Hello Folks, I just uploaded an explanation of how I began learning Iaido from Nishio Sensi at Matsuo Dojo in Yokohama, Japan. Its at this url: youtu.be/-oxBCNWMym0 Nishio Sensei was almost always very early at Matsuo Dojo where he would practice and develop Iaido. I would arrive early also and would watch what Sensei was doing and started using a boken to copy him. When he saw I would copy him, he started showing me the basics. He never said what the style was. It would not have mattered at the time anyways. He would show the kata, then I would copy and practice that until he showed me the next one and the next one and so on. Other people mentioned the words Muso Shindo ryu. Once in a while I heard Muso Shinden ryu, but this was rare. People also told me that many high ranking Iaido masters could not cut. By inference, that would mean that what I was learning was designed to actually cut on the draw. Im often dense as a door knob, so this never really soaked in, other than I heard it and remembered it. Eventually I was taken to a place where Batto was practiced, which was unbelievably fortunate. I was introduced to Tasaburo Tokutomi Sensei (10th Deg) of Toyama-ryu Hon Iaido Battoh in Zushi city in the fall of 1993. In this dojo they practice cutting on the draw. I have learned since, that the main line of Toyama-ryu people have difficulty with their draws, so they very rarely cut on the draw. It seems the main line has taken to using the Eishin type draw which does not allow for a proper setting of the “pinky” (small finger) to wrap around the handle so the blade is not straight enough for good clean cuts as it clears the end of the saya (scabbard). The Aiki Toho Iaido that I have experienced recently is using the Eishin-ryu type draw. This was not what I was originally taught. I believe Nishio Sensei must have done cutting or learned from old masters who practiced cutting (Batto). Something that reinforces this conclusion is the one handed turning around to the right draw and cut movement. This is in an old kata that has been dropped in favor of newer movements. The draw shoots the saya and katana up together and draws out the blade by pulling the saya back down as you turn right. This type of draw gets the blade out straight and will cut regularly on a high left to low right Kesagiri one handed cut. When I draw immediately turning right and to the rear, the blade will not go through. Therefore, Nishio Senseis draw is better for that cut. I think the pinky finger does not aline the blade properly in the lower grasping movements.
Posted on: Mon, 12 Jan 2015 17:42:37 +0000
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