Iaido Curiosities

[samuraichuck87]

i was to understand that the sageo is tied to the obi so that if it happens to slip out of the obi for whatever reason it would not be lost.... also if the saya happens to get caught on something after being lost it could be released because of he way the knot is tied (quick release).... also ive been using my katana with the sageo tied and never came across an instance where the sageo EVER got in the way of my legs or footing...

[pogoham]

Thats stupid...

[Krzysztex]

Its crap how can you even say that ur better in using katana than the Japanese!

[ElcondeT1000]

share whatever you want but don`t share this crap!! show me something really good (if you have) and Then I could be interested in your website. but this is crap!!!!!

[ElcondeT1000]

fighting arts sucks!!!! i waste my time here. go to shi-t!!!!

[IEKUKATAKA]

2. The thing to be understood about the subject is that shapes and lengths of swords were not standardized under a name, they were not ordered from LL Bean-san . Katana is not even a native Japanese word, it is Portugese spelled catana. Swords differed by purpose, individual build and preference. Names came as time passed and is the nature of humans, we need to call differences by different names, it is informative. Swords were made by order generally and they were very expensive even then.

[IEKUKATAKA]

The tachi and the katana are generally thought to be different in shape although experts disagree among themselves. A series of photos of each blade would reveal the tachi to have a deeper curve generally. However, the tachi was worn suspended outside the obi and generally used by cavalry and, as such, would have a deeper curve for shorter draw properties. Strangely, a katana removed from the obi and hung edge down outside the clothing becomes a tachi. Its a Japanese thing. See 2

[jadekayak01]

@IEKUKATAKA No a tachi is a tachi and a katana is a katana.A katana worn or mounted in a tachi style is called a katana in tachi mount.

The blade ot the tachi is generally straighter but a radical angle at the hilt made it appear more curved.A katana is gently curved from tip to tang.As in all things involving people examples can be found that go against the norm and Katana/Tachi are no exception

[IEKUKATAKA]

@jadekayak01 I am afraid that you argue with an Iaido author and a Japanese swordsman. Believe what you like, I don't argue with those hell bent on argueing.

[jadekayak01]

@IEKUKATAKA I am not arguing but correcting.What book did you write.I am a student of Iai,Kendo,Kenjutsu,Battojutsu and hold shodan in Seitei gata Iai and Kendo(for 26 years-in both arts).No chance for further study in New Zealand Kendo Federation because of politics.(my teacher founded the NZKF).

I am looking for a ryuha here but vary rare to find genuine lineage in NZ.

I also make swords and forge welded steel but not tamahagane and study other sword systems when time and money allows (contd)

[jadekayak01]

(contd) As you can see I too am a Japanese swordsman but only in style as I am not Japanese.

My teacher has 3 excellent books on Japanese weapon identification-all in Japanese-but the black and white plates are fantastic.The main difference in historical Tachi and Katana was the straighter blade with handle at a radical angle to the blade in Tachi and a gentle curvature in the Katana.

What Ryuha do you study.

[BaldersHymn]

...and the ancient masters of kenjutsu never thought of this? BS...

[Saavykaas]

Going by dnvufnvosf's comment history, he appears to either be a breathtakingly ignorant racial supremacist stuck in the mid-19th century, or a troll. He's really not worth paying heed to in either case.

This is a pretty good video. My school of Iaido does some things differently.

[awaii90210]

They tie they clothes around the shoulders to prevent loose clothes hampering the moves and katana catching in the sleeve while fighting.

[dnvufnvosf]

this is not for mushigorin(mexicans) the asian marshal ways are not for such weak minded people

[whatsgoingon07]

@dnvufnvosf u must have been stung as a child.....or bullied by mexican kids, poor you! :( .....misery, tis the way of the loser!

[dnvufnvosf]

@whatsgoingon07 no i never knew of any as a child i base my opinion on reallity have you ever watched the news the usa is in a lot of trouble because of these people economy and security i think that they would use the japanese ways to do more harm to inocent peoplebut im sure the people of the usa know this and will remidy it soon and as for me being stung no all ive done is told the people the truth and offended a mexican that wishes they were asian imsorry for your bad blood

[Saavykaas]

@dnvufnvosf Sir, watching the news in the US is probably one of the worst ways to form an informed and meaningful opinion about something.

Oh, and this video is good.

[Samuel032593]

@dnvufnvosf I'm not going to give you some insult as a stern answer is answered sternly, instead, I will offer logic. If we were to say, ban all Mexicans from the country, then we would be prejudice, which, via the constitution mind you, is illegal. Second, Mexico, being so close to us, would almost definitely consider this an act of war. This would be most undesirable, because this would force us to annex Mexico due to its closeness to us. In the eyes of the world, we are already martyrs.

