Now onto Iaido! As we’ve briefly talked about, Iaido is a Japanese martial art!
Iai (居合) essentially means "about to attack," and do (道) is the japanese turn of phrase for "the art of something," literally meaning the spiritual way. All Japanese art forms have this “do” in them, such as Kendo (another form of Katana arts descended from Iaido), Kyudo (Japanese archery) or even Chadō (the art of tea ceremony). Iai primarily focuses on attacking (defending?) when you are not ready to fight and being so skilled at the art form that you succeed anyways. So, all of the positions start with your sword drawn, some even start sitting.
Iaido was founded by Jinsuke Hayashizaki, and has been passed down since the Sengoku period, roughly the 1400s - 1600s. One of the only Iaido shrines is located not very far from me, and has “enshrined” (essentially in honor of) the founder Hayashizaki. The story goes that Hayashizaki-san was taught Iaido by a deity, and when he traveled across Japan teaching Iai, many disciplines of the martial art were formed. You see ,Hayashizaki’s father had been assassinated, and like a dedicated son, he had to go avenge his father! So, he went and trained at a shrine for 100 days, was blessed by the god and given a sword that is longer than most Katana’s. He developed Iai, then went and got his revenge at 19… Talk about a resume!
Anyways, Iaido was one of the martial arts practiced in Kakunodate! Pretty cool! There’s even a dojo still standing that teaches Iai in the modern era!
