As a Japanese person, I find it funny how people think Iai is the art of attacking from a sheathed position. It isn't. Iai was not developed as an offensive art, though some branches of martial arts later applied the mechanics of Iai draws into a quick-draw for standing stances. Battou-jutsu means the art of drawing the blade. Iai literally means to sit face to face. Iai was developed as a self defense principle, for defending yourself in the seated position. Because it was uncommon (and rude, not to mention uncomfortable) to sit with your sword in your belt, Iai in it's purest form, involved the use of much shorter blades. The core principle of old Iai is not even in the draw. The idea is to train yourself to always position your body and your blade in a manner that enables you to draw quickly enough to cut someone if they were to attack you. In doing so, you communicate that you are not defenseless. Even in a situation where combat is not expected, you are aware and prepared at all times, a true warrior. The idea is that discouraging others from tempting fate like so, is your greatest defense.
I studied Sakurai-ha Kogen Itto-ryu (more iaijutsu than iaido), and most of the kata are designed to respond to external aggressors (except for the ones related to execution); though my sensei told me in real life the attacker would know the standard movements to counterattack in turn. It's basically like chess openings, where there are predefined movements that are designed to project strength without opening yourself to attack.
I've heard a couple members of my kendo class try to describe Iaido as the "Zen side" of swordsmanship, but I think you've clearly conveyed what Iaido is much better here. It also falls in line with what my readings and studies (student of Anthropology, haven't settled on Classical, MesoAmerican, or Eastern studies yet, pretty much find them all amazing) have led me to believe about Japanese culture of the post civil war years. Pop culture has really driven the truth out of history, in so many cultures, and Japan seems to get about the worst of it.
thekangarooboxer The way you sit in Iai with you legs under your thighs, is the traditional and formal way to be seated in Japan and is called 正座 Seiza. 正 literally means correct or right, and 座 means to sit, or place to sit. Some theorize that the way of seating became proper, precisely because it is not ideal for combat. But you make a bunch of samurai sit in a way that nerfs their combat readiness so to speak, and it follows that they would train to transition quickly into combat from that position.
scholagladiatoria The Scottish Dirk also relied heavily on the speed it could be drawn with. Stories of people drawing dirks when someone tried to touch them, a guy pointing toward a well known member of the community and having said arm cut by their dirk draw, etc.
+1 from Iaido practitioner. Just to add: Iaido is not just defending against unexpected attacks. Just as often *you* are the aggressor, attacking your opponent(s) unexpectedly. Just one of the things I like about the art: sometimes you're the bad guy. But besides that, I agree with everything you said.
@@arx3516 You won't always get the opportunity to start the confrontation where you want to. Either way having the skills to fluidly launch an offensive from the draw is better than nothing. Plus even if you aren't training specific defensive or offensive manoeuvres, drilling to draw a sword especially under pressure is as essential as pistol drills.
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Certain philipino scabbards were designed fragile on purpose, so that it would break upon first contact with another weapon, so that "unsheathing" the sword is actually done by blocking an incoming attack, menaing you would defend with it without unsheathing the blade.
Yep. Pretty much they end up being two slats of wood tied together with string. It's enough to protect the blade from rain and whatnot, but if you strike/block with the scabbarded sword, it'll fall off.
There's a couple of comments about not walking into battle with a sheathed sword. This is not a battlefield technique. It actually IS more akin to the wild-west shootout scenario: In ancient Japan it was entirely possible that you would be walking down a street and suddenly find yourself engaged with someone: drawing the katana and striking immediately in one motion was necessary.
In fact, if you study the forms of Iaido, you'll see that most, if not all, forms are under the premise that you have been suddenly attacked by a similarly armed person.
Element of surprise is also something that can be taken in to consideration. Musashi for example used the psychological effects in duels to his advantage. Being sneaky is always a good thing in any combat, that entails using common sense very efficiently. Not having drawn your sword can be very beneficial in certain situations if you are quick on the draw and good with timing.
TheBaconWizard I disagree. I think it's a valuable skill to have on the battlefield. As most fighters would be carrying some kind of primary weapon. So the katana would likely need to be drawn very quickly in the heat of battle if used at all.
@Ahmad Hanifurrohim Not super differently though, samurai in full armour still carried their swords in pretty much the same place you see in civilian clothing. But in battle you won't be kneeling down or any such thing, as is the case in many iaido forms.
Yeah, it's very easy for many people to become very biased for one or the other, something I myself am guilty of from time to time, though I try not to. Remaining in an unbiased, logical perspective is one of the things we love most about Matt Easton.
I think that we must consider that the Katana was not just a war weapon but also a part of the nobleman's vestment. Just like any street fight, you don't pull out your knife/gun then walk into an argument, or you are sure that it will escalate. I think Iaido has historical relevance in a context where neither of the foes have pulled out their weapons yet. We can think of it as far-west faceoffs where they are both anxious to start the hostilities, or as a street fight where the weapons are only pulled out when the fight breaks. Or the fact that policement don't point their firearm to your face until you threaten them. We shouldn't forget the surprise element either. Or the ceremonial and cultural aspect of it. If both duelists agree on this method, then it isn't a handicap.
Yes about the ceremonial thing. It's a bit like European small swords for noblemen. I'm talking about the gunpowder era. From what i know it was different before that and katanas didn't exist in their current form and use.
yes, the masters of aido still pass it, most of those simulate scenarios where the swordman is seating and he get ambushed in a tea ceremony or something aido was made in time of peace not time of war the Tenshinryu school was started after the end of the sengoku civil war era, and during time of shogunate where fighting, and swordmanship was regulated the masters of Tenshinryu emphasis not killing the opponent by disabling him or preventing the attack
I am reminded of the "quick draw" of the American frontier gunslingers. If you are in a gunfight, your pistol is in your hand. If you get ambushed or someone suddenly reaches for their weapon, a skilled quick draw can save your life.
G Nelson Quite true what you say. In a modern setting Glock pistols have made an interesting change to practice. Having no safety there was at their introduction into my Police Force (and others) some carry on about accidental shooting. Why this is a problem with the Glock when the S&W Revolvers we had previously did not have a safety was beyond me. However the safety Nazis are not to be persuaded by logic. There was also the issue that without a safety the pistol could be taken and used against you. Again no change from the revolver but again safety Nazis. Now as a former soldier and a trained cop you are taught that your finger stays out of the trigger guard until you fire the weapon and that is 100% safety there. So we got a great holster. You can not get the weapon out without doing a particular hand action. That action s very hard to do if you are not wearing the holster and impossible if you don't know the technique so the bad boy cant get it off you. If you feel naughty hands on your weapon you spin and move abruptly while chopping your gun hand down and on to the weapon to break the hand contact and confront the Glock stealer). If you do the draw correctly the weapon comes out at an angle at the the front of the holster not up. It is a very fast draw when you practice it and takes only a couple of practice draws in the safe room prior to shift to keep your speed up. So we were taught the weapon stays in the locked holster until we need to fire it and then you sweep it out and fire. Of course if you know you are going to use it you get it out. But it is a genius design.
Christopher Yonemitsu If you mean they inspired hollywood I dont know how far you can take that. The first westerns were made in hollywood 110 years ago and were some of the first movie films ever made.i
Grahame Nicholson indeed, perhaps I am generalizing the "clint eastwood" era, where the resurgence of the western adopted many tropes from foreign cinema, but indeed you are right, the first western movies came long before that.
Consider it may be a peculiarity of the law where if you draw first you are liable to be prosecuted as "starting it". So, provoking your foe to draw first, it's great if you can then draw your own sword fast enough in response so you won't just have law/customs on your side, but you'll live to vouch for it with your own sword blocking and striking. "oh no guv, he drew his sword on me first, I had no choice but to defend myself, (to crowd) you all saw it didn't you!?" As I'm sure was exactly how it went down in downtown Tokya circa 1834 and likely also similar in Dodge City and other frontier towns in America. Though in likelihood on both sides of the Pacific they were mostly drunken brawls and it then gets hyped up for the press as dramatic stand-offs.
Its because of the anime characters who slice everyone to pieces in a stylized manner and you only see them sheathing the katana after some glowing cutting lines appear on a black screen. If you could actually see the characters swords being brought out and following those lines with clarity, it would look like they were being pulled around by the sword at ludicrous speeds. The problem with armchair katana nuts is that a large amount of them aren't actually real katana nuts, only anime/movie katana nuts.
This is just a thought, but about the context of these drawing strikes - in the context of a pitched battle between feudal Japanese warriors, would the sword actually be the primary weapon? I have been told that Samurai warriors would often go into battle with bows or pole arms in addition to swords. If this is the case, surely Iaido as a battlefield tactic makes a lot more sense - if the enemy suddenly closes with you, or disarms you of your primary weapon, the ability to make a quick lethal drawing attack becomes incredibly nifty.
I suspect Iaido was more meant to kill people in ambush, or in an assassination. For most of Japan's history, the primary weapon of the samurai was the bow & arrow, while they were on horseback. The secondary weapon was the naginata.
I think Iaido is like the quick draw that people use with pistols. Sometimes the trouble comes at you and you have seconds to react. I think Iaido is the sword equivalent of that. Thank you for making this thought provoking video.
As far as what's considered "traditional practice," I'm not sure- but on a historical viability level, it was not just for merely drawing when you're caught off guard. People seem to neglect that the Katana was not a primary war weapon, it was a side arm. The primary weapons used in war were spears, bows, clubs, and naginata. Now, particularly evident with the spear and naginata, you were at a significant disadvantage if, say, someone with a club nearly as long as your polearm, were to advance on you. The club is tremendously more effective in close combat than these two relatively light polearms. So, of course, the most evident thing to do here is to do the same things the europeans did when their range was invaded- they dropped their polearms and drew their swords. I don't think it really needs to get more complicated than that simple reality. There very clear times in war when being able to quickly strike with your sheathed weapon were important, and having a weapon too long to adequately defend you is one of them.
"I will hurt you with this dagger before you can draw your sword from it's sheath!" "Attempt it, for I am prepared!" One of my favorite plays from Fiore because it incorporates not only the moves, but also dialog lines for the combatants :P
In my short 10+ years (and still training hard) of formal Iai training and practical application, I can wholeheartedly agree with the information discussed. Firstly, Iai/Batto - Do/Jutsu is a methodology meant to draw the blade to quickly defend and counter attack. Once the sword is drawn you enter the realm of Ken-jutsu or otherwise known as fencing in the western world. As far as the impracticality of walking into battle with your sword sheathed, well, all I have to say is look at military and law enforcement tactical maneuvers. If they suspect danger they draw their weapon and have it at the ready, it’s not sitting in the holster for dramatic effect or to be "cool". They train specifically for speed and accuracy, this is the equivalent of Iai/Batto. It happens in a blink of an eye and after the weapon is drawn its all the same. The service men and women are the warrior class of our day and age. If you question what a swordsman would do in any scenario, ask yourself what our modern warriors would do, chances are the tactics have not changed much over the centuries. In fact, ancient tactics are still taught to our military, at least in my country.
I guess the thing about katanas and drawing from the scabbard is that it's a very comfortable weapon to do that with, it comes off very naturally, which is probably why it was developed into it's own thing.
In my, albeit limited, experience with drawing a katana, I think the idea behind the katana being 'faster from the draw' is more about the way that when you draw the katana it can be used as an attack. One technique that comes to mind is stepping into an enemy's overhead attack to move out of the way of the blade, getting close and letting their own momentum slice their belly open across the blade as it is drawn.
I just watched your 8 videos on the katana vs. other swords. I have to say that I really appreciate your objective look into this weapon. You demystified the Katana and treated it for what it is: a sword. I also really like how you fully admit that you are not an expert on the weapon, but you are able to use your knowledge of its contemporaries to discuss it. Very well done sir!
