Japanese Martial Arts

Seitei Kata Iaido: A Look at the 12 Forms

Iaido is the art of Japanese swords drawing. For those who are interested in Iaido, in today’s world, instruction can be found in many of the Kendo regulated martial arts schools. In fact most Iaido taught today is learned as part of Kendo.

The All Japan Kendo Association has developed 12 katas, representative of forms, for Iaito. They are often referred to as Seitei Kata Iaido or Zen Nippon Kendo Renmei Seitei Gata Iaido. As a beginner with Iaido here are the 12 main forms you can expect to learn. With each one I have given the name of the kata, its rough English translation, and a basic overview of what the kata entails.

Zen Nippon Kendo Renmei Seitei Gata Iaido

1. Mae (Front): Starts from a kneeling position and is intended to stop a frontal attack.
2. Ushiro (Rear): Again starting from a kneeling position, and intended to stop an attack from behind.
3. Uke Nagashi (Receive, Parry, and Cut): From a kneeling position, you parry an attack coming from the left.
4. Tsuka Ate (Striking with the Hilt): Beginning with one raised knee you stop both a frontal and rear attack.
5. Kesagiri (Diagonal Cut): Beginning from a standing position you forestall a frontal attack.
6. Morote Tsuki (Two Hand Thrust): From standing, you stop three attackers. Two coming from the front, and one from behind.
7. Sanpogiri (Three Direction Cut): Starting from a standing position you stop three attackers (coming from left, right, and front).
8. Ganmen Ate (Hit to the Face): From standing you stop both a frontal and rear attacker.
9. Soete Tsuki (Joined-hand Thrust): Stopping an attacker from the left; starts with a standing position.
10. Shiho Giri (Four Direction Cutting): Forestalling four attackers from a standing position.
11. Sou Giri (Complete Cuts): Five different cuts beginning from a standing position.
12. Nuki Uchi (Sudden Draw): Beginning from standing you avoid and then respond to a frontal attack.

After you have learned these 12 forms well, you can take your 1st Kyu. Once you are finished most students move on to study Muso Shinden Ryu Iaido, one of the older forms on Iaido.

An introduction to Batto Jutsu

I am often asked, what is batto jutsu. In its literal translation the term refers to sword drawing. In today’s uses though, that is rarely what batto jutsu actually refers to. In this article we will look at Batto Jutso Ryu. I will teach you what it is and what it isn’t.

WHAT IS BATTO JUTSU RYU?
To start our look at this particular branch of the Japanese sword arts, let’s first talk about what batto jutsu really is. There are actually a couple places where you may find the term used, so I will define it both ways.

In its most common usage batto jutsu ryu refers to the Japanese martial arts schools that focus on tameshigiri (cutting with the sword). The emphasis of their teachings is the actual cutting with the sword. When you learn batto jutsu in one of these schools you can expect to put in a lot of time with cutting practice.

You may also here batto jutsu used interchangeably with iaijutsu. In this case the term is referring to the actual act of drawing and cutting with the sword in one fluid motion. Batto iaijutsu techniques involve drawing the saya back and the sword forward. This allows you to begin and complete the cut quickly.

HOW DOES IT COMPARE TO KENDO, IAIDO, ETC?
Batto jutsu differs from Kendo or Kenjustsu in that the sword usually begins in the scabbard, where with the other two budos the sword is already drawn. It also differs because in batto justsu the focus is on cutting, and cutting practice. In the other two arts dueling tends to remain the focus.

It also differs from Iaido in a couple of ways. There is more focus on actual cutting that there is in Iaido. The batto jutsu practioner will often practice real cutting techniques to practice on wetted straw mats, or bamboo. There is also more focus on the cut itself. With Iaido the cut usually takes place with the drawing of the sword. Batto jutsu requires a draw and then a cut.

You now have a basic overview of what batto jutsu is, and what it isn’t. If you’re interested in this budo, simply find a school that teaches it, get yourself a sword, and then get learning!

Shotokai karate – Kyle Karate Club

Hi,

My name is Andy Brown, I’m a 53 year old male who lives on the west coast of Scotland. I’ve been practicing Shotokai karate with Kyle Karate Club and have reached the level of 1st Dan Black belt. Shotokai was developed by Sensei Mitsuzuke Harada and brought to the UK in the 60’s when he moved here.

Over the years since then there have been some splits within the original group which has left us independent. We still recognise Sensei as the developer of our style even if we no longer have the opportunity to practice with him.

I, like so many others, got interested in martial arts during the time of the Bruce Lee movies. I tried Kung Fu from books (nearly permanently damaged my knee – ALWAYS go to a club with a good instructor!), Aikido, Judo, Sport karate and finally Shotokai. Read more

Kendo, Kenjutsu and Iaido : The Main Japanese Sword Arts

If you’ve been considering getting started in the Japanese sword arts you are in for a very rewarding hobby. These types of martial arts allow for something different when compared to the more traditional hand-to-hand combat styles. Whether you are a new budo practioner, or have already started on your path to learning the way of the warrior – your first step to get started in the path of the samurai is to learn a little about the arts themselves.

The Japanese sword arts that are commonly taught today are divided into three main areas. We could further differentiate these by talking about different families and styles, but an overview of kenjutsu, kendo, and iaido should be enough to get you started.

KENJUTSU – THE ART OF THE SWORD

Kenjutsu translates to “the art of the sword”, and it is the more traditional of the arts taught today. Kenjutsu is primarily combative in nature. It is the main way that koryu (traditional schools) train their students to use their swords against a variety of classic weapons.
When you study this form of Japanese martial arts you can expect partnered practice with a variety of kata. If you study Kenjutsu you will also likely study sword drawing and sheathing techniques. Read more