors that equally emphasise both. Some do indeed focus on the estoric character development that can be attained through Iaido, however just as much is making sure that your technqiues accurately hit the target. This is very much seen in the paired forms we practice called Tachi Uchi no Kurai.

mugs1

I study Toyama Ryu Iai Battojutsu in Wexford, it is similar to Iaido, however there is also a big emphasis on Tameshigiri or test cutting Im fairly sure there is someone training in Dublin also,

http://fujiyamaireland.webs.com/