Iai

[fireka]

Okay so I saw a book for Iaido and looked through it. I had heard the concept beofre but when i looked at the graphs and stuff I was liek this:

 

this is the coolest art...ever! I mean, i love Isshinryu but where weapon arts are consierned...dude. i mean thats all I can say, this looks so incredibly cool, and I knto that sounds shallow but I must know more if your an Iaido student here, reveal yourself!

[White Warlock]

I studied it for a time, years ago.

[granmasterchen]

its nice, like all others, it all depends on the practitioner and the teacher....keep that in mind

[turonaga]

yes, its a great art and the principle behind it is quite impressive. i used it also in my karate "to(draw the sword)strike the enemy at the time he intends to attack" not when his doing the attack 'coz if you do by then it would be impossible to counter.

[tommarker]

You might also get bored to death learning how to fold your hakama, tie your sword bag, etc.

 

I'm only saying there is a commitment to detail present in iaido that is tenfold what you see in even the strictest of karate dojo. Some may see it as wasting time playing around with everthing for ten minutes and then doing 3 seconds of cutting, ten minutes of playing around. etc.

 

Not how I feel..

[White Warlock]

No, Tommarker is correct. The amount of 'ceremony' associated with iaido is not for the weak of heart and most 'non-Japanese' are simply not interested in spending the majority of their time prepping to perform just one or two cuts in a day. It seriously is far more a study into tradition and ceremony than it is a study into an esoteric application of the blade.

[fireka]

Thats awesome! Now I really want to take it! But i'm to busy now, maybe after my shichi kyu test and after A-school

[Tal]

Personally, I would recommend you do a bit of kendo or kenjitsu before doing iaido.

 

Iaido is great if you like taking hours to dress yourself, tieing the grip onto your tsuka (sword handle) repeatedly with utmost precision, remembering the names of all five thousand parts of the sword. Don't forget cleaning your sword either; you have to do that about 10 a day because if there is a speck of dust on your sword then your soul is unclean and all that.

 

Yes, I'm exagerating, but I found it an extremely tedious art. I would leave it until you're already a master swordsman. Its fine being able to draw your sword perfectly, but someone is still going to kick your butt unless you've practiced kenjitsu first.

 

I'm knocking iaido, just warning you: Its a very mental/spiritual thing.

[fireka]

humm...i thought the idea was if youve mastered Iaido you shouldnt have to worry about butt kicking, there shouldn't be much fighting after the sword is drawn anyway, draw and kill in one motion right?

 

The tedious stuff doesn't bother me, I like all that.

[White Warlock]

Hehe.

 

It became an art in and of itself 'because' of the peace that became of Japanese life. It is practiced as one of the 'historical' arts. I understand masters of iaido in Japan, that run a school, are financially (yet minimally) supported by the government as a means to keep tradition alive. Masters of the tea ceremony, ancient pottery, origami, geisha, and many others are likewise financially supported.

 

Okay, that was just trivia. Anyway... it has its uses, assuming you can adapt it to body or stick, rather than sword.