Category: Iaido & Kenjutsu

Uchidachi 打太刀 and Shidachi 仕太刀 are the two principal roles found in the paired kata of many Japanese sword traditions. In the simplest description, uchidachi usually initiates the encounter or provides the attack, while shidachi performs the technique being taught…

Fumikomi 踏み込み means stepping in; a committed or forceful forward step. The term comes from the verb fumikomu 踏み込む, meaning to step into, step forward into, or enter forcefully. In Japanese martial arts it describes moving decisively into the opponent’s…

Ken no Kamae 剣の構え are sword positions or guards used in Japanese sword systems such as iaido and kenjutsu. Kamae 構え | Sword Guards Chūdan no Kamae 中段の構え Middle-level guard. The sword is held in front of the body with…

The kata Shohattō (初発刀) consists of three kanji: 初 (sho) – first, beginning, initial | 発 (hatsu) – to begin, initiate, set forth | 刀 (tō) – sword. Together, the title may be interpreted as “First Drawing Cut,” “Initial Sword…

Kiriotoshi (切り落とし) — Cutting down/off. A descending cut that cuts through, suppresses, or defeats the opponent’s attack; in several classical schools it is also the name of a fundamental tactical principle or technique.

Kirioroshi (切り下ろし) — Downward cut. A descending sword cut delivered from above, usually along the centerline.

Sashi-ai 差合 is a classical budō and kenjutsu term that generally means mutual thrusting or simultaneous attacking. In kenjutsu, it describes a situation where both swordsmen initiate a thrust or cut at the same moment, resulting in: a crossing of…

Atarito 当刀 means “a direct draw-cut that meets and strikes the opponent’s attack immediately.” It describes the principle of the blade movement from seiza ushiro. In an iaidō context, it refers to a type of draw-cut where the sword is…

Uke Nagashi 受け流し, which means “receiving and flowing,” is a classical sword movement where you receive an incoming cut on your blade while letting it glide/flow off, combined with evasive body movement (tai sabaki). As the archetypal deflection in many…

Suiō-ryū (水鷗流) is a classical Japanese martial tradition (koryū) founded during the early Edo period (c. 1615). It is one of the oldest, fully preserved iaidō / kenjutsu / jōjutsu systems still practiced today. Founded by Mui no Shinden Sadatake…