History and Philosophy
Iaidō (居合道) is a Japanese martial art that emphasizes being aware and capable of quickly drawing the sword and responding to sudden attacks. It is in essence the way of the “quick draw.” Iaido consists of four main components: the smooth, controlled movements of simultaneously drawing the sword forward from its scabbard (saya) with the right hand while also moving the saya backward (saya-biki) with the left hand (called nukitsuke), striking or cutting an opponent in various ways, shaking blood from the blade (called chiburi), and replacing the sword in the scabbard (called noto). Most of the practitioners use a blunt-edged sword called an iaito. In Japan, they are made of aluminum alloy, which reflects a clear differentiation from the razor sharp iron or steel swords (shinken) used for actual target cutting (tameshigiri) and reflects a non-combatant aim and purpose for development of the heart and mind. I use a folded steel iaito made in the traditional way that a shinken is made to create a hard edge for cutting, but omitting the final sharpening step. Only very experienced iaido practitioners (iaidoka) routinely use a shinken for everyday practice. I use three different iron or steel shinken for tameshigiri. Some Zen practitioners have adopted iaido as a form of meditation in motion to enhance their sitting meditation practice (zazen). The primary emphasis in iaido is on the psychological state of being constantly present (iai 居), while the secondary emphasis is on drawing the sword and responding by harmonizing with a sudden attack as quickly as possible (awasu 合わす). The last character, 道, is generally translated into English as “the way” or “the path.” The term “iaido” approximately translates into English as “the way of mental presence and immediate reaction.”
Iaido is a reflection of the morals of the classical warrior and aims to cultivate a spiritually harmonious person possessed of high intellect, sensitivity, and resolute will. Since iaido is practiced with a potentially harmful weapon, it is for the most part performed solo as an issue of kata, executing various strategies against single or various fanciful rivals. Every kata starts and finishes with the sword sheathed. Regardless of the sword method, creative ability and concentration are required to maintain the feeling of a genuine battle and to keep the kata new. Unlike kendo, iaido practice never involves sparring.
There are many schools of Japanese swordsmanship. I practice Musō Jikiden Eishin-ryū (無双直伝英信流 or 無雙直傳英信流), one of the most widely practiced schools of iai in the world, which claims an unbroken lineage dating back from the sixteenth century to the early 20th century. “Musō Jikiden Eishin-ryū” means “peerless, directly transmitted school of Eishin (referring to the 7th headmaster Hasegawa Chikaranosuke Hidenobu).” The traditionally practiced kata all begin in the sitting position (Seiza, 11 kata), the half-sitting position (Tatehiza no Bu, 10 kata; Okuiai, Iwaza no Bu, 8 kata), or standing position (Batto Ho no Bu, 11 kata; Tachiwaza no Bu, 13 kata; Bangai no Bu, 4 kata). I only practice the standing position sets because of degenerative hip, knee, and lumbar joint and disc pain. However, I am adapting the seated position sets to be done in the standing position.
Here I demonstrate the first two kata of Batto Ho no Bu called Junto Sono Ichi (Ordered Sword One) and Junto Sono Ni (Ordered Sword Two). They differ primarily in the foot work and the method of chiburi (across the front of the body vs. to the side at hip level).
Making Fittings for Onokubi-Zukuri Katana with Bamboo-themed (take 竹) Fittings
In June 2025, I started to create and assemble the fittings for a folded-steel damascus onokubi-zakuri style shinken blade that was made in China ($262 on eBay, 27.5″, 744 gm including habaki). This katana is specifically intended for the practice of cutting (tameshigiri). Alloy fittings made in China tend to be of poor quality and appearance, but the sword-making quality has been impressive. Only a few merchants on eBay sell just bare blades. It is intended for tameshigiri with a lighter blade my other shinken to supplement my iaido practice. A deep bohi runs along ~1/3 of the blade from the tang after which the spine (mune) thins until it reaches the tip (yokote) and widens again. A thinner 2nd bohi runs the entire length. These features lighten the blade, produce a pronounced a high-pitched tachikaze due to increased turbulence when the blade travels through the air in a straight cut, and lend aesthetic appeal.
