What is Iaido?
Iaido is a japanese martial art, where we practice single person kata. Each kata includes the drawing of the blade, actions to control and defeat an opponent and ends with the sheathing of the blade.
Iaido Meaning
The term "iaido" appears in 1932 and consists of the kanji characters 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".
The primary emphasis in 'iai' is on the psychological state of being present (居). The secondary emphasis is on drawing the sword and responding to the sudden attack as quickly as possible (合). The last character, 道, is generally translated into English as the way.
Iaido is a “Way” in which practitioners seek to train the mind and body through developing a spiritual appreciation of the relationship between life and death, movement and stillness
AJKF
