Iaido

Iaido is translated as „the way of the sword“ or „the way of drawing the sword“. It is perhaps the most philosophically oriented of all Japanese budo (martial arts). Although it is a much more formal discipline today, it seems to be much less understood than many others budo forms that arose in the post-war period (after 1945). This may be due to the fact that iaido has been the subject of countless obscure interpretations in the light of both classical and modern ideals.

It is extremely difficult for the average person to understand and appreciate that the true nature of iaido is the opposite of martial effort. Internally, Iaido is truly a non-combat physical and mental discipline of the highest order based on the prescribed use of the traditional Japanese sword (katana). The apparent paradox of an iaido practitioner who, through his swordsmanship, has the ability to kill but does not act as such, is highlighted and taught that he has absolutely no conscious intent to kill others and wields the sword only to onore o sameru – control his „ja“. We can say that the main essence of iaido is to achieve victory over the opponent without drawing the sword, in other words to overpower the opponent spiritually while the sword is in saya (scabbard).

Characters for Iaido and their meaning

Analysis of the characters used in the word "iaido“, (居合道) has proven useful in understanding the essence of this art. The sign i (居) points to a number of different positions that can be occupied by the human body in the simultaneous presence of a state of high internal motivation. This motivation is characterized by a purposeful will: a will that is free from fear and expectation of failure and acts precisely with the unwavering conviction that what it is doing is right.

The second character is ai (合), an ideogram that is derived from a person's ability to quickly adapt to any upcoming circumstance in life. Ai is actually a symbol of the reactive approach, a state of mind that is characterized by an extreme degree of flexibility of mind and which is also reflected in bodily actions. It is this flexibility of mind that allows the wearer to harmonize physically and mentally with their mate, other thing or event, no matter how opposite their direction may be to their own thoughts and actions.

Do means michi, which is a path or track that a person is supposed to follow in life. Do can only be achieved through a long process of training made up of persistent effort, and training in this vigorous spirit to achieve personal perfection reflects the primary and only true purpose of all classical Budo systems.