Iaido

[Jabb]

Has anyone ever practiced iaido? What do you think of it?

I'm asking because I think it would be nice to train iaido along the kung fu. With kung fu I train my body and with iaido, mastery of the sword

In case you didn't know, iaido is a kind of japanese swordsplay, "the art of drawing your sword from the scabbard". In higher levels of training you use real katanas instead of bokken.

[Sho]

In Iaido you train your spirit. The sword resembles the spirit (tamashi) of the Japanese people.

I haven't studied Iaido myself, but as far as I know, it doesn't incorporate any sparring. Kendo [although an ancient art] is the modern "practical" way of using the Japanese sword. In Iaido you only do the movements in solo. It's a very precise and yet dangerous art - very beautiful.

[Jabb]

I know it's about training your spirit, but you can't decline that you will learn technically fast sword sets in it too.

If I wan't to train my spirit, I sit zazen.

Peace.

[Sho]

Of course you do. I didn't say that it's a 100% hippie art.

[Kempo Guy]

Sho is correct. It is to instill the Yamato Damashii... (spirit)

I have never practiced Iaido, but do practice a Sogo Bujutsu where the primary component is the sword. Most of my peers came from Iaido background and have shown me many of the Seiteigata (the basic forms used in competition).

I have been told that very few Iaido schools do any interpretation of kata (forms) and lack the intent used in Iaijutsu schools. Also there are very few Iai schools who practice partner kata (I do know some Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu groups that do this). Some Iaido schools do participate in 'cutting' (tameshigiri) but most do not. There are Batto-do schools that specialize in cutting though...

KG

[GeneChing]

Samurai Qigong. READ Blade Sharp: Eight-Section Brocade and Iaido by Gene Ching



Iaido
Baduanjin-(8-section-brocade)

[YinOrYan]

Samurai Qigong. READ Blade Sharp: Eight-Section Brocade and Iaido by Gene Ching

It goes without saying the legendary creator of the 8 brocades was a martial artist. If you look deep into the history of Japanese martial arts you can see there was a huge amount of crossover from the Chinese martial arts. It didn't just come across with Buddhism, there was a lot that came across with yin yang theory.

[GeneChing]

It goes without saying the legendary creator of the 8 brocades was a martial artist.

The origin of the Brocade is murky at best. It was not necessarily of martial origin.

[YinOrYan]

The origin of the Brocade is murky at best. It was not necessarily of martial origin.

Hence the phrase "legendary" and it also goes without saying he was a General. Regardless, the brocades seems to me to be a very good warm up for archery!