The tsuba ($112, 116 gm) is an excellent cast steel replica of an Ono school iron sukashi tsuba with bamboo and bracken shoot motifs. The solid silver fuchi-koshirae ($165) feature a bamboo motif and the solid silver menuki ($60) feature a tiger in the bamboo grove motif. The tsuka is lined with genuine black ray skin same and the tsuka-ito is genuine black leather ($20) and was wrapped in the menpumaki moyo iri style with hishigami folded from traditional mulberry paper (Amazon.com). The details for the wrap are from “The Art of Tsukamaki” by Dr. Thomas Buck (see diagram). Items from China appeared to come slowly, but there was no tariff charged since the de minimus exemption was still in effect.
The tsuka and saya were carved from poplar due to ready availability and low cost. Honoki is traditional, but can only be sourced from Japan at a high cost (~$100+ for a katana saya). Future efforts will use alder.
I planed two pieces of poplar with a traditional Japanese flat plane ($25 Amazon.com, below left) to allow the two halves to be eventually glued together without any gaps. Then I traced the outline of the blade and then 1/4″ around the blade that will form the outer dimensions of the 32″ saya. An oil collection slot was carved at the tip. Again, I had to scrap the result of my first attempt at carving with a specialized saya-nomi ($169, square-tipped bent chisel made by Walter Sorrell) because it took practice to achieve control of the depth and extent of carving of the walls for each half of the saya. The bent configuration was crucial for this undertaking. The challenge was that since the sword blade is “triangular” in configuration and had to be seated perfectly between two halves, the depth had to be adjusted along the entire length. This can be readily seen in the pic of the habaki seated at the opening. A piece of wood was inadvertently carved off, which ruined the work. However, the learning curve was extraordinarily steep and rewarding. The whole experience of carving was meditative. I didn’t feel the pain from chronic neuropathy of my left neck and arm that is otherwise my constant companion during every waking moment. I saved this failed saya carving attempt so that I could glue the two halves together and practice shaping the outer surfaces of the saya before tackling a successful carving attempt. A small radius plane ($100 Amazon.com, below right) was used to shape the convex side of the saya. The initial investment for good tools cost about the same as for the bare blade.
Here is the final product. I’m quite happy with the outcome of my freshman project. I changed the tsukaito wrapping style to the less ambitious menpumaki moyo iri style and finished it off with a custom-made silk sageo. There is a slight misalignment in the seating of the fuchi against the koiguchi because the drilling of hole in the tang for the mekugi was off, thereby changing the angle slightly. During drilling, I accidentally damaged the tsukaito on the opposite side of the tsuka, requiring repair with Seiwa glossy water-based leather finishing agent. I really should have done all of this before I wrapped the tsuka. I may redo the entire tsuka/tsukamaki and drill new hole in the tang to correct all of these mistakes. I need to shim some wood veneer into the sides of the opening of the koiguichi to tighten the seating of the blade and eliminate slight side-to-side rattling. Otherwise, the saya turned out quit well.
I left glue residue on the surface of the black eel skin during my first wrapping attempt in the more ambitious katate maki (“battle wrap”) style. It was not covered well when I switched to a different wrapping style, so I had to reverse the menuki placement to cover this up. Some right-handed swordsman actually prefer this configuration. It potentially changes the feel of the grip (menuki against fingers vs. palms) that may be advantageous for specific styles (ryu) that are practiced. There are traditional wrapping styles such as gyu kawa kumiage maki that don’t even use menuki, substituting woven strips for the middle 2/3 of the tsuka. Ditto for the shonai zuka style that utilizes vertical wrap (not diamonds) in the middle 2/3 to provide a firm grip. Kojidai asaito makiage zuka uses a hemp wrap to completely cover the entire tsuka and is devoid of menuki.
This blade and tsuka were intended to be slightly shorter than what I use for iaido because I wante to do tameshigiri with a less wieldy and somewhat lighter katana for speed and safety during noto. My sense is that master swordsman prefer slightly shorter shinken for the same reason. I wear a leather glove on my left hand when the shinken is long, which makes noto more challenging. I value my fingers!
Here I demonstrate tameshigiri, which I practice to inform my iaido practice. If the blade does not encounter the target at the proper angle and with sustained force throughout the swing, the effect will be like hitting the target with a baseball bat without cutting it (intact target and stand will fall over from the force of the blow). Instead of cutting traditional rolled tatami mats, I have improvised a way of cutting inexpensive 3.5″ diameter styrofoam “pool noodles” mounted on a cutting stand to simulate the sensation and conditions associated with cutting tatami.