I see three viable reasons for learning how to quick-draw a sword. 1. For self defence: if you are not expecing combat yet you suddenly get attacked. 2. For assassination attempt: you want to kill somebody without him/her expecting it i.e. whilst walking in the street. (though there are of course better suited weapons for that). 3. In battle: when your sword is not your primary weapon (which was true for Japan with the bow and spear being the primary weapons for battle, while the Tachi or Katana served as sidearms). When your spear breaks, becomes embedded in opponent's body, or simply slips from your hand, you should know how to quickly draw a sword to defend yourself and continue fighting.
I am not a swordsman, but I am a modern gunfighter, soldier, and law enforcement responder. I would argue that the tactical renaissance that is occurring in places like Texas and Utah teaches us something about cultures where warriors were likewise always armed. The positioning and preparation to always be ready to draw and use your weapon is an element of carrying a weapon. I underestimated the value of being able to draw and address a threat. I have had to utilize a handgun to deal with a situation many times, and I can firmly say there is a tremendous, life-saving value in this skill. Training for a battlefield is one thing, but the idea that someone needs to consider where their weapon is on them, how to employ it as fast a possible, and to actually train oneself to react, is the mark of an advanced warrior. That is a sign to me that they were truly playing the deadly game.
Maybe the illusion comes from "spring effect" you feel (or think you would feel) when the sword leaves the scabbard. I suppose it's a bit like jumping out of water. You feel proppelled, because there is suddenly less resistance. I don't know if this would make a portion of the cut faster or not. But even if it does, it's probably not enough to compensate for the extra "wind-up" of when you still have the sword in the scabbard. Although, Setsuka and Alpha Patroclos would disagree with me. :P
I have trained Iaido very long time ago for a quite short time, but I used that skills just for a few times, durring reconstructions, simulations and so on. It is really usefull, when you lose your polearm durring lose formation battle (at the late stages of it) When your polearm brakes, you have incredibly short time to draw and strike.
I would completely agree that walking into battle I would be sword drawn at the ready, but there are quite a few positive perks about having the sword sheathed. At my own level, I find that my draw-cut is just a hair of a second slower on the second or third cut, but is nearly as fast from the draw compared to a ready position strike from the hip. How can it be as fast or faster from the draw? Drawing and strikeing from the hip allows one to begin the draw from the left hand by pulling the saya off the katana, after, (or at the same time with correct hip motion) that has been completed the strike can occure. So basically, you have the speed of your left hand removing the saya plus the speed of your right arm striking with the motion of the hip all creating an amazingly quick and effective draw-cut. Besides the speed of the strike, (which is probably roughly the same speed as a strike from the ready) A cut from the saya also allows one to be extremely deseptive about how one will strike. Even from the draw, proper technique allows one to strike from the draw in very unexpected ways. Even stabs can be achieved from the draw is exceptionally quickly. BTW I do not practice Iaido though, so my opinion is based completely on my own experience with cutting and striking from the draw (batto i believe it is called). I am quite inexperienced, but this is just what I personally have found to be true about batto. In the end, I would definitely have my sword out, but if the need was there, I would probably drawcut as a way to parry an oncoming strike, or to cut down an opponent that was unaware of my intention (in an unreal setting of course lol).
I would just add that drawing and striking from a sheathed sword position is quite telegraphic by nature. It's pretty obvious what you line of attack has to be. Ultimately, iaijutsu is for saving your neck from a disadvantageous position rather than an ace in the hole, as some people seem think.
hey, just gotta say you are correct in that it is for surprise attacks however i think what most people believe is that it is faster to attack from scabbard with a katana rather than european weapons such as longsword ( i have never used a longsword so i cannot comment on that) also another comment is that the placement of a katana is different to that of long sword where the longsword (among many others) sits at your side hanging from the hip where as the katana sits above the hip with the hilt at an angle so it sits in front of your stomach which is similar to a fighting stance used in sword + buckler fighting and so the laido fighting would be quite fast considering it is always in a combat position and has no extra move to slash because u pull the scabbard backwards at the same time as drawing the blade so its slash is the same as someone doing a upward strike blade already drawn.
but you are correct, No you probably wouldnt charge into a full blown war with your sword sheathed as that pretty much leaves one strike you can do so your attack would be easy to predict
In Olympic fencing, the names of the different parries (1,2,3,4...) come from the logical order of parries starting from drawing the sword from the scabbard.
As a twenty year Iaido student (Hokushin) I'd say your pretty close to the mark. Most of our techniques are defence from an unexpected attack (i.e. your blade sheathed) or a few assassination techniques or surprise attacks. As a kenjitsu and shinkendo student, I can't see any advantage in combat of starting with your katana sheathed. Anyone who thinks otherwise needs to do some Kendo.
I didn't do much iaido, but one of the katas we practiced involved a concealed strike with the pommel of the sord into the face of one person with the assumption that he had guards behind you. Part of the point of that is that it was a surprise attack and used uncertainty from people whose view was partially blocked about whether you had actually initiated an attack on the person they were supposed to be defending. I can't speak for how effective it would be in real life, but it definitely was an attack that began with a sheathed sword, inside the effective range of the sword.
Perhaps the correct phrase for Iaido is "Deceptively Fast." I read a book on it a long time ago and the author describe drawing the katana not as an act of frenzied speed but of skill, and when done right people will look at you and wonder how you managed to draw your sword, almost like a magic trick. In the Three Musketeers (I know it's fiction!) They come across the Duke of Buckingham in the middle of the night, and the author says suddenly his sword appeared in his hand, with the point ready to thrust. Also thinking about it, Iaido is probably why in Japan it is not polite to greet some one with in about six feet of them.
Great post thanks I'm studying Kenjutsu and TKD and hopefully going to start European when I later this year . I the club I go to my master says to slam your katakana home with nose is like showing you are not happy-angry and not to be done in class . Thanks
there is a plate from Talhoffer that shows a fencer drawing his sword from his scabbard and doing a cut from below to sever the hand of someone attacking him with a cut from above.
Makes total sense to me. In fact I believe the idea of iaido is supposed to be about "immediate reaction". And of course you can't react if you're the one acting. So this would make it a defensive art. I think it was inspired by a saying or something about being mentally prepared for anything.
I generally agree with the points in this video, accept for 4:07. There is no drawing AND attacking. They are not two separate things; they are the same action.
what should also be considered is that the sword was seldom the main weapon, but a back up and then its quite useful to be able to draw and attack in one movement
I would like to add a bit of plausible context where attacking from the sheathe could be of benefit. A: At the time, having a Katana (or other blade) on your person was common place for a samurai at the time. B: It's safe to say that you would not have said weapon always drawn or readied in your hand. C: Threats often come from unexpected situations. Maybe Iaido (drawing from the scabbard and striking at the same time, at least in this example) trains you to have the readiness for that kind of situation. I've seen a lot of demonstrations from friends who have/are training in Iaido. I've also been in a few situations where turning a "ready" into an attack has saved my life. It seems that Iaido (what I've seen from it at least) is more about "gaining muscle memory to deal with any situation that comes up" and practicing said movements. Just like with any martial art, they are training you. I have lived an example of why "drawing and cutting" at the same time is important, even if I was using a much smaller weapon at the time. Mind you, I am not arguing for the defense that "striking from a draw" is ideal or better than having a readied weapon. I'm more supporting the opinion that having that training has a practical if little used purpose. TL:DR If something is going to be taught, there is typically a reason for it.
Thank you for the video. I have always been told to avoid dropping the katana back into the saya. You can hear a "clack" every time you do so in this video. If it's a traditionally constructed katana then the metal of the blade will be slamming into the little bamboo peg that holds the blade to the handle. The risk is that you will weaken it and one day might get a nasty surprise when the 2 part company when drawing or swinging. The Katana should be slipped home gently.
Great video as usual, but... The draw speed is increased by raising the sheath with the left hand to meet the right than drawing it back as you withdraw the sword, and angling the body for a cut angle as drawn... Not necessarily faster, especially vs a sword with both hands on it... But again, if your prepared to finish the motion in the time it takes to reach striking distance, it will arrive with plenty of speed. Also, draw cuts are not just useful for surprise or responding to ambush. As you said before, swords are side arms, and secondary weapons in war, the another value of a practiced draw cut is switching weapons from a spear or bow, if disarmed, in need of a different weapon, or deception as it applies to sudden weapon alternation. Despite popular iconography, as I'm sure you know but worth sharing, Samurai relied on archery and pole weapons in war. It saddens me to see so little stated about Samurai as horsemen and mounted archers, but that's off topic... Samurai, an archer or spear/naginata user who can add a katana slash, suddenly without drawing their sword first, in half a second. Not the fastest attack, just fast enough to kill, and something few unexposed fighters would be ready to react to.
There might not be a direct European equivalent, but we can stretch things a bit. Some of the old masters stressed the importance of practising movements from 'prime', a very awkward position. But it is called 'prime' for the reason that it is the first position the blade is in after it is drawn. So the exercises from the position allow you to get fighting as quickly as possible. Not a factor in a duel or on the battlefield.
Matt , I was wondering if you could do a video on those quick draw techniques for European swords. I would be really interested in see that . anyway , love it videos and the knowledge that you have . keep up the great with.
Please continue with your discussion on the European side of this topic. I'm no expert on Fiore, but what about the large diversity of sword harnesses that are attached to the body? Using the scabbard to initially defend, would be out of the question depending on the suspension system used by the individual. To my knowledge, all Japanese swords are simply slipped into the belt and not fastened to anything.
Japanese tachi in war were generally worn hanging from slings, edge-down, much like European longswords. The Japanese katana was worn edge-up in the sash mainly in civilian life (though also in military life later on). In Europe the longsword in civilian life was often carried in the hand in its scabbard, rather than worn hanging from the belt. So in both medieval Europe and Japan the longsword/katana were worn hanging from the belt by slings and in both cases they had more flexible arrangements for carrying the swords in civilian life.
Well in Japanese art, there are many depictions of swords being tied to the belt with the blade down, much like the tachi. I'm referring to unarmored scenarios. To my knowledge, Europe did not have differing sword carrying methods. There were clearly differences in Japan.
Practice varies. Some schools simply tuck the sageo (the scabbard cord) into the belt without fastening it at all, whereas others tie it to either the obi or the hakama. Regarding European iai, by the way, I recall a Talhoffer illustration of a man severing his opponent's hand, before the sword has even completely left the scabbard. And there are also mentions of such "quick draw" techniques in viking sagas as well. At any rate, some people seem to think that the Japanese were better at it, seeing as they have their own art and everything - but that is kind of missing the point of Iaido. Draw-and-attack is not difficult, and does not warrant its own martial art. Iaido is not really about that: sheathing the blade is given every bit as much attention as drawing, so it would be just as (in)accurate to say that Iaido is the art of sheathing the blade. No, Iaido is more about having a proper mind-set, proper awareness, proper aggression, proper intent, proper techniques... but proper timing and application is best learned elsewhere. Iaido is not meant to be a stand-alone martial art, and considering there is no sparring in Iaido you would be very limited indeed if you didn't have something else as well. Iaido is very Zen (iai simply means to be (at a certain place) in harmony), but in a very aggressive sort of way. All kata begin and end with the blade sheathed, but most of the action in each kata happens with the sword already drawn. And in almost all kata (certainly in Muso-shinden ryu), the initial attack from the scabbard is not meant to finish the opponent, but more like a feint, to force the opponent back or into an uncomfortable position before finishing him with a proper kiri-tsuke.
***** Prime, Fenestra, Ochs, yes I think these are the first point someone naturally comes to upon drawing the sword from the scabbard. But yes, I'll do a video about it :-)
Adam Whitlach There were several different ways of carry and wearing swords in medieval Europe actually, at different heights and angles, including just carrying it in the scabbard in the left hand like a walking stick.
