General

Tonight I sit in front of my computer, not to write about Iaido, not to write about Bushido...

Why am I doing what I am doing? I still have not figured out why... It is nearly a year since this website has gone live. In the...

When is a defensive block not just a block?

Life has many built in safety features to ensure successful survival of a species. Take the simplest eye-blinking when objects move...

Ah, what is Iaido again?

Today, I would like to share my thoughts on a seemingly simple question, yet the answer is never simple. On more than a few occasion, I...

『構えあって構えなし』 To adopt a posture of no posture.... What!?

All things Japanese can be very Zen. Japanese martial arts including Iaido are also very heavily influenced by Zen philosophy. While the...

「世々の道をそむく事なし」But ehh... What is it that we are not supposed to go against??

The famous Miyamoto Musashi (宮本武蔵) wrote the Dokkodo (独行道) and passed it on to his students shortly before his death in 1645 at the age...

前後斬り降ろし (Front and rear strikes)

If you have seen samurai movies or any kind of movies involving fighting, you might have at some point wondered why do the baddies attack...

Ipponme (一本目)

The first technique, Ipponnme, is the most important technique in any style of Iaido. Whether you are a beginner going for your very...

Happy New Year!

If there was one thing I wish I had done, that would be doing all those things I wish I had done! What is your new year resolution?

The fear for a real sword II

The first time I held a real sword in my hands, I was terrified. I was afraid I would cut my hand. Who wouldn't, right!? Shisho(師匠) that...

What is dedication?

When it is not by will power that you kept going, but kept going when there was no will power left in you.