[kriffing]

@Samuel032593 That is complete bullshit

[Samuel032593]

@dnvufnvosf Do we really want to make us look any worse than we are already? Other countries would just hate us even more. Oh why don't we just speak softly and carry a big stick as they say? Seems a much easier and more profitable option. I agree that Mexicans that want to come to America, should go through the system, but let's not blame it all on them, for it is only the ones entering illegally that I take issue with. Those who want to become full Americans are most welcome to come.

[churchandtex]

@dnvufnvosf You can't just judge an entire race because of what you've heard on the internet. This is coming from a white, redneck american.

[DerekFernan]

midyo mapanget konte

[w3asel01]

@Asierux cierto lo que dice, esto es para un fin publicitario, 

[kenninast]

@ksr1219

Definitely not. I read things from Friday's hand, and I found too many irregularities in his logics. I am not a friend of Friday by far.

I won't say names though, because I might have misunderstood things. I won't be blaming others for my mistakes. Besides, he does not want to find his name on the web.

[kenninast]

@ksr1219

About the kiru vs uchi. That's rather interesting. A doctor in Japanese history, who did his majour on the history of traditional Japanese martial arts who also is an expert martial artist explained that to me, and it makes sense.

That you'd use "kiru" for tachi vs. yoroi sounds a bit weird.

[kenninast]

@ksr1219

I see. Thanks for clearing that out! Very interesting reply, my friend! :)

[kenninast]

@ksr1219

Correct me if I am wrong, but AFAIK uchigatana were early katana, and not tachi. They were worn edge up in the obi, and not edge down, dangling on the obi.

[kiziru]

Mr Mark the point is to stay alive...you know what i'm saying?

[Diogofariapinto]

"alright lets talk about iaido. (ends video)" wth

[mihail404]

ГОВНО!!!!!

[MoDangerFlint]

sucks ass!

[SSJugen]

see more on... Shitty vid

[eldrichtfilth]

me parece una mierda que te deriven a otra pagina para compartir este conocimiento. no entro ni en pedo.

[aortenzio]

tachi were longer because they were deisgned for use on horseback.

[kenninast]

@aortenzio

Not really. Tachi were the older swords. They were used against armour.

The first katana was from the 12th century, but never really made it to common use, because it was not an efficient weapon against an armour.

On the battlefield, you used primarily bow, secondarily yari. Third came naginata or one of the heavier versions like bisentô or nagamaki.

As a sidearm you had a sword, but the kind that could crush through armour.

[kenninast]

(part two:)

Hence the techniques with tachi aren't named "kiri" (giri) but "uchi". Not cutting but hitting.

The katana became the primary samurai weapon in the Edo jidai, as a duelling weapon, without armour. In unarmoured duels the katana outspeeded the tachi, and a little cut killed whereas the more hitting strokes from a tachi deemed to be less efficient.

The horse back story is not true. Rather few samurai were allowed to use horses.

[kenninast]

Oh... and tachi weren't always longer than katana. There were tachi that were shorter than the standardized Katana as it was issued by the Shôgun in the Edo Jidai.

[ziosin]

@aortenzio Actually, I believe I read somewhere that Katana were essentially undecorated tachi with a more extreme blade curve, as the straighter Tachi was unsuitable for horseback combat. The reason being the blade wasn't able to 'slide' along the bodies of those cut from horseback, as the straighter blade caught friction along more of its cutting surface area, either yanking the sword from the rider's hands, or in more extreme cases, the rider from the horse. Katana were the fix to this proble

[ziosin]

@aortenzio m, as the edge would have less cutting surface (and thus less friction) being used at one time. It's a foggy history, though, and you may well just be right. This was just what I've read online :)

[cocy3000]

in muso jikiden eishin ryu iaijutsu the sageo is left hanging so it could be use for diferent purposes, i belive the real reson to tie the sageo in iaijutsu variants like iaido is beacuse there are not much atention drawn to the sageo posibilities, but these its just my theory.

some may say the sageo its useless, or that is there just to hold the saya or secure the katana to fall out wile transportation, but for a japanese there its not much sence on something you cant USE or that delays you.

[IaidokaNC]

In Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu Iaido, the sageo is drawn back behind the saya and then looped beneath, tucked into the kaku obi. Because it is looped behind the saya and then beneath, the saya can only slip so far into the obi, up to the kurikata.

[cocy3000]

as in most IAIDO styles, these video is terrible

[AceVendetta]

I don't really have a teacher either. Its just logical reasoning. When you draw, you draw the way the blade is facing. Also, another thing about wearing it blade faced down. Iaido and battojustu usually start from the meditational kneeling position. Having the face of the blade down will make it hard to draw on the ground.

[AceVendetta]

In Iaido, the where the blade is pointed is most important. If you face the blade down, you are going to do an akward draw up across your chest. Blade to the side makes a quick, flat mid-level strike. The blade up makes it easier to draw and adjust to the side, and also give you a nice arked draw for hitting people on the head or arm as they rush towards you.