I've started practicing Iaido a few months ago, and I would definitely agree that it's not the super badass devastating move Hollywood wants it to be. Striking from the scabbard actually feels like a much weaker strike than with your sword out, since you're striking one handed with a two handed sword. And we are taught that it's basically an oh shit move, or something to do if you just happen to be in striking distance with your sword sheathed when you decide to start a fight. But it is very cinematic and looks badass
Imperial Russia had weapon with really developed techniques of drawing and striking simultaneously called "Shashka". It's also was worn edge up, and had especially designed hook on hilt to pull a shashka out even without gripping it firmly. It's pretty much interesting weapon with slightly different way to grasp and wield it than other swords. It's much more like long machete. Also the hilt works more like a movable joint rather than rigid grasp, making it a some sort of natural arm extension.
You should look into Filipino blade culture. the scabbard in traditional Filipino martial arts is disposable and made to break free of the blade from the first strike. it's made this way so if you're attacked you don't need to waste time. love your videos by the way.
Hi , I am a 10year practitioner, of battojitsu! Which translated into English is the art of drawing and cutting in one fluid motion, sword Style. The true nature of this Japanese sword Is battojitsu! The whole Movement is unison, making the strike twice as fast as any other regular way of drawing a sword.
now, i don't know much about iado myself, and i'm not a katana nut, but from what i can gather, the offensive use of iado is that when drawing the sword, the user presses the end of their blade hard against the scabbard, creating friction when they draw it. the friction then results in a "snap" where all the potential energy built up as you pushed against the scabbard is released, with the sword flinging outward. But then, that's the only answer i can come up with regarding the offensive use of iado
sulkee05 It does make sense from a physics point of view. Think of it like the slapshot in hockey. Most people think you're just slapping the puck, in reality you're slapping the ice first, giving that same bend and "snap". COLD HARD SCIENCE: SLAPSHOT Physics in Slow Motion - Smarter Every Day 112
Sebastian Ferguson The "snap" comes at the moment when the sword tip can clear the scabbard, then the left hand pulls the scabbard hard behind, and the little and ring fingers on the right hand are used to cut. The only friction would be on the back or sides of the blade. Also, yes, repeated training with sloppy form will lead to cuts and grooves in the wood inside the scabbard.
Sebastian Ferguson If you become quick with the blade you would cut your own hand when starting the cut while the blade is in the scabbard. Iaidokas are quick because they are trained pretty well in speed. Thats all: training.
EDarien But the snap in the case of the hockey stick comes from the elasticity of the wooden shaft. I don't know if drawing a steel blade would have the same effect.
the first thing to do in a transition from peace to war is drawing the sword. the concept of being the quickest is that declearing war by killing your opponent in a same action.
Isn't it also a way to, in battle if you lose your primary weapon like a spear or bow or whatever, a quick way to move your blade I I am attacking motion? I mean that's what makes sense in my head anyway.
I wish he would have mentioned daggers. If you are in a very short distance from somebody, a dagger is going to be a lot faster and whether or not it has a curve on it only matters for longer blades.
This is mostly off-topic, but I have to say that he seems to have an excellent scabbard for that katana. It barely makes any noise when he's drawing or sheathing it. Though that may be due to the mic quality. Cool video. I always wondered about whether or not iaido-type techniques were used in medieval sword styles.
A single, cutting stroke from the scabbard is faster than having your sword in front of you, then cocking the sword back to strike. 1 movement versus 2 movements. Simple physics. The only way a sword held out can beat the sheathed cutting stroke is if you STAB in a straight line. Try it out without a scabbard. Hold a sword in the lower, rear guard position, similar to a 1 handed Nebenhut with the weak hand holding the scabbard. Both fists and thumbs pointing inward towards each other. If you are right handed, you will have both fists on your left side. Now from the Nebenhut, strike out to the opponent's right side of his temple or neck or face. Do so in 1 stroke movement. Now go to high guard or Tag position with the sword over your head. When you attack, you don't just push straight down on the opponent's head. You move your chest and body forward slightly, rear your hands slightly back to gain potential energy, then slam down on the head or shoulder of the enemy. If that makes sense.
well, if you're a body guard following your lord around, it would be very valuable to be able to defend against assassinations, or negotiations gone bad. And being a body guard, you can't have the sword out in public all the time, a quick draw and reactions is essential. Same thing for the would be assassins as well, you need to be discrete to be able to approach your target and need a quick attack to accomplish your goal before the body guards react. Give the shear amount of assassinations in Japanese history (especially in Bakumatsu period), its only reasonable such art would become so developed.
More than being slower, I think the major disadvantage would be that it's predictable. From the moment you take the sword from the one when it's completely out, you're much more limited in the movements you can make than if it was free from the start.
Around 1:15, you mention being unaware of traditions, outside of Japan, for unsheathing and drawing at the same time. My grandfather, who was an ethnic Tatar had a Russian shashka, and a Russian manual that included instructions on fast draw. I distinctly remember that it had multiple illustrations that included vertical and horizontal cuts, as well as going into parries, I still own the shashka... and I wish I had thought of looking for the manual when he passed away. Now it may be gone. In any case, the shashka harness is rigged to keep the edge up and outwards. I did not re-rig it, and it does not look that anyone ever did, i.e. it seems to have been made that way. The shashka came to Bulgaria with my ancestors, Christian Tatars, who fought against the Ottomans and elected to stay in Bulgaria, rather to return to the Empire. It probably was not standard Russian gear. But the manual? It was pretty modern Russian, from what I recall. I wish I had been more curious. A few months ago, we had a discussion about this in my circle of friends, and I brought out the shashka. A friend from Iran mentioned that wearing a shamshir edge up was also done historically, and his guess was that it was for fast draw.
There is a lovely item for defending from the scabbard using a messer from MS. E.1939.65.341 (the Glasgow Fechtbuch). "A technique from the scabbard and this is a distress position, such that you cannot go behind or before. Item/ Note when he thrusts or strikes/ then take your messer in the Middle Stroke/ so that your right foot is forward/ and when he turns to you/ then strike from your side from the roof directly above and away/ and spring to him out of the way to his right side in the triangle/ and strike to his right arm-/"
One would also presume that, if you was going to try to sneak right up for a surprise attack with a sheathed sword, you would actually use the dagger or something else one that scale. I think iai could have some limited used in battle though, because your sword would spend most of its time in the scabbard, because you're normally carrying a bow of spear or whatever as well (although, as I understand it, many of the pre-Edo period martial arts tend to use the short swords with greater frequency for iai-type situations).
I always thought that Japanese martial arts included Iai techniques because a katana was a secondary battlefield weapon compared to a bow or a spear. This makes me think that the katana filled the role a falchion or grossemesser filled in Europe as a back up weapons for light infantry and archers.
I can't believe people believe this, I say that the katana is my favorite sword, but I do understand that they did the best with what they had; and to my understanding Iai was done in response of a "sneak" Attack.
As you said, iaido was for fighting back when being ambushed or attacked by surprise. Or so I've been told... but it does make a lot of sense and you just confirmed it.
We trained Iaido back on my old aikido dojo and as far as i remember all techniques were to draw and defend against an attack and only THEN do a riposte.
Most people will wear their sword in a scabard anyway. draw the sword is the first action if you want to use it to kill. thats the japanese swordsmenship's concept of being the quickest. it doesn't mean velocity or acceleration in a given time. it means the first action in your killing plan.
The reason for walking up to someone with a sheathed sword and then attacking makes perfect sense actually. In this case YOU are the assasin, trying to hide your intention until the last moment.
***** I was under the impression that he made it fairly clear his position that, unless in the position where you are trying to attack someone unaware of your intent, there is no foreseeable reason for attacking straight from your scabbard. The purpose of the video is to provide an argument against a position that he has personally observed among certain online communities which says that attacking from the scabbard is somehow faster than the alternative.
Basically a correct argument, though there are some things to be said for a draw from the sheathe. It's not superior to a strike from a basic front guard, it's different. It *is* generally preferable to a similar strike from having the blade at your side but free in stead of sheathed. Some reasons why a practitioner might choose to keep the blade sheathed: - Because they have practised the forms of it so extensively it is basically just another starting position to them from which they know all the responses to every conceivable attack. - Because they are trying to goad their opponent into an attack. - To hide the length of their blade. There can be more, but these alone are enough to make it a valid opening against someone with a similar weapon. Blade length mattered a lot in katana based duels, and if your opponent has his blade drawn and out in front of him, you know exactly what his reach is, but if yours is pointed away from him and/or sheathed, he doesn't know what exactly yours is. He can guess, but being off by a few inches is more than enough to get you killed. The threat of the potential strike from the sheath isn't that it connects more quickly than a strike from a front guard, but rather the fact that if you miss your first attack against it, his counter is almost certainly going to kill you. And of course, while a disembowelling attack or a lethal attack to the neck are threatening, the options you have even with the blade sheathed are virtually limitless. That's what you practice iaido for. Not saying the sheathed starting position is better, or even preferable in most situations, and I'm definitely not saying the concerns this video raises against it are wrong, just saying: it's a valid starting position if you're practised at it.
How can you deflect a blow with a scabbard? When people demonstrate those techniques, they are holding a scabbard in their hand, and it's not attached to their body. But you dont walk around with a scabbard in your hand, do you? It should be attached to your belt or something. What is the exact way of fastening the scabbard, so that you can use it for defence, such as raising it high enough to deflect a blow?
The katana is fastened to the obi or japanese belt used with a hakama. the obi and hakama have a set of straps that effectively over and under type deal hold the katana saya. even so you can still easily if you wanted to slide the whole scabard out in one motion, often times samurai had to remove their swords entering a superiors presence etc and that made it easy and practical
Sometimes it's just more convenient to take your sword off while you're sitting down or going about your business, and set down somewhere or just hold it in your hand. Likewise, if you "Suspect" you might be getting into trouble I can imagine taking your sword off so you don't have to deal with the belt and scabbard if things actually come to blows. Imagine a scenario where you're having a drink and a bite to eat with your friends; it might just be easier to take your sword off and set it on the table instead of holding it at your waist all day.
***** I am pretty sure walking around with a scabbarded blade in hand would have been a violation of decorum in most circumstances and would have been interpreted by most to be little different than walking around with a naked blade. Keep in mind, Japan was very regulated and specialized and while the warrior class needed to be armed for many reasons, violence was not as common or random as most modern people seem to think. I don't think that was the norm in Japan for anyone going about their daily routine.
I maybe wrong, but Iaido may have something to do with legal issues during Tokugawa period. Pretty much like certain pistol techniques taught in the US on self-defense.
Dude, they aren't saying the sword is faster from the sheath than outside of it. They're saying the sword is faster to attack from the sheath than other swords are from the sheath. It also delivers a better cut from the sheath, namely it's able to hit higher with better precision, because it doesn't have a crossguard that would limit the angle you could start drawing it at. 5:06 That is the preferred method for samurai to kill other samurai with, if at all possible. Doing that and defending against it was what the katana was nearly exclusively designed for. The katana was built to allow you to show zero sign you're going to attack somebody until you do. It's built to allow you to keep the period between going for your weapon and delivering a cut as short as possible, and deliver the best opening cut possible, in order to get as much advantage out of your surprise attack as you can. This also helps minimize the effectiveness of enemies trying to do this to you, being so much quicker on the draw gives you a better chance of defending if an opponent is going to attempt this, or maybe flip the script and do it to them first.
perhaps this belief is based on not the fact that its faster but that it takes someone by surprise because it would seem slow to draw the sword, but it is not as slow as expected.
An iaidoka writes: Yes, absolutely. The draw/cut cannot be faster. The purpose of iaido is to make the movement smooth and efficient. It is practised for the same reason that police and soldiers practise drawing handguns- to get out of a vulnerable situation. There are also two other things that will slow the movement down. The first is that the katana was quite firmly locked in the scabbard. This was because it was worn *all the time*. When you are wearing a sword all the time you don't want something that will slide out every time you lean forwards. Most iaito are much looser than a real sword would have been. Secondly, the scabbard was soft wood. If you draw as fast as you can then you have less control. There is a real danger that the tip will come off line and bite the scabbard. This can slow you down, lock the blade, or even take a lump out of one of your fingers. If speed is an issue, then you make some sort of strike to give you time to draw.
