Our Iaidō continues the tradition of swordsmanship from the time of the samurai and, in addition to the traditional forms (kata) of our style, also includes unique partner exercises that were specially created by us to train tactical understanding beyond an aesthetic demonstration.
What is Iaidō and what style do we practise?
Iaidō – The Way of the Sword – has its origins in samurai swordsmanship and translates as “the way to be fully present in every moment”. A more contemporary paraphrase would be “be prepared for any situation”.
This sword art teaches the use of the Japanese sword and was developed in Japan as a defence against surprise attacks. The death-defying determination of the Japanese samurai warriors, the unrivalled sharpness of their swords and the perfection of their swordsmanship are famous and still provide material for numerous stories and legends today.
The Japanese long sword katana has always been not only a perfect weapon, but also an object of art and a revered cult object. The sword was the soul of the samurai and perfect handling of it was essential for survival. Of the many sword schools (ryū), only those whose techniques were effective and successful survived the centuries.
From the 16th century, a warlike time of constant attacks and surprising duels, a new sword fighting system – Iaijutsu – emerged alongside the drawn sword fighting style – Kenjutsu (today further developed into the sporting Kendō). It enabled the samurai to win a fight with a decisive cut while still drawing his sword and laid the foundation for today’s Iaidō.
Musō Jikiden Eishin Ryū (incomparable, directly transmitted school of Eishin), or Eishin Ryū for short, is the style practised in Akitsuyama Dōjō, which according to tradition originated around 450 years ago and is thus one of the oldest martial arts still practised in Japan.
The Eishin Ryū is an uncompromising and very sophisticated style that has retained its tradition and independence over the centuries to this day. The founder of Iaidō was Hayashizaki Jinsuke Minamoto Shigenobu, who lived from 1546 to 1621 in what is now Kanagawa Prefecture. The namesake of the Eishin Ryū was his successor in the seventh generation, Hasegawa Chikaranosuke Eishin. The Eishin Ryū belongs to the “old schools” (Koryū) and claims a direct and uninterrupted line of transmission, starting from Hayashizaki Jinsuke to the present day.
In addition to the traditional Iaidō, a simplified modern standard Iaidō, the so-called ZNKR Seitei Iai, was created in 1968 by the All Japan Kendō Association (Zen Nihon Kendō Renmei – ZNKR) to familiarise Kendō athletes with the use of a sword. Although ZNKR Seitei Iai is widely practised in Europe, only the traditional exercises of the Eishin Ryū are taught in our Dōjō.
In today’s Iaidō, learning the desired unity of body, mind and sword requires not only physical but especially mental practice. Complete concentration, mental presence, body control, self-awareness, determination, attentiveness and, last but not least, a great deal of patience and discipline are qualities that Iaidō practitioners should also transfer to everyday life. Like the samurai who, in the face of battle, finds the calm to admire the perfection of a flower, the Iaidōka should learn the art of decisive action from inner balance and harmony.
Iaidō is very meditative and is mainly practised in the form of fixed movement sequences (kata) that reflect various combat situations. Before and after the kata, the Iaidō practitioner is in a state of inner calm and relaxation. Beginners practise with a wooden sword (bokutō) and advanced practitioners with a blunt sword (iaitō), which corresponds to a real sword (katana) in terms of shape, length and weight. After many years of training, practising with a sharp sword (shinken) is reserved for Iaidō masters alone.
Unique to the Akitsuyama Dōjō is a didactically organised system of partner exercises as a fixed training component to train distance awareness, timing and understanding for the application of Iaidō techniques. In addition to the traditional exercises of the Eishin Ryū, our Akitsuyama system of partner kata introduces the trainee step by step to dealing with a real opponent. However, these exercises are not comparable to sporting competition, such as in kendō. Muscular strength or athletic fitness do not play a major role, as the sword techniques derive their effectiveness from movement and mental energy.
Traditional training clothing in Iaidō consists of
– a wide trouser skirt (Hakama),
– a jacket (Iaidōgi),
– an underjacket (Shitagi),
– a belt (Obi) and
– standard knee pads (Hiza ate).
Beginners initially train in comfortable sports or Budō clothing. We provide a training sword at the beginning. We are also happy to help with the purchase of inexpensive Iaidō equipment.
Our Japanese teacher is Kumazawa Masayuki Sensei, 8th Dan Hanshi, from the Kamon-Yama Dōjō in Yokohama Kannai. We maintain a very close and friendly relationship with him and regularly travel to Japan. This allows us to draw directly from the source of Budō. Kumazawa Sensei is the president of the Iaidō section of the Kokusai Budōin / International Martial Arts Federation (IMAF), the oldest Budō world association, and follows the tradition of his teacher Yamaguchi Katsuo, 10th Dan Meijin (1917-2006) in his understanding of Musō Jikiden Eishin Ryū Iaidō.