[MarkSamurai5]

Drawing the Katana blade face down also dulls the blade and damages the saya. Drawing the Katana blade down is telegraphing as well.

[fanlide]

I am not too sure about this topic, but could it be, that the person on your poster is carrying a tachi, not a katana? Tachi are longer and a little more like a saber, they usually were used on battlefields, therefore weren´t attached to the obi.

[funstuff2006]

Some people suggest that 'tachi' is what you call a japanese sword when it is hung/slung blade down, and 'katana' is what it is called when it is stuck through the obi (belt) blade up. Hurray for semantics!

[JackS290]

That is actualy incorrect, the Tachi was a predicessor to the Katana, created much earlier in history but with the same basic style. The tachi however was longer and mainly use only by feild generals during battle as a sign of rank and not often used for actual combat, hence wore blade down. The Katana came later as the standard for the samurai class in fuedal Japan as well as an accompanyment to the Wakazashi

[homeboyteddyisaliar]

You're right over the years it became semantics meaning both the actual sword and then later tachi meant the way its worn.

[kbs1138]

The statement at the end is complete nonsense. In no way does it restrict my leg movement.

[internetzpotato]

I think his point was that it *could* in a fight, I suppose, if the scabbard has been separated from the belt (either accidentally or some technique that uses it). In that way, having a string that you could trip over does seem silly to me. On the other hand, people don't really fight in real life dressed like this anymore (why would you even be wearing a hakama anyway??).

[Glob4L79ath]

um...because its the traditional clothing?

and thoes clothes are insanly comfortable!!!! XD

[MobiusCoin]

@Glob4L79ath Interesting, might get them for pjs...

[Mangafairy]

you fight dressed like that in an aikido class :/ the whole scenario of loosing the scabbard seems a bit odd though, but another idea could be that if disarmed you would not be able to block with the scabard if tied to you.... just an idea :) x

[kbs1138]

if it is tied to you, the traditional knot is an instant release knot, one tug on the end and it releases. It would have to be abnormally long to have a chance of interfering with leg movement anyway. The saya (scabbard) was considered very valuable as it is made to fit the sword and protect it. Securing it was considered important. It's a good point that people don't fight dressed like this anymore and so "improving" it by losing the sageo is useless nonsense.

[Mangafairy]

yes, how we tie it is like... a loop through a loop, if that makes sense? if u do it the same way as us then you'd understand, but yea, we can just pull the end too, and i agree, thats why isaid you couldnt block with it if it was tied to you, as in a knot...

[KagenohachiKarasu]

Ah, Amazing! be carefull though. I fight with my saya and was sparring a man who stood side on, his Saya protected his left lower half, while his katana protected his upper half. Hes a smart cookie! XD

[rytis2005]

one hit one kill if not kill by one then two will do the job

[steven3feathers]

I am impressed with the knowledge and interest I find here. Unfortunately, I found have found MUCH LESS while I wilf through related vids. I thank you for a welcome relief.

[Creationsofmyown]

you shouldn't be... this is hokum, check my favourites i highly recommend both kfkonrad and Hyoujinsama

[8thsinner]

With thumb over the tsuba, when you push the first half inch outwards, the thumb slips to the side. It was my first lesson with old highlander katana, slicing right up the centre of the thumb. As the thumb sits at the side, it and the index finger are used to cover the saya throat from the enemies eyes.

It's a psychology thing, if your throat has been damaged by incorrect use, you do not want your enemy to see this, so you make a very narrow slit.

[csthundercat]

swordsman5 is right. it may *look like* the masters are putting their thumb right over the ha but they wont be, they will be putting it a centimeter or so to the left.

[abrasax23]

his hand is on the saya and his thumb on the tsuba. i was taught to position the thumb away from the Ha.

[Jiyukan]

While swordsman5's comment is basically correct, most practitioners use their thumb like this.

If you watch some iaido videos here on youtube you will find most old masters have the thumb directly over the Ha.

[swordsman5]

Where the thumb is positioned on the Tsuba is directly in line with the Ha. Should the blade slip at all from the saya then the thumb comes directly down onto the sharp edge. I was always taught that the thumb should be off line, so that should such a slip occur then the thumb will come into contact with the Shinogi and act as a brake to stop further slippage.

[Rubatacchini]

mmm, interesting, I didn't know, thanks ;)

[Naisho07]

I agree 100% thumb offline. Also, the thumb is not bent over the tsuba, it is almost flat.

[swordsman5]

This is supposed to be a safety video, yet the person demonstrating has his thumb directly over the Ha.

[Rubatacchini]

Hi, I don't practice Iaido but I think it's a very interesting art. I've read somewhere that "ha" is the sharp edge of the blade, right? Why do you say that the guy has his thumb over the ha? isn't it on the saya? I've seen the complete video on the site and I haven't noticed such a mistake, could you please explain to me, thanks ;)