Iaido is also a mean to perform a surprise attack, by twisting the wrist on the saya you can change the trajectory of the blade out the scabbard, even to feint the incoming attack. Other aspect is the law, there are places (like temples and a lord's castle, for exemple) that if you draw your sword you will be punished by death (the samurais were extremely suspicious about treasons); so, to stay alive, would be a valuable skill to master. But maybe the most import aspect is about the fact the samurai, as proud warrior as he can be, only draws the katana to kill, never to intimidate. So the technic is used for always be ready for attacks, even when is surprised. Draw and hit in the same fluid movement. I really dont understand why europeans spend so much time fighting the japanese fencing tradition or underestimating it.
About that last sentence there, I don't understand why some people don't question the Japanese fighting styles and/or overestimate it. Now, I've heard from numerous trained fencers and historians that the katana wasn't as much used in Asia as the long swords were in Europe. I might be wrong, but that would also mean that all those fencers and historians were wrong as well, which I doubt. Pulling a poorly made sword made from poor-quality metal to intimidate seems rather stupid, so I can understand that one. Otherwise I don't see why the sword wouldn't be pulled just to intimidate, as one of the major roles of a guard is to scare people into not breaking the law. As [I've completely forgotten his name] said, Iaido wasn't only used in East Asia, and I can't really see any logical reason as to why it would be. The cutting motion is hard to avoid when you unsheathe a sword, and when you have an enemy running towards you meaning to kill you it's very easy to convert that small hint of a cutting motion into a full cut.
Magnus Anthun i got really sick about HEMA idiots with a amusing lack of culture...a barbarian covered in steel will be always a idiot and any full time trained samurai can kick his ass with a hand at his back...
Sounds like iaido is essentially the Japanese sword equivalent of American IDPA competitions where targets are engaged starting with the pistol in its concealed carry holster - simulating a gunfight against a surprise attacker...
I'm not sure if this has been brought up but I would like to think that the reputation for being faster may have come from the attitudes of the users. That is to say that perhaps it was less about the practitioners "speed" and more about their lack of hesitation or tells. The idea that the samurai in question could switch from humble bow or casual conversation to answering an insult without any indication prior that he was going to strike to kill. I might also confer that to a larger statement that one of the greater strengths of the synthesis of japanese martial tradition was that mercurial temperament and the emphasis on being able to act without tells or indication of intent. Well, perhaps?
RedgraveGilver given that the blade on a longsword is straight instead of curved and much longer than a katana, it seems like it would be much more difficult.
+Decay "The curve doesn't fucking matter." The curve absolutely does matter. The way that a long katana is drawn involves turning your body and moving the sheath, which uses the curve to give you extra draw length. " If anything the more curved a blade is, the more than point can catch on the inside of the scabbard." No, that doesn't happen. Especially while taking the sword out of the sheath. What would the point catch on? It's going the wrong direction, anyway. "The shorter the blade, the quicker and easier it is to draw. Wow, that was hard." Yes, of course that's true too. Nobody needs a fancy, two-handed technique to pull out a pocketknife. However, when dealing with longer-bladed swords, being curved helps the draw. This only applies to swords where the blade is so long that you need to slide the sheath backward because you can't pull the sword straight out due to your arm not being long enough. Try it out some time, have an iaido instructor show you, and you'll see that you can draw a longer sword if you turn your body than if you don't, and you'll feel how the curve works with you.
i would like to say that drawing a curved blade is a bit quicker than drawing a straight blade of equal length, depending how you position your scabbard and what direction you are drawing in.
Iaido is great against an unsuspecting or untrained adversary. Very scary. Masters of Iaido can do amazing things and can be formidable, but ultimately, it's better to have the sword unsheathed at the ready. It's like being able to shoot a pistol without it being cocked first.
That last bit is wrong, you only take the sword out the scabbard when you want to attack someone if they are aware you are going to attack them, such as in a skirmish, battle or dual, Iai is more designed for social situations when the opponent has no idea you intend to kill them. This can be premeditated, keeping your sword sheaved will not alert bystanders of your intention, not alert his guards and may even let you get behind the target before you strike. In non-premeditated situations such as you realise a person you are gambling with is cheating and you decide to kill them, striking without giving them warning gives you a huge advantage.
However, one note: I was told by my sensei that the main use of iaijutsu was in certain formal duels, in which the two combatants would start with swords sheathed, not just for defense (though I'm sure it was quite useful for that, as schola said).
Perhaps historical descriptions of Iaido by European swordsmen is part of the origin of the image of the katana being faster than comparable swords. Its prominence in training and perhaps the swords shape making the technique unusually fast (compared to most European equivalents) and leading to the assumption that katanas in general are fast.
i feel its a mixture of movies ,l games and anime where they make the katana look like a masters weapon that is quick and skill full and the western swordsmen is slow and just strong when a knight was quick strong and very skillfull
+Leester Probably not; that probably has more to do with the katana not getting in the way of other activities. By itself, a slightly quicker draw is probably not important enough to justify loss of reach.
I figure Iaido kinda reflects the samurai's role in society. I imagine the samurai did a lot of fending off assassins and angry peasants. It also might be good for deescalation. I imagine a bunch of angry politicians reaching but never drawing.
No one thinks it is faster to draw a sword and attack someone You train to draw the sword quickly for the same reasons you practice to draw your firearm quickly It is to get your weapon into action from the not ready position
fisyr I don't think anybody has ever scientifically tested this, so I cannot answer. In theory you can draw a sword in a straight line or a curved line, so I don't think there should be a difference, and if there is a difference then it will be a tiny tiny one.
scholagladiatoria Maybe in that a curved draw might give a fractional benefit in that it starts a sweeping motion that can be continued into a cutting attack? I've done a little iaijutsu (during my short time studying kenjutsu), and that was how it was described to me. I'm nowhere near expert enough in technique or knowledge to judge the veracity of that idea.
try the drawing motion of the types of swords yourself and you'll notice that it's really easy to attack in the same motion with a curved sword a bit harder with a straight one since you got to pull your arm out longer. so basically it depends on how far away from your body you need to pull your arm to get the blade fully out of the sheath. basically the diffrence is minimal at best but it's smoother with a curved blade and it's easier to cut someone in the same motion rather then just parrying the incomeing blow. but just drawing speed, i'd think that is just blade lengh and about the wielders speed and preferance.
Keep in mind that the katana has very little actual curvature. It would be interesting to test, but my hypothesis would be that the being curved there might be very, very slight difference in draw speed due to being able to clear the end of the scabbard a microsecond quicker due to the scabbard shape. My guess is that the difference is rather inconsequential and the important thing being more that you have a ready weapon as quick as possible and a person who is trained will accomplish that quickly enough. Also, keep in mind that the katana was worn facing down and in many ways this is counter productive to drawing quickly without specialized training. The tachi used early and more often for war purposes was typically worn in a more typical fashion for saberlike weapons around the world. It makes sense as to why since it makes little logic to force yourself to draw from a restricted position that would be difficult to do from horseback and from which you are far more likely to become obstructed from drawing based on many factors both practical and happenstance that could arise in combat situations.
I would like your opinion on a theory I have on the misconception of the katana being a "faster" weapon. my idea consists of the fact that a sword is simply a sword, in the hands of the same person, a longsword and a katana will move at the same speed. However, if two people are dueling, one with a longsword and the other with a katana, the katana wielder is at a disadvantage due to having the shorter blade. Therefore, the katana wielder will have to make up for that disadvantage through training to move faster. In essence, the sword itself is not what moves faster, but someone making up for the disadvantage of shorter reach is.
Of course Iado is for when you're caught off guard or trying to start a fight. Outside of those situations, it means taking a stance where you can't defend one side of your body while telegraphing your next attack. And because of the way the katana is typically worn, the user's sword arm is completely vulnerable.
Only thing i can think of is if your out of out of range circling with the sword sheathed and keeping out of range lulling opponent into a mistake or frustration, when you see your opponent take a wrong step on uneven terrain or take ther eyes off you, maybe change there guard or unscrew there pomel, you draw with quick close in step and cut in one motion kinda like a jab from Roy Jones Jnr, of course you would have to be a freak athlete with insane fast twitch mucle fibers to consider trying this and if your opponent is very careful not to give you an opening then yea.
I think as you mentioned the deception is the key here. To draw a sword is to commit to a life or death fight. For most people this would be a huge step.. A lot of Japanese sword play seems to be based on the situation where you thrust into a fight without warning. Extreme example is rapier, amazing 1on1 sword but unless you never approach people closer then at least 4-5 meters.. well it is kinda useless for self defence. I think pretty much everyone would carry a dagger paired with a rapier or maybe buckler, rapier and a dagger.
It's all about martial context. Unless one live in a martial environment in which assassinations were a common practices; one would not develop an art of quick draw; or at least one would not devote that much times to it. The reason it developed in Japan to such a sophisticated level was because of unique Japanese political environment. In Edo Japan; assassination was politic by other mean. Since opened warfare was no longer allowed; one must resort to assassination to eliminate rivals.
You can thank Rurouni Kenshin (or Samurai X) for people believing that drawing from the sheathe makes your strike faster... Because I don't know anyone in their right minds who would think that otherwise...
+GoodwillWright anime has made the lies of Bullshido seem quite a tasty sandwich to the katana kultists fan boy weeaboos. I'm surprised more kids didn't make their house pets fight to the death during the pokemon craze.
It's funny because you'd think people would know that Japanese cartoons are just like American cartoons in that they're exaggerated and fictitious. Right? Riiiight? Although occasionally I hear people say "back then" when referring to something at occurred in an episode of Game of Thrones. We just don't read books very much as Americans, I guess.
You could also compair American football with Wing Tsung - or maybe with handball. Some people say that chess is the most brutal fencing sport. Maybe you understand what I mean. The Japanese martial arts that are not olympic conserve an old tradition mentally rather than physically.
Your best bet is probably a company called ronin katana. Their dojo pro line is super durable and really nice looking as well, with around 30 different models to choose from. You could also try the raptor series from a company called hanwei. Absolutely great katanas all around. Go to kultofathena.com to get the best deal.
Well the Japanese did use it as a sneak attack. The only problem with that is it doesnt really work when everyone is familiar with it. You just end up having conversations from further apart..
As a Japanese person, I find it funny how people think Iai is the art of attacking from a sheathed position. It isn't. Iai was not developed as an offensive art, though some branches of martial arts later applied the mechanics of Iai draws into a quick-draw for standing stances. Battou-jutsu means the art of drawing the blade.
Iai literally means to sit face to face. Iai was developed as a self defense principle, for defending yourself in the seated position. Because it was uncommon (and rude, not to mention uncomfortable) to sit with your sword in your belt, Iai in it's purest form, involved the use of much shorter blades. The core principle of old Iai is not even in the draw. The idea is to train yourself to always position your body and your blade in a manner that enables you to draw quickly enough to cut someone if they were to attack you. In doing so, you communicate that you are not defenseless. Even in a situation where combat is not expected, you are aware and prepared at all times, a true warrior. The idea is that discouraging others from tempting fate like so, is your greatest defense.
Oddie Yang Fantastic - thank you very much for your contribution.
I studied Sakurai-ha Kogen Itto-ryu (more iaijutsu than iaido), and most of the kata are designed to respond to external aggressors (except for the ones related to execution); though my sensei told me in real life the attacker would know the standard movements to counterattack in turn. It's basically like chess openings, where there are predefined movements that are designed to project strength without opening yourself to attack.
I've heard a couple members of my kendo class try to describe Iaido as the "Zen side" of swordsmanship, but I think you've clearly conveyed what Iaido is much better here. It also falls in line with what my readings and studies (student of Anthropology, haven't settled on Classical, MesoAmerican, or Eastern studies yet, pretty much find them all amazing) have led me to believe about Japanese culture of the post civil war years. Pop culture has really driven the truth out of history, in so many cultures, and Japan seems to get about the worst of it.
thekangarooboxer
The way you sit in Iai with you legs under your thighs, is the traditional and formal way to be seated in Japan and is called 正座 Seiza. 正 literally means correct or right, and 座 means to sit, or place to sit. Some theorize that the way of seating became proper, precisely because it is not ideal for combat.
