PUBLIC MARKS with tag iaido

My name is Paul Taylor; I am a Systems Engineer living down in Australia. When I’m not riding Kangaroos or swatting flies, I’ve been developing a Wireless Digital Katana. In essence it is a very high-speed, high-accuracy motion sensitive input device. Right now I am running a Kickstarter campaign to fund my project into the real-world, interestingly it began months ago when another person’s Kickstarter failed to deliver.

Motion Capture & Iaido

Le jour de Pâques 1984, un grand maître s’est éteint à l’age de quatre-vingt-douze ans, après avoir réalisé tous ses rêves de budoka. Les dernières années de sa vie furent bouleversées par l’arrivée de trois Français, qui se dévouèrent à l’étude du budo. Parmi eux, Jean-Pierre Réniez. C’était encadré de sa » garde française » que le senseï Okada Morihiro se déplaçait. De retour en France, Jean-Pierre Réniez voulut rendre hommage à celui qui fut son maître et un peu son père. Bushido lui a ouvert ses colonnes pour lui permettre de raconter la vie de senseï.

Muso Shinden Omori Ryu

by Hunter Armstrong Sensei This article first appeared in the Winter 1996 issue of the SMAA Newsletter. Hunter B. Armstrong Sensei is one of a small number of non-Japanese to have legitimately studied the koryu, or ancient Japanese martial arts, in detail. He lived in Japan for quite a few years practicing directly under the soke, or headmasters, of more than one koryu. (Armstrong Sensei personally believes that koryu bujutsu can be defined as "traditions of fighting arts originating no later than the early Tokugawa era, and whose functional aims were the development of combat effectiveness, discipline, and morality, in that order.") A close associate of the late Donn Draeger Sensei, one of the world's foremost budo/bujutsu authors and historians, Armstrong Sensei succeeded Mr. Draeger as the Director of the International Hoplology Society.

by Nicklaus Suino Sensei This article appeared in the "SMAA Journal" Volume 14, Issue 2 Few arts present as many challenges of detail as does Japanese swordsmanship. One of the most misunderstood aspects of Eishin Ryu iaido is the proper grip on the handle of the iaito (iaido practice sword), called “te-no-uchi.” The grip is crucial because it is the final lynchpin in the transmission of power from the body, through the arms, and into the cutting edge of the sword. A correct grip also provides “feel,” which increases awareness of the sword’s position and helps guide the edge through the correct path in cutting.

“In Iaido we always win against enemies” performing a kata slowly or quickly, result is the same … We win. Of course we are alone fighting against imaginary opponents and the scenario (Riai) says we win. How could we loose ? I did not deeply thought about this but writing it down suddenly gave me a strange feeling. Why should we be so sure (reassured) of the encounter result if we really live the kata, if we really live in the moment ?

n many iaido ryuha, chiburi is a fundamental part of kata. Chiburi, usually written 血振 in Japanese, literally means “shaking off blood,” and the image presented is that of flinging the blood of a defeated enemy off the blade with a deft movement before resheathing. Perhaps mainly due to the prevalence of Muso Shinden-ryu and Muso Jikiden Eishin-ryu, some people believe that chiburi is a universal aspect of iai. However, many ryuha do not practice chiburi, and there is the opinion – which has become more widespread recently, thanks to the sharing of knowledge via the internet – that shaking off blood in this way is in fact impossible. If this is the case, then what purpose does chiburi serve? Is it pointless? Why do some ryuha practice it? And was it really ever intended to remove blood from a blade?

Extrait Revue TORANOMAKI 2010 KAWAGUCHI senseï 8° Dan Hanshi Traduction : Corinne Marie dit Moisson et Tomoko Shimomura Je vais présenter kirirosu à partir de la position debout (tate), debout sur les genoux( irijiki ) et position à genoux( saeza). Aussi bien dans posture saeza et les autres, nous devons pouvoir couper dans n’importe quelles directions, d’où l’importance de couper avec le hasuji (tranchant) bien dirigé, d’utiliser correctement la main gauche, les hanches et le hara pendant la coupe. les iaidoka qui ne pratiquent pas le kendo ont du mal à utiliser correctement leurs pieds, comme okuri ashi (le pied qui avance) et hippari ashi (le pied qui suit).

In this series of articles, I am attempting to translate and contextualise the dōka of Hasegawa Eishin-ryū. All articles in this series can be found here. In this article, I will be looking at the tanka for the ninth technique, Takiotoshi. This is the final tanka translation in this series. I hope to follow it up with a short article looking at the poems as a group, the similarities between them, and how they relate to each other.

