Few, more experienced, iaido practitioners use a sharp edged sword (shinken). Iaidō (居合道), abbreviated with iai (居合), is a Japanese martial art that emphasizes being aware and capable of quickly drawing the sword and responding to sudden attacks. Kendo is about facing the opponent and striking each other, but iaido aims for beauty and perfection in form. Historically, although kendo and iaido are both sports that compete using swords, the daily practices and matches have many differing points.

Kenjutsu, which originated with the samurai class of feudal Japan, is the umbrella term for all traditional (koryū) schools of Japanese swordsmanship, in particular those that predate the Meiji Restoration and the modern styles of Kendo and Iaido that emerged from the traditional schools in the late 19th century.

There are 12 Seitei Iaido Katas (4 sitting katas and 8 standing katas). The Japanese martial arts of Iaido relies heavily on katas (forms) in order to teach basic movements and striking techniques.

Why did Zen Nihon Kendo create the iaido kata?.

What’s the difference between iaido and kenjutsu?.

What does the name of the sword iaido mean?.

How many sitting kata are there in iaido?.

What is the difference between a katana and a Iaido katana?.

The intention was to promote and facilitate the dissemination of iaido, especially among practitioners of kendo. In 1952, the Japan Federation of Kendo was founded and within it was created a committee with teachers from different schools of iai the knowledge of the teachers was used in order to create a program with katas and teach the basic concepts of iaido. The iaido is practiced in the form of kata, taking into account a clean performance, control of movement, balance and smoothness. The training of iaido takes place at the individual level and uses a iaito (Japanese sword) a weapon specially designed for this practice size and weight ratios are as similar as possible to the katana, but made from cheap metals alloys and usually blunt. It was created to address situations where, the person that was attacked, was sitting, liyng down or in any other position having sheated sword. These techniques were born in the days when kendo was practiced with real, authentic fighting swords. Practically, all the actions take place in one balanced, accurate and clean motion. Iai means unity of being or unity of minds in the sense of joining the spirit of the adversary without moving. The Iaido technique involves unsheathe, cut, clean the blood of the blade and sheath, from different positions this is what we may call as fundamental movements of iai.

Iaido katanas