But you make a bunch of samurai sit in a way that nerfs their combat readiness so to speak, and it follows that they would train to transition quickly into combat from that position.
scholagladiatoria The Scottish Dirk also relied heavily on the speed it could be drawn with. Stories of people drawing dirks when someone tried to touch them, a guy pointing toward a well known member of the community and having said arm cut by their dirk draw, etc.
Matt clearly hasn't played Dark Souls 3 and faced the sword master guarding the tower.
+1 from Iaido practitioner. Just to add: Iaido is not just defending against unexpected attacks. Just as often *you* are the aggressor, attacking your opponent(s) unexpectedly. Just one of the things I like about the art: sometimes you're the bad guy. But besides that, I agree with everything you said.
He says that very thing at 5:00.
If you are the aggressor is much more convenient to have the sword already out and attacking from behind.
@@arx3516
If you have your weapon out, you're advertising your attack. Why would you want to advertise your attack?
@@arx3516 You won't always get the opportunity to start the confrontation where you want to. Either way having the skills to fluidly launch an offensive from the draw is better than nothing.
Plus even if you aren't training specific defensive or offensive manoeuvres, drilling to draw a sword especially under pressure is as essential as pistol drills.
Certain philipino scabbards were designed fragile on purpose, so that it would break upon first contact with another weapon, so that "unsheathing" the sword is actually done by blocking an incoming attack, menaing you would defend with it without unsheathing the blade.
filipino
Yep. Pretty much they end up being two slats of wood tied together with string. It's enough to protect the blade from rain and whatnot, but if you strike/block with the scabbarded sword, it'll fall off.
There's a couple of comments about not walking into battle with a sheathed sword.
This is not a battlefield technique. It actually IS more akin to the wild-west shootout scenario: In ancient Japan it was entirely possible that you would be walking down a street and suddenly find yourself engaged with someone: drawing the katana and striking immediately in one motion was necessary.
In fact, if you study the forms of Iaido, you'll see that most, if not all, forms are under the premise that you have been suddenly attacked by a similarly armed person.
Element of surprise is also something that can be taken in to consideration. Musashi for example used the psychological effects in duels to his advantage. Being sneaky is always a good thing in any combat, that entails using common sense very efficiently. Not having drawn your sword can be very beneficial in certain situations if you are quick on the draw and good with timing.
TheBaconWizard I disagree. I think it's a valuable skill to have on the battlefield. As most fighters would be carrying some kind of primary weapon. So the katana would likely need to be drawn very quickly in the heat of battle if used at all.
@Ahmad Hanifurrohim Not super differently though, samurai in full armour still carried their swords in pretty much the same place you see in civilian clothing. But in battle you won't be kneeling down or any such thing, as is the case in many iaido forms.
I like how you have respect for both Eastern and Western Martial Arts.
Is that sarcasm?
Yeah, it's very easy for many people to become very biased for one or the other, something I myself am guilty of from time to time, though I try not to. Remaining in an unbiased, logical perspective is one of the things we love most about Matt Easton.
I think that we must consider that the Katana was not just a war weapon but also a part of the nobleman's vestment. Just like any street fight, you don't pull out your knife/gun then walk into an argument, or you are sure that it will escalate.
I think Iaido has historical relevance in a context where neither of the foes have pulled out their weapons yet. We can think of it as far-west faceoffs where they are both anxious to start the hostilities, or as a street fight where the weapons are only pulled out when the fight breaks. Or the fact that policement don't point their firearm to your face until you threaten them.
We shouldn't forget the surprise element either. Or the ceremonial and cultural aspect of it. If both duelists agree on this method, then it isn't a handicap.
Yes about the ceremonial thing. It's a bit like European small swords for noblemen. I'm talking about the gunpowder era. From what i know it was different before that and katanas didn't exist in their current form and use.
yes, the masters of aido still pass it, most of those simulate scenarios where the swordman is seating and he get ambushed in a tea ceremony or something
aido was made in time of peace not time of war
the Tenshinryu school was started after the end of the sengoku civil war era, and during time of shogunate where fighting, and swordmanship was regulated
the masters of Tenshinryu emphasis not killing the opponent by disabling him or preventing the attack
I am reminded of the "quick draw" of the American frontier gunslingers. If you are in a gunfight, your pistol is in your hand. If you get ambushed or someone suddenly reaches for their weapon, a skilled quick draw can save your life.
G Nelson Something to note when you consider the similarities between spaghetti western and samurai movies.
G Nelson Quite true what you say. In a modern setting Glock pistols have made an interesting change to practice. Having no safety there was at their introduction into my Police Force (and others) some carry on about accidental shooting. Why this is a problem with the Glock when the S&W Revolvers we had previously did not have a safety was beyond me. However the safety Nazis are not to be persuaded by logic. There was also the issue that without a safety the pistol could be taken and used against you. Again no change from the revolver but again safety Nazis. Now as a former soldier and a trained cop you are taught that your finger stays out of the trigger guard until you fire the weapon and that is 100% safety there. So we got a great holster. You can not get the weapon out without doing a particular hand action. That action s very hard to do if you are not wearing the holster and impossible if you don't know the technique so the bad boy cant get it off you. If you feel naughty hands on your weapon you spin and move abruptly while chopping your gun hand down and on to the weapon to break the hand contact and confront the Glock stealer). If you do the draw correctly the weapon comes out at an angle at the the front of the holster not up. It is a very fast draw when you practice it and takes only a couple of practice draws in the safe room prior to shift to keep your speed up. So we were taught the weapon stays in the locked holster until we need to fire it and then you sweep it out and fire. Of course if you know you are going to use it you get it out. But it is a genius design.
マンロック well considering kurosawa movies gave many westerns their inspiration, it isn't too surprising.
Christopher Yonemitsu If you mean they inspired hollywood I dont know how far you can take that. The first westerns were made in hollywood 110 years ago and were some of the first movie films ever made.i
Grahame Nicholson indeed, perhaps I am generalizing the "clint eastwood" era, where the resurgence of the western adopted many tropes from foreign cinema, but indeed you are right, the first western movies came long before that.
Consider it may be a peculiarity of the law where if you draw first you are liable to be prosecuted as "starting it".
So, provoking your foe to draw first, it's great if you can then draw your own sword fast enough in response so you won't just have law/customs on your side, but you'll live to vouch for it with your own sword blocking and striking.
"oh no guv, he drew his sword on me first, I had no choice but to defend myself, (to crowd) you all saw it didn't you!?"
As I'm sure was exactly how it went down in downtown Tokya circa 1834 and likely also similar in Dodge City and other frontier towns in America. Though in likelihood on both sides of the Pacific they were mostly drunken brawls and it then gets hyped up for the press as dramatic stand-offs.
Its because of the anime characters who slice everyone to pieces in a stylized manner and you only see them sheathing the katana after some glowing cutting lines appear on a black screen.
If you could actually see the characters swords being brought out and following those lines with clarity, it would look like they were being pulled around by the sword at ludicrous speeds.
The problem with armchair katana nuts is that a large amount of them aren't actually real katana nuts, only anime/movie katana nuts.
Why are people still so surprised that competent, trained killers, using similar tools, would do similar things with them?
+David Wilson Because Katana fanboys don't believe that european knights were any of the above.
+brutalbeetle Bullshido
@Michael Terrell II overall, fanboyism bad, I like both
@Michael Terrell II yes but still, unsheathed sword will be always faster. Also, what do you find so wrong about the video
@Michael Terrell II the term bullshido refers more to the scam martial arts, not to mock Bushido
This is just a thought, but about the context of these drawing strikes - in the context of a pitched battle between feudal Japanese warriors, would the sword actually be the primary weapon? I have been told that Samurai warriors would often go into battle with bows or pole arms in addition to swords. If this is the case, surely Iaido as a battlefield tactic makes a lot more sense - if the enemy suddenly closes with you, or disarms you of your primary weapon, the ability to make a quick lethal drawing attack becomes incredibly nifty.
I suspect Iaido was more meant to kill people in ambush, or in an assassination. For most of Japan's history, the primary weapon of the samurai was the bow & arrow, while they were on horseback. The secondary weapon was the naginata.
@Michael Terrell II
I think you meant yari, not haramaki.
I think Iaido is like the quick draw that people use with pistols. Sometimes the trouble comes at you and you have seconds to react. I think Iaido is the sword equivalent of that. Thank you for making this thought provoking video.
As far as what's considered "traditional practice," I'm not sure- but on a historical viability level, it was not just for merely drawing when you're caught off guard. People seem to neglect that the Katana was not a primary war weapon, it was a side arm. The primary weapons used in war were spears, bows, clubs, and naginata.
Now, particularly evident with the spear and naginata, you were at a significant disadvantage if, say, someone with a club nearly as long as your polearm, were to advance on you. The club is tremendously more effective in close combat than these two relatively light polearms.
So, of course, the most evident thing to do here is to do the same things the europeans did when their range was invaded- they dropped their polearms and drew their swords. I don't think it really needs to get more complicated than that simple reality. There very clear times in war when being able to quickly strike with your sheathed weapon were important, and having a weapon too long to adequately defend you is one of them.
"I will hurt you with this dagger before you can draw your sword from it's sheath!"
"Attempt it, for I am prepared!"
One of my favorite plays from Fiore because it incorporates not only the moves, but also dialog lines for the combatants :P
In my short 10+ years (and still training hard) of formal Iai training and practical application, I can wholeheartedly agree with the information discussed. Firstly, Iai/Batto - Do/Jutsu is a methodology meant to draw the blade to quickly defend and counter attack. Once the sword is drawn you enter the realm of Ken-jutsu or otherwise known as fencing in the western world. As far as the impracticality of walking into battle with your sword sheathed, well, all I have to say is look at military and law enforcement tactical maneuvers. If they suspect danger they draw their weapon and have it at the ready, it’s not sitting in the holster for dramatic effect or to be "cool". They train specifically for speed and accuracy, this is the equivalent of Iai/Batto. It happens in a blink of an eye and after the weapon is drawn its all the same. The service men and women are the warrior class of our day and age. If you question what a swordsman would do in any scenario, ask yourself what our modern warriors would do, chances are the tactics have not changed much over the centuries. In fact, ancient tactics are still taught to our military, at least in my country.
Is the tree surprised:
When lightning splits it in two:
On a cloud free day?
thats perfect
I think it is basically the same idea behind the quick draw technique of western cowboys.
I guess the thing about katanas and drawing from the scabbard is that it's a very comfortable weapon to do that with, it comes off very naturally, which is probably why it was developed into it's own thing.
In my, albeit limited, experience with drawing a katana, I think the idea behind the katana being 'faster from the draw' is more about the way that when you draw the katana it can be used as an attack. One technique that comes to mind is stepping into an enemy's overhead attack to move out of the way of the blade, getting close and letting their own momentum slice their belly open across the blade as it is drawn.
I just watched your 8 videos on the katana vs. other swords. I have to say that I really appreciate your objective look into this weapon. You demystified the Katana and treated it for what it is: a sword. I also really like how you fully admit that you are not an expert on the weapon, but you are able to use your knowledge of its contemporaries to discuss it. Very well done sir!
Thanks.
I see three viable reasons for learning how to quick-draw a sword.
1. For self defence: if you are not expecing combat yet you suddenly get attacked.
2. For assassination attempt: you want to kill somebody without him/her expecting it i.e. whilst walking in the street. (though there are of course better suited weapons for that).
3. In battle: when your sword is not your primary weapon (which was true for Japan with the bow and spear being the primary weapons for battle, while the Tachi or Katana served as sidearms). When your spear breaks, becomes embedded in opponent's body, or simply slips from your hand, you should know how to quickly draw a sword to defend yourself and continue fighting.
I am not a swordsman, but I am a modern gunfighter, soldier, and law enforcement responder. I would argue that the tactical renaissance that is occurring in places like Texas and Utah teaches us something about cultures where warriors were likewise always armed.