In this series of articles, I am attempting to translate and contextualise the dōka of Hasegawa Eishin-ryū. All articles in this series can be found here. In this article, I will be looking at the tanka for the eighth technique, Namigaeshi.

In this series of articles, I am attempting to translate and contextualise the dōka of Hasegawa Eishin-ryū. All articles in this series can be found here. In this article, I will be looking at the tanka for the seventh technique, Urokogaeshi.

In this series of articles, I am attempting to translate and contextualise the dōka of Hasegawa Eishin-ryū. All articles in this series can be found here. This article covers the tanka for the sixth technique, Iwanami.

In this series of articles, I am attempting to translate and contextualise the dōka of Hasegawa Eishin-ryū. All articles in this series can be found here. This article covers the tanka for the fifth technique, Oroshi.

In this series of articles, I am attempting to translate and contextualise the dōka of Hasegawa Eishin-ryū. All articles in this series can be found here. This article covers the tanka for the fourth technique, Ukigumo.

This is the third in a series of articles in which I am attempting to translate and contextualise the dōka of Hasegawa Eishin-ryū. All articles in this series can be found here. This article covers the tanka for the third technique, Inazuma.

This is the second in a series of articles in which I am attempting to translate and contextualise the dōka of Hasegawa Eishin-ryū. All articles in this series can be found here. This article covers the tanka for the second technique, Tora no Issoku.

Musō Jikiden Eishin-ryū and Musō Shinden-ryū are the two most widely-studied schools of iaido in the world. Both were derived from Hasegawa Eishin-ryū, which was founded by Hasegawa Chikaranosuke Eishin during the Edo period. Two generations later, the ryūha moved to Tosa, where it was transmitted until the modern era. Eishin, the seventh-generation shihan of Hayashizaki Jinsuke’s Shinmei Musō-ryū, was responsible for adapting that school’s battō techniques for the uchigatana, as well as creating a number of waza himself. The waza he created are today collected in both Musō Jikiden Eishin-ryū and Musō Shinden-ryū at the Chūden level, in the set of techniques known as Tatehiza no Bu. This set may also be referred to simply as ‘Eishin-ryū’ or ‘Hasegawa Eishin-ryū.’

The snow covered Izumo seen from the window of the air-plane was just so refreshing that I felt myself purified as if landing on to the holy ground. Driving for one hour and half from the air port, I went through a long tunnel jus like the womb of a huge dragon. Having passed quiet country village, I headed forth into a hilly cedar mountain. I couldn't help sensing god's presence there. I pushed my way through the deep snow, there appeared Kanayago-jinja. (the guardian deity of iron). I had to climb the steep approach to the shrine. Snow was swept clean around the shrine and I saw names of worshippers praying for the success of their Kera making were recorded in a note-book. I simply felt a strong impulse to observe how iron be made. Having opened door, there I found Tatara.

The Journal of Japanese Sword Arts began life in 1989 as a monthly newsletter. More than 90 issues and almost ten years later it is still being produced. The Journal contains news, reviews, announcements, and in depth articles concerning all aspects of the Japanese sword. The Journal contains all the copy in The Iaido Newsletter, plus much more. Check out the JJSA Awards for sword related websites. The editor, publisher, and chief inking boy is Kim Taylor, a long time student of Japanese sword, and associate editor of the Journal of Asian Martial Arts.

The first line of each couplet describes a natural phenomenon and the following line makes the point for the first line’s statement. This poem is not haiku but has a similar structure that sets a scene and follows with an allusion to an iaijutsu waza. The placement of the poem after the listed description of the Chuden wazas in the makimono suggests that it is not intended to be descriptions of or technical advice about the Chuden wazas. Rather the poem’s purpose seems to be to communicate the spirit and attitude that the practice of iaijutsu should develop. Therefore the poem should lead to understanding the spirit of iaijutsu.

Par conséquent, les officiels de la fédération recherchèrent les moyens de remédier à cette situtation indésirable (1966). Pour que les pratiquants de kendô puissent être mieux à même de comprendre la véritable essence de la "voie du sabre", on nomma onze experts hauts gradé en escrime, sous la direction d'Ôtani Kazuo, afin qu'ils constituent un comité (1967) qui ferait l'indispensable étude préliminaire, pour que soient désignées les techniques spécifiques de dégainement du sabre pouvant convenir à tous les pratiquants de kendô moderne.

Some kata from Omori Ryu and Katori Shinto Ryu. Shot by a friend with a Sony Cybershot. For more info go to www.doshikai.org

This vid shares some of the warm-up exercises I do prior to class or substantial Iaido practice. There are exercises for stretching and strengthening the hands and fore-arms using a Suburi-to, basic drills to strengthen feet, legs, and posture, and lastly a few drills for sharpening Mae.