Iaido the way of the sword
Without anything in common with Iaijutsu or Kendo, Iaido develops
during the peaceful time of the Edo period.
It is often the only means of survival for unemployed peacetime
warriors who out of the battlefield have devised a fighting system
which emphazises personal improvement over unneeded fighting skills.
Various schools have emerged and are still extant today with
some degree of change from older days.
After the war most of those schools are united under the Kendo federation
and the Seite Iai is created. As a mean of unification the 12 katas (forms)
of Seite Iai are taught all over Japan.
The aforesaid traditional schools or ryu are still taught together with the
Seite and one is free to practice whichever of them. I personally practice Musoshinden
ryu on top of the compulsory Seite, and have done so for more than 8 years.
I hold the rank of 5th degree or dan.
I use an old shortened Tachi for practice which is more than
400 years of age. It is said that it was used in the Seinan senso,
Meiji restoration wars of south Japan.
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