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Iaido
Iaidō (居合道), abbreviated iai (居合), is a Japanese martial art that emphasizes being aware and capable of quickly drawing the sword and responding to sudden attacks.
Iaido consists of four main components: the smooth, controlled movements of drawing the sword from its scabbard (or saya), striking or cutting an opponent, shaking blood from the blade, and replacing the sword in the scabbard. While beginning practitioners of iaido may start learning with a wooden sword (bokutō 木刀) depending on the teaching style of a particular instructor, most of the practitioners use a blunt-edged sword called an iaitō or mogitō. Few, more experienced, iaido practitioners use a sharp-edged sword (shinken).
Practitioners of iaido are called iaidoka.
The term "iaido" appears in 1932 and consists of the kanji 居 (i), 合 (ai), and 道 (dō). The origin of the first two characters, iai (居合), is believed to come from saying Tsune ni ite, kyū ni awasu (常に居て、急に合わす), which can be roughly translated as "being constantly (prepared), match/meet (the opposition) immediately". Thus the primary emphasis in 'iai' is on the psychological state of being present (居). The secondary emphasis is on drawing the sword and responding by harmonising with a sudden attack as quickly as possible (合).
The last character, 道, is generally translated into English as the way or path. The term "iaido" approximately translates into English as "the way of mental presence and immediate reaction", and was popularized by Nakayama Hakudo.
The term emerged from iaijutsu (lit. "the art of mental presence and immediate reaction") and the general trend to replace the suffix -jutsu (術) ("the art of") with -dō (道) in Japanese martial arts in order to emphasize the philosophical or spiritual aspects of the practice.
Iaido encompasses hundreds of styles of swordsmanship, all of which subscribe to non-combative aims and purposes. Iaido is an intrinsic form of Japanese modern budo.
Iaido reflects the moral principles of the classical warrior and aims to cultivate a spiritually balanced individual characterized by intellect, sensitivity, and resolute will. The practice is primarily performed solo in the form of kata, which involve executing a variety of techniques against one or more imaginary opponents. Each kata begins and ends with the sword sheathed. Regardless of the specific technique used, imagination and concentration are essential to preserve the sense of a real combat situation and to keep the kata engaging. Iaidoka are often encouraged to practice kendo in order to maintain a combative spirit. It is common for high-ranking kendoka (practitioners of kendo) to also hold high rank in iaido, and vice versa.
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Iaido
Iaidō (居合道), abbreviated iai (居合), is a Japanese martial art that emphasizes being aware and capable of quickly drawing the sword and responding to sudden attacks.
Iaido consists of four main components: the smooth, controlled movements of drawing the sword from its scabbard (or saya), striking or cutting an opponent, shaking blood from the blade, and replacing the sword in the scabbard. While beginning practitioners of iaido may start learning with a wooden sword (bokutō 木刀) depending on the teaching style of a particular instructor, most of the practitioners use a blunt-edged sword called an iaitō or mogitō. Few, more experienced, iaido practitioners use a sharp-edged sword (shinken).
Practitioners of iaido are called iaidoka.
The term "iaido" appears in 1932 and consists of the kanji 居 (i), 合 (ai), and 道 (dō). The origin of the first two characters, iai (居合), is believed to come from saying Tsune ni ite, kyū ni awasu (常に居て、急に合わす), which can be roughly translated as "being constantly (prepared), match/meet (the opposition) immediately". Thus the primary emphasis in 'iai' is on the psychological state of being present (居). The secondary emphasis is on drawing the sword and responding by harmonising with a sudden attack as quickly as possible (合).
The last character, 道, is generally translated into English as the way or path. The term "iaido" approximately translates into English as "the way of mental presence and immediate reaction", and was popularized by Nakayama Hakudo.
The term emerged from iaijutsu (lit. "the art of mental presence and immediate reaction") and the general trend to replace the suffix -jutsu (術) ("the art of") with -dō (道) in Japanese martial arts in order to emphasize the philosophical or spiritual aspects of the practice.
Iaido encompasses hundreds of styles of swordsmanship, all of which subscribe to non-combative aims and purposes. Iaido is an intrinsic form of Japanese modern budo.
Iaido reflects the moral principles of the classical warrior and aims to cultivate a spiritually balanced individual characterized by intellect, sensitivity, and resolute will. The practice is primarily performed solo in the form of kata, which involve executing a variety of techniques against one or more imaginary opponents. Each kata begins and ends with the sword sheathed. Regardless of the specific technique used, imagination and concentration are essential to preserve the sense of a real combat situation and to keep the kata engaging. Iaidoka are often encouraged to practice kendo in order to maintain a combative spirit. It is common for high-ranking kendoka (practitioners of kendo) to also hold high rank in iaido, and vice versa.