The positioning and preparation to always be ready to draw and use your weapon is an element of carrying a weapon. I underestimated the value of being able to draw and address a threat. I have had to utilize a handgun to deal with a situation many times, and I can firmly say there is a tremendous, life-saving value in this skill.
Training for a battlefield is one thing, but the idea that someone needs to consider where their weapon is on them, how to employ it as fast a possible, and to actually train oneself to react, is the mark of an advanced warrior. That is a sign to me that they were truly playing the deadly game.
Maybe the illusion comes from "spring effect" you feel (or think you would feel) when the sword leaves the scabbard. I suppose it's a bit like jumping out of water. You feel proppelled, because there is suddenly less resistance. I don't know if this would make a portion of the cut faster or not. But even if it does, it's probably not enough to compensate for the extra "wind-up" of when you still have the sword in the scabbard.
Although, Setsuka and Alpha Patroclos would disagree with me. :P
There is literally no illusion. It's some bullshit from Rurouni Kenshin.
kenshin.wikia.com/wiki/Batt%C5%8Djutsu
I have trained Iaido very long time ago for a quite short time, but I used that skills just for a few times, durring reconstructions, simulations and so on. It is really usefull, when you lose your polearm durring lose formation battle (at the late stages of it) When your polearm brakes, you have incredibly short time to draw and strike.
I would completely agree that walking into battle I would be sword drawn at the ready, but there are quite a few positive perks about having the sword sheathed.
At my own level, I find that my draw-cut is just a hair of a second slower on the second or third cut, but is nearly as fast from the draw compared to a ready position strike from the hip. How can it be as fast or faster from the draw?
Drawing and strikeing from the hip allows one to begin the draw from the left hand by pulling the saya off the katana, after, (or at the same time with correct hip motion) that has been completed the strike can occure. So basically, you have the speed of your left hand removing the saya plus the speed of your right arm striking with the motion of the hip all creating an amazingly quick and effective draw-cut.
Besides the speed of the strike, (which is probably roughly the same speed as a strike from the ready) A cut from the saya also allows one to be extremely deseptive about how one will strike. Even from the draw, proper technique allows one to strike from the draw in very unexpected ways. Even stabs can be achieved from the draw is exceptionally quickly.
BTW I do not practice Iaido though, so my opinion is based completely on my own experience with cutting and striking from the draw (batto i believe it is called). I am quite inexperienced, but this is just what I personally have found to be true about batto.
In the end, I would definitely have my sword out, but if the need was there, I would probably drawcut as a way to parry an oncoming strike, or to cut down an opponent that was unaware of my intention (in an unreal setting of course lol).
I would just add that drawing and striking from a sheathed sword position is quite telegraphic by nature. It's pretty obvious what you line of attack has to be.
Ultimately, iaijutsu is for saving your neck from a disadvantageous position rather than an ace in the hole, as some people seem think.
hey, just gotta say you are correct in that it is for surprise attacks however i think what most people believe is that it is faster to attack from scabbard with a katana rather than european weapons such as longsword ( i have never used a longsword so i cannot comment on that) also another comment is that the placement of a katana is different to that of long sword where the longsword (among many others) sits at your side hanging from the hip where as the katana sits above the hip with the hilt at an angle so it sits in front of your stomach which is similar to a fighting stance used in sword + buckler fighting and so the laido fighting would be quite fast considering it is always in a combat position and has no extra move to slash because u pull the scabbard backwards at the same time as drawing the blade so its slash is the same as someone doing a upward strike blade already drawn.
but you are correct, No you probably wouldnt charge into a full blown war with your sword sheathed as that pretty much leaves one strike you can do so your attack would be easy to predict
In Olympic fencing, the names of the different parries (1,2,3,4...) come from the logical order of parries starting from drawing the sword from the scabbard.
J Baker Yes, that goes all the way back to 16th century rapier fencing :-)Though the exact positions have changed a bit.
As a twenty year Iaido student (Hokushin) I'd say your pretty close to the mark. Most of our techniques are defence from an unexpected attack (i.e. your blade sheathed) or a few assassination techniques or surprise attacks. As a kenjitsu and shinkendo student, I can't see any advantage in combat of starting with your katana sheathed. Anyone who thinks otherwise needs to do some Kendo.
I didn't do much iaido, but one of the katas we practiced involved a concealed strike with the pommel of the sord into the face of one person with the assumption that he had guards behind you. Part of the point of that is that it was a surprise attack and used uncertainty from people whose view was partially blocked about whether you had actually initiated an attack on the person they were supposed to be defending. I can't speak for how effective it would be in real life, but it definitely was an attack that began with a sheathed sword, inside the effective range of the sword.
Perhaps the correct phrase for Iaido is "Deceptively Fast." I read a book on it a long time ago and the author describe drawing the katana not as an act of frenzied speed but of skill, and when done right people will look at you and wonder how you managed to draw your sword, almost like a magic trick. In the Three Musketeers (I know it's fiction!) They come across the Duke of Buckingham in the middle of the night, and the author says suddenly his sword appeared in his hand, with the point ready to thrust.
Also thinking about it, Iaido is probably why in Japan it is not polite to greet some one with in about six feet of them.
Great post thanks I'm studying Kenjutsu and TKD and hopefully going to start European when I later this year . I the club I go to my master says to slam your katakana home with nose is like showing you are not happy-angry and not to be done in class . Thanks
there is a plate from Talhoffer that shows a fencer drawing his sword from his scabbard and doing a cut from below to sever the hand of someone attacking him with a cut from above.
Makes total sense to me.
In fact I believe the idea of iaido is supposed to be about "immediate reaction". And of course you can't react if you're the one acting. So this would make it a defensive art.
I think it was inspired by a saying or something about being mentally prepared for anything.
I generally agree with the points in this video, accept for 4:07. There is no drawing AND attacking. They are not two separate things; they are the same action.
what should also be considered is that the sword was seldom the main weapon, but a back up and then its quite useful to be able to draw and attack in one movement
I would like to add a bit of plausible context where attacking from the sheathe could be of benefit.
A: At the time, having a Katana (or other blade) on your person was common place for a samurai at the time.
B: It's safe to say that you would not have said weapon always drawn or readied in your hand.
C: Threats often come from unexpected situations.
Maybe Iaido (drawing from the scabbard and striking at the same time, at least in this example) trains you to have the readiness for that kind of situation.
I've seen a lot of demonstrations from friends who have/are training in Iaido. I've also been in a few situations where turning a "ready" into an attack has saved my life. It seems that Iaido (what I've seen from it at least) is more about "gaining muscle memory to deal with any situation that comes up" and practicing said movements. Just like with any martial art, they are training you. I have lived an example of why "drawing and cutting" at the same time is important, even if I was using a much smaller weapon at the time.
Mind you, I am not arguing for the defense that "striking from a draw" is ideal or better than having a readied weapon. I'm more supporting the opinion that having that training has a practical if little used purpose.
TL:DR If something is going to be taught, there is typically a reason for it.
Thank you for the video.
I have always been told to avoid dropping the katana back into the saya. You can hear a "clack" every time you do so in this video. If it's a traditionally constructed katana then the metal of the blade will be slamming into the little bamboo peg that holds the blade to the handle. The risk is that you will weaken it and one day might get a nasty surprise when the 2 part company when drawing or swinging.
The Katana should be slipped home gently.
Great video as usual, but... The draw speed is increased by raising the sheath with the left hand to meet the right than drawing it back as you withdraw the sword, and angling the body for a cut angle as drawn... Not necessarily faster, especially vs a sword with both hands on it... But again, if your prepared to finish the motion in the time it takes to reach striking distance, it will arrive with plenty of speed.
Also, draw cuts are not just useful for surprise or responding to ambush. As you said before, swords are side arms, and secondary weapons in war, the another value of a practiced draw cut is switching weapons from a spear or bow, if disarmed, in need of a different weapon, or deception as it applies to sudden weapon alternation.
Despite popular iconography, as I'm sure you know but worth sharing, Samurai relied on archery and pole weapons in war. It saddens me to see so little stated about Samurai as horsemen and mounted archers, but that's off topic...
Samurai, an archer or spear/naginata user who can add a katana slash, suddenly without drawing their sword first, in half a second. Not the fastest attack, just fast enough to kill, and something few unexposed fighters would be ready to react to.
There might not be a direct European equivalent, but we can stretch things a bit. Some of the old masters stressed the importance of practising movements from 'prime', a very awkward position.
But it is called 'prime' for the reason that it is the first position the blade is in after it is drawn. So the exercises from the position allow you to get fighting as quickly as possible. Not a factor in a duel or on the battlefield.
Matt , I was wondering if you could do a video on those quick draw techniques for European swords. I would be really interested in see that . anyway , love it videos and the knowledge that you have . keep up the great with.
Please continue with your discussion on the European side of this topic. I'm no expert on Fiore, but what about the large diversity of sword harnesses that are attached to the body? Using the scabbard to initially defend, would be out of the question depending on the suspension system used by the individual. To my knowledge, all Japanese swords are simply slipped into the belt and not fastened to anything.
Japanese tachi in war were generally worn hanging from slings, edge-down, much like European longswords. The Japanese katana was worn edge-up in the sash mainly in civilian life (though also in military life later on). In Europe the longsword in civilian life was often carried in the hand in its scabbard, rather than worn hanging from the belt. So in both medieval Europe and Japan the longsword/katana were worn hanging from the belt by slings and in both cases they had more flexible arrangements for carrying the swords in civilian life.
Well in Japanese art, there are many depictions of swords being tied to the belt with the blade down, much like the tachi. I'm referring to unarmored scenarios. To my knowledge, Europe did not have differing sword carrying methods. There were clearly differences in Japan.
Practice varies. Some schools simply tuck the sageo (the scabbard cord) into the belt without fastening it at all, whereas others tie it to either the obi or the hakama.
Regarding European iai, by the way, I recall a Talhoffer illustration of a man severing his opponent's hand, before the sword has even completely left the scabbard. And there are also mentions of such "quick draw" techniques in viking sagas as well. At any rate, some people seem to think that the Japanese were better at it, seeing as they have their own art and everything - but that is kind of missing the point of Iaido. Draw-and-attack is not difficult, and does not warrant its own martial art. Iaido is not really about that: sheathing the blade is given every bit as much attention as drawing, so it would be just as (in)accurate to say that Iaido is the art of sheathing the blade. No, Iaido is more about having a proper mind-set, proper awareness, proper aggression, proper intent, proper techniques... but proper timing and application is best learned elsewhere. Iaido is not meant to be a stand-alone martial art, and considering there is no sparring in Iaido you would be very limited indeed if you didn't have something else as well. Iaido is very Zen (iai simply means to be (at a certain place) in harmony), but in a very aggressive sort of way.
All kata begin and end with the blade sheathed, but most of the action in each kata happens with the sword already drawn. And in almost all kata (certainly in Muso-shinden ryu), the initial attack from the scabbard is not meant to finish the opponent, but more like a feint, to force the opponent back or into an uncomfortable position before finishing him with a proper kiri-tsuke.
***** Prime, Fenestra, Ochs, yes I think these are the first point someone naturally comes to upon drawing the sword from the scabbard. But yes, I'll do a video about it :-)
Adam Whitlach There were several different ways of carry and wearing swords in medieval Europe actually, at different heights and angles, including just carrying it in the scabbard in the left hand like a walking stick.
I've started practicing Iaido a few months ago, and I would definitely agree that it's not the super badass devastating move Hollywood wants it to be. Striking from the scabbard actually feels like a much weaker strike than with your sword out, since you're striking one handed with a two handed sword. And we are taught that it's basically an oh shit move, or something to do if you just happen to be in striking distance with your sword sheathed when you decide to start a fight. But it is very cinematic and looks badass
I was unaware that anyone ever thought that attacking from a sheathed sword was faster than an unsheathed one.
Agreed.
Imperial Russia had weapon with really developed techniques of drawing and striking simultaneously called "Shashka". It's also was worn edge up, and had especially designed hook on hilt to pull a shashka out even without gripping it firmly. It's pretty much interesting weapon with slightly different way to grasp and wield it than other swords. It's much more like long machete. Also the hilt works more like a movable joint rather than rigid grasp, making it a some sort of natural arm extension.
You should look into Filipino blade culture. the scabbard in traditional Filipino martial arts is disposable and made to break free of the blade from the first strike. it's made this way so if you're attacked you don't need to waste time. love your videos by the way.
Hi , I am a 10year practitioner, of battojitsu! Which translated into English is the art of drawing and cutting in one fluid motion, sword Style. The true nature of this Japanese sword Is battojitsu! The whole Movement is unison, making the strike twice as fast as any other regular way of drawing a sword.
now, i don't know much about iado myself, and i'm not a katana nut, but from what i can gather, the offensive use of iado is that when drawing the sword, the user presses the end of their blade hard against the scabbard, creating friction when they draw it. the friction then results in a "snap" where all the potential energy built up as you pushed against the scabbard is released, with the sword flinging outward.
But then, that's the only answer i can come up with regarding the offensive use of iado
sulkee05 i was just giving my two cents on how it might be possible
sulkee05 It does make sense from a physics point of view. Think of it like the slapshot in hockey. Most people think you're just slapping the puck, in reality you're slapping the ice first, giving that same bend and "snap".
COLD HARD SCIENCE: SLAPSHOT Physics in Slow Motion - Smarter Every Day 112
Sebastian Ferguson
The "snap" comes at the moment when the sword tip can clear the scabbard, then the left hand pulls the scabbard hard behind, and the little and ring fingers on the right hand are used to cut.
The only friction would be on the back or sides of the blade.
Also, yes, repeated training with sloppy form will lead to cuts and grooves in the wood inside the scabbard.
Sebastian Ferguson
If you become quick with the blade you would cut your own hand when starting the cut while the blade is in the scabbard. Iaidokas are quick because they are trained pretty well in speed. Thats all: training.
EDarien But the snap in the case of the hockey stick comes from the elasticity of the wooden shaft. I don't know if drawing a steel blade would have the same effect.
the first thing to do in a transition from peace to war is drawing the sword. the concept of being the quickest is that declearing war by killing your opponent in a same action.
Isn't it also a way to, in battle if you lose your primary weapon like a spear or bow or whatever, a quick way to move your blade I I am attacking motion? I mean that's what makes sense in my head anyway.
I wish he would have mentioned daggers. If you are in a very short distance from somebody, a dagger is going to be a lot faster and whether or not it has a curve on it only matters for longer blades.
This is mostly off-topic, but I have to say that he seems to have an excellent scabbard for that katana. It barely makes any noise when he's drawing or sheathing it. Though that may be due to the mic quality.
Cool video. I always wondered about whether or not iaido-type techniques were used in medieval sword styles.
Kenshin isn't historically or physically accurate? My life is a lie.
he's actually the best at battojutsu. If you know you're faster and more skilled, you can be cool )
A single, cutting stroke from the scabbard is faster than having your sword in front of you, then cocking the sword back to strike. 1 movement versus 2 movements. Simple physics. The only way a sword held out can beat the sheathed cutting stroke is if you STAB in a straight line. Try it out without a scabbard. Hold a sword in the lower, rear guard position, similar to a 1 handed Nebenhut with the weak hand holding the scabbard. Both fists and thumbs pointing inward towards each other. If you are right handed, you will have both fists on your left side. Now from the Nebenhut, strike out to the opponent's right side of his temple or neck or face. Do so in 1 stroke movement. Now go to high guard or Tag position with the sword over your head. When you attack, you don't just push straight down on the opponent's head. You move your chest and body forward slightly, rear your hands slightly back to gain potential energy, then slam down on the head or shoulder of the enemy. If that makes sense.
well, if you're a body guard following your lord around, it would be very valuable to be able to defend against assassinations, or negotiations gone bad. And being a body guard, you can't have the sword out in public all the time, a quick draw and reactions is essential. Same thing for the would be assassins as well, you need to be discrete to be able to approach your target and need a quick attack to accomplish your goal before the body guards react. Give the shear amount of assassinations in Japanese history (especially in Bakumatsu period), its only reasonable such art would become so developed.
Hi, the art from attacking and striking directly from the sheath is called battou-jutsu... Cheers :)
More than being slower, I think the major disadvantage would be that it's predictable.
From the moment you take the sword from the one when it's completely out, you're much more limited in the movements you can make than if it was free from the start.
Around 1:15, you mention being unaware of traditions, outside of Japan, for unsheathing and drawing at the same time.
My grandfather, who was an ethnic Tatar had a Russian shashka, and a Russian manual that included instructions on fast draw. I distinctly remember that it had multiple illustrations that included vertical and horizontal cuts, as well as going into parries, I still own the shashka... and I wish I had thought of looking for the manual when he passed away. Now it may be gone. In any case, the shashka harness is rigged to keep the edge up and outwards. I did not re-rig it, and it does not look that anyone ever did, i.e. it seems to have been made that way. The shashka came to Bulgaria with my ancestors, Christian Tatars, who fought against the Ottomans and elected to stay in Bulgaria, rather to return to the Empire. It probably was not standard Russian gear. But the manual? It was pretty modern Russian, from what I recall. I wish I had been more curious.
A few months ago, we had a discussion about this in my circle of friends, and I brought out the shashka. A friend from Iran mentioned that wearing a shamshir edge up was also done historically, and his guess was that it was for fast draw.
There is a lovely item for defending from the scabbard using a messer from MS. E.1939.65.341 (the Glasgow Fechtbuch).
"A technique from the scabbard and this is a distress position, such that you cannot go behind or before.
Item/ Note when he thrusts or strikes/ then take your messer in the Middle Stroke/ so that your right foot is forward/ and when he turns to you/ then strike from your side from the roof directly above and away/ and spring to him out of the way to his right side in the triangle/ and strike to his right arm-/"
One would also presume that, if you was going to try to sneak right up for a surprise attack with a sheathed sword, you would actually use the dagger or something else one that scale.
I think iai could have some limited used in battle though, because your sword would spend most of its time in the scabbard, because you're normally carrying a bow of spear or whatever as well (although, as I understand it, many of the pre-Edo period martial arts tend to use the short swords with greater frequency for iai-type situations).
I always thought that Japanese martial arts included Iai techniques because a katana was a secondary battlefield weapon compared to a bow or a spear. This makes me think that the katana filled the role a falchion or grossemesser filled in Europe as a back up weapons for light infantry and archers.
Yeah, the sword was not the first choice weapon for the samurai.
I can't believe people believe this, I say that the katana is my favorite sword, but I do understand that they did the best with what they had; and to my understanding Iai was done in response of a "sneak" Attack.
As you said, iaido was for fighting back when being ambushed or attacked by surprise. Or so I've been told... but it does make a lot of sense and you just confirmed it.
We trained Iaido back on my old aikido dojo and as far as i remember all techniques were to draw and defend against an attack and only THEN do a riposte.
Most people will wear their sword in a scabard anyway. draw the sword is the first action if you want to use it to kill. thats the japanese swordsmenship's concept of being the quickest. it doesn't mean velocity or acceleration in a given time. it means the first action in your killing plan.
The reason for walking up to someone with a sheathed sword and then attacking makes perfect sense actually. In this case YOU are the assasin, trying to hide your intention until the last moment.
I was confused by this.
***** Confused by my comment or the video?
on his video. not your comments. i'm not sure what his purpose really was. or where the 'idea that a sheathed sword is fastest.'
***** I was under the impression that he made it fairly clear his position that, unless in the position where you are trying to attack someone unaware of your intent, there is no foreseeable reason for attacking straight from your scabbard.
The purpose of the video is to provide an argument against a position that he has personally observed among certain online communities which says that attacking from the scabbard is somehow faster than the alternative.
I guess, I have never come across that position.
Basically a correct argument, though there are some things to be said for a draw from the sheathe. It's not superior to a strike from a basic front guard, it's different. It *is* generally preferable to a similar strike from having the blade at your side but free in stead of sheathed.
Some reasons why a practitioner might choose to keep the blade sheathed:
- Because they have practised the forms of it so extensively it is basically just another starting position to them from which they know all the responses to every conceivable attack.
- Because they are trying to goad their opponent into an attack.
- To hide the length of their blade.
There can be more, but these alone are enough to make it a valid opening against someone with a similar weapon. Blade length mattered a lot in katana based duels, and if your opponent has his blade drawn and out in front of him, you know exactly what his reach is, but if yours is pointed away from him and/or sheathed, he doesn't know what exactly yours is. He can guess, but being off by a few inches is more than enough to get you killed.
The threat of the potential strike from the sheath isn't that it connects more quickly than a strike from a front guard, but rather the fact that if you miss your first attack against it, his counter is almost certainly going to kill you. And of course, while a disembowelling attack or a lethal attack to the neck are threatening, the options you have even with the blade sheathed are virtually limitless. That's what you practice iaido for.
Not saying the sheathed starting position is better, or even preferable in most situations, and I'm definitely not saying the concerns this video raises against it are wrong, just saying: it's a valid starting position if you're practised at it.
How can you deflect a blow with a scabbard? When people demonstrate those techniques, they are holding a scabbard in their hand, and it's not attached to their body. But you dont walk around with a scabbard in your hand, do you? It should be attached to your belt or something. What is the exact way of fastening the scabbard, so that you can use it for defence, such as raising it high enough to deflect a blow?
The katana is fastened to the obi or japanese belt used with a hakama. the obi and hakama have a set of straps that effectively over and under type deal hold the katana saya. even so you can still easily if you wanted to slide the whole scabard out in one motion, often times samurai had to remove their swords entering a superiors presence etc and that made it easy and practical
Sometimes it's just more convenient to take your sword off while you're sitting down or going about your business, and set down somewhere or just hold it in your hand. Likewise, if you "Suspect" you might be getting into trouble I can imagine taking your sword off so you don't have to deal with the belt and scabbard if things actually come to blows.
Imagine a scenario where you're having a drink and a bite to eat with your friends; it might just be easier to take your sword off and set it on the table instead of holding it at your waist all day.
***** I am pretty sure walking around with a scabbarded blade in hand would have been a violation of decorum in most circumstances and would have been interpreted by most to be little different than walking around with a naked blade. Keep in mind, Japan was very regulated and specialized and while the warrior class needed to be armed for many reasons, violence was not as common or random as most modern people seem to think. I don't think that was the norm in Japan for anyone going about their daily routine.
I maybe wrong, but Iaido may have something to do with legal issues during Tokugawa period. Pretty much like certain pistol techniques taught in the US on self-defense.
Dude, they aren't saying the sword is faster from the sheath than outside of it. They're saying the sword is faster to attack from the sheath than other swords are from the sheath. It also delivers a better cut from the sheath, namely it's able to hit higher with better precision, because it doesn't have a crossguard that would limit the angle you could start drawing it at.
5:06
That is the preferred method for samurai to kill other samurai with, if at all possible. Doing that and defending against it was what the katana was nearly exclusively designed for. The katana was built to allow you to show zero sign you're going to attack somebody until you do. It's built to allow you to keep the period between going for your weapon and delivering a cut as short as possible, and deliver the best opening cut possible, in order to get as much advantage out of your surprise attack as you can. This also helps minimize the effectiveness of enemies trying to do this to you, being so much quicker on the draw gives you a better chance of defending if an opponent is going to attempt this, or maybe flip the script and do it to them first.
perhaps this belief is based on not the fact that its faster but that it takes someone by surprise because it would seem slow to draw the sword, but it is not as slow as expected.
An iaidoka writes:
Yes, absolutely. The draw/cut cannot be faster. The purpose of iaido is to make the movement smooth and efficient. It is practised for the same reason that police and soldiers practise drawing handguns- to get out of a vulnerable situation. There are also two other things that will slow the movement down.
The first is that the katana was quite firmly locked in the scabbard. This was because it was worn *all the time*. When you are wearing a sword all the time you don't want something that will slide out every time you lean forwards. Most iaito are much looser than a real sword would have been.
Secondly, the scabbard was soft wood. If you draw as fast as you can then you have less control. There is a real danger that the tip will come off line and bite the scabbard. This can slow you down, lock the blade, or even take a lump out of one of your fingers.
If speed is an issue, then you make some sort of strike to give you time to draw.
Iaido is also a mean to perform a surprise attack, by twisting the wrist on the saya you can change the trajectory of the blade out the scabbard, even to feint the incoming attack. Other aspect is the law, there are places (like temples and a lord's castle, for exemple) that if you draw your sword you will be punished by death (the samurais were extremely suspicious about treasons); so, to stay alive, would be a valuable skill to master. But maybe the most import aspect is about the fact the samurai, as proud warrior as he can be, only draws the katana to kill, never to intimidate. So the technic is used for always be ready for attacks, even when is surprised. Draw and hit in the same fluid movement. I really dont understand why europeans spend so much time fighting the japanese fencing tradition or underestimating it.
About that last sentence there, I don't understand why some people don't question the Japanese fighting styles and/or overestimate it.
Now, I've heard from numerous trained fencers and historians that the katana wasn't as much used in Asia as the long swords were in Europe. I might be wrong, but that would also mean that all those fencers and historians were wrong as well, which I doubt. Pulling a poorly made sword made from poor-quality metal to intimidate seems rather stupid, so I can understand that one. Otherwise I don't see why the sword wouldn't be pulled just to intimidate, as one of the major roles of a guard is to scare people into not breaking the law.
As [I've completely forgotten his name] said, Iaido wasn't only used in East Asia, and I can't really see any logical reason as to why it would be. The cutting motion is hard to avoid when you unsheathe a sword, and when you have an enemy running towards you meaning to kill you it's very easy to convert that small hint of a cutting motion into a full cut.
Magnus Anthun i got really sick about HEMA idiots with a amusing lack of culture...a barbarian covered in steel will be always a idiot and any full time trained samurai can kick his ass with a hand at his back...
Coming from a European perspective, my guess always was that it's about drawing the sword as quickly as possible after losing the polearm.
Sounds like iaido is essentially the Japanese sword equivalent of American IDPA competitions where targets are engaged starting with the pistol in its concealed carry holster - simulating a gunfight against a surprise attacker...
I'm not sure if this has been brought up but I would like to think that the reputation for being faster may have come from the attitudes of the users. That is to say that perhaps it was less about the practitioners "speed" and more about their lack of hesitation or tells. The idea that the samurai in question could switch from humble bow or casual conversation to answering an insult without any indication prior that he was going to strike to kill.
I might also confer that to a larger statement that one of the greater strengths of the synthesis of japanese martial tradition was that mercurial temperament and the emphasis on being able to act without tells or indication of intent. Well, perhaps?
Would a European Long sword work well with Iaido?
RedgraveGilver I wouldn't say it would work well, but it could work.
RedgraveGilver given that the blade on a longsword is straight instead of curved and much longer than a katana, it seems like it would be much more difficult.
RedgraveGilver It would be a pain in the ass to draw a longsword from those awkward positions.
+Decay
"The curve doesn't fucking matter."
The curve absolutely does matter. The way that a long katana is drawn involves turning your body and moving the sheath, which uses the curve to give you extra draw length.
" If anything the more curved a blade is, the more than point can catch on the inside of the scabbard."
No, that doesn't happen. Especially while taking the sword out of the sheath. What would the point catch on? It's going the wrong direction, anyway.
"The shorter the blade, the quicker and easier it is to draw. Wow, that was hard."
Yes, of course that's true too. Nobody needs a fancy, two-handed technique to pull out a pocketknife. However, when dealing with longer-bladed swords, being curved helps the draw. This only applies to swords where the blade is so long that you need to slide the sheath backward because you can't pull the sword straight out due to your arm not being long enough. Try it out some time, have an iaido instructor show you, and you'll see that you can draw a longer sword if you turn your body than if you don't, and you'll feel how the curve works with you.
i would like to say that drawing a curved blade is a bit quicker than drawing a straight blade of equal length, depending how you position your scabbard and what direction you are drawing in.
Iaido is great against an unsuspecting or untrained adversary. Very scary. Masters of Iaido can do amazing things and can be formidable, but ultimately, it's better to have the sword unsheathed at the ready. It's like being able to shoot a pistol without it being cocked first.
That last bit is wrong, you only take the sword out the scabbard when you want to attack someone if they are aware you are going to attack them, such as in a skirmish, battle or dual, Iai is more designed for social situations when the opponent has no idea you intend to kill them. This can be premeditated, keeping your sword sheaved will not alert bystanders of your intention, not alert his guards and may even let you get behind the target before you strike. In non-premeditated situations such as you realise a person you are gambling with is cheating and you decide to kill them, striking without giving them warning gives you a huge advantage.
Close, except that most Ia training is explained as a response to someone else drawing and attacking _you_.
However, one note: I was told by my sensei that the main use of iaijutsu was in certain formal duels, in which the two combatants would start with swords sheathed, not just for defense (though I'm sure it was quite useful for that, as schola said).
like a Western shootout?
I can see that being pretty dramatic.
Perhaps historical descriptions of Iaido by European swordsmen is part of the origin of the image of the katana being faster than comparable swords. Its prominence in training and perhaps the swords shape making the technique unusually fast (compared to most European equivalents) and leading to the assumption that katanas in general are fast.
i feel its a mixture of movies ,l games and anime where they make the katana look like a masters weapon that is quick and skill full and the western swordsmen is slow and just strong when a knight was quick strong and very skillfull
Isn't iaido another possible reason why the katana would be generally shorter?
+Leester Probably not; that probably has more to do with the katana not getting in the way of other activities. By itself, a slightly quicker draw is probably not important enough to justify loss of reach.
There is a style of iaido, I suppose, called tenshin ryu. They use a very very long sword and draw incredibly fast. Check it out.
I will. Thanks!
I figure Iaido kinda reflects the samurai's role in society. I imagine the samurai did a lot of fending off assassins and angry peasants. It also might be good for deescalation. I imagine a bunch of angry politicians reaching but never drawing.
the idea of speed might come from the position of ones scabbard, were its already drawn back and in position for a cut,
No one thinks it is faster to draw a sword and attack someone
You train to draw the sword quickly for the same reasons you practice to draw your firearm quickly
It is to get your weapon into action from the not ready position
Does katana's curved shape somehow help it to attack quicker from the scabbard compared to a straight sword, or is it about the same speed?
fisyr I don't think anybody has ever scientifically tested this, so I cannot answer. In theory you can draw a sword in a straight line or a curved line, so I don't think there should be a difference, and if there is a difference then it will be a tiny tiny one.
scholagladiatoria Maybe in that a curved draw might give a fractional benefit in that it starts a sweeping motion that can be continued into a cutting attack?
I've done a little iaijutsu (during my short time studying kenjutsu), and that was how it was described to me. I'm nowhere near expert enough in technique or knowledge to judge the veracity of that idea.
You don't need as much space to pull it out...I think that's the real advantage. A short sword would do as well.
try the drawing motion of the types of swords yourself and you'll notice that it's really easy to attack in the same motion with a curved sword a bit harder with a straight one since you got to pull your arm out longer. so basically it depends on how far away from your body you need to pull your arm to get the blade fully out of the sheath.
basically the diffrence is minimal at best but it's smoother with a curved blade and it's easier to cut someone in the same motion rather then just parrying the incomeing blow.
but just drawing speed, i'd think that is just blade lengh and about the wielders speed and preferance.
Keep in mind that the katana has very little actual curvature. It would be interesting to test, but my hypothesis would be that the being curved there might be very, very slight difference in draw speed due to being able to clear the end of the scabbard a microsecond quicker due to the scabbard shape. My guess is that the difference is rather inconsequential and the important thing being more that you have a ready weapon as quick as possible and a person who is trained will accomplish that quickly enough.
Also, keep in mind that the katana was worn facing down and in many ways this is counter productive to drawing quickly without specialized training. The tachi used early and more often for war purposes was typically worn in a more typical fashion for saberlike weapons around the world. It makes sense as to why since it makes little logic to force yourself to draw from a restricted position that would be difficult to do from horseback and from which you are far more likely to become obstructed from drawing based on many factors both practical and happenstance that could arise in combat situations.
Well said.
I would like your opinion on a theory I have on the misconception of the katana being a "faster" weapon. my idea consists of the fact that a sword is simply a sword, in the hands of the same person, a longsword and a katana will move at the same speed. However, if two people are dueling, one with a longsword and the other with a katana, the katana wielder is at a disadvantage due to having the shorter blade. Therefore, the katana wielder will have to make up for that disadvantage through training to move faster. In essence, the sword itself is not what moves faster, but someone making up for the disadvantage of shorter reach is.
Of course Iado is for when you're caught off guard or trying to start a fight. Outside of those situations, it means taking a stance where you can't defend one side of your body while telegraphing your next attack. And because of the way the katana is typically worn, the user's sword arm is completely vulnerable.
Only thing i can think of is if your out of out of range circling with the sword sheathed and keeping out of range lulling opponent into a mistake or frustration, when you see your opponent take a wrong step on uneven terrain or take ther eyes off you, maybe change there guard or unscrew there pomel, you draw with quick close in step and cut in one motion kinda like a jab from Roy Jones Jnr, of course you would have to be a freak athlete with insane fast twitch mucle fibers to consider trying this and if your opponent is very careful not to give you an opening then yea.
I think as you mentioned the deception is the key here. To draw a sword is to commit to a life or death fight. For most people this would be a huge step.. A lot of Japanese sword play seems to be based on the situation where you thrust into a fight without warning. Extreme example is rapier, amazing 1on1 sword but unless you never approach people closer then at least 4-5 meters.. well it is kinda useless for self defence. I think pretty much everyone would carry a dagger paired with a rapier or maybe buckler, rapier and a dagger.
It's all about martial context. Unless one live in a martial environment in which assassinations were a common practices; one would not develop an art of quick draw; or at least one would not devote that much times to it. The reason it developed in Japan to such a sophisticated level was because of unique Japanese political environment. In Edo Japan; assassination was politic by other mean. Since opened warfare was no longer allowed; one must resort to assassination to eliminate rivals.
You can thank Rurouni Kenshin (or Samurai X) for people believing that drawing from the sheathe makes your strike faster... Because I don't know anyone in their right minds who would think that otherwise...
+GoodwillWright anime has made the lies of Bullshido seem quite a tasty sandwich to the katana kultists fan boy weeaboos. I'm surprised more kids didn't make their house pets fight to the death during the pokemon craze.
It's funny because you'd think people would know that Japanese cartoons are just like American cartoons in that they're exaggerated and fictitious. Right? Riiiight? Although occasionally I hear people say "back then" when referring to something at occurred in an episode of Game of Thrones. We just don't read books very much as Americans, I guess.
And you have practiced iaido for how long?
DarkSide Blues Only a year. My technique and discipline is off, but I understand the core concepts.
GoodwillWright
There is no way you can understand the core concepts after a year.
You could also compair American football with Wing Tsung - or maybe with handball. Some people say that chess is the most brutal fencing sport. Maybe you understand what I mean. The Japanese martial arts that are not olympic conserve an old tradition mentally rather than physically.
Any advice as to a budget, entery level katana? i have been hearing positive things about cheness, anyone here have any experience with their blades?
Your best bet is probably a company called ronin katana. Their dojo pro line is super durable and really nice looking as well, with around 30 different models to choose from. You could also try the raptor series from a company called hanwei. Absolutely great katanas all around. Go to kultofathena.com to get the best deal.
Very informative, great video. I was wondering if curved swords have any advantage to draw cuts over straight swords. What are your thoughts?
Well the Japanese did use it as a sneak attack. The only problem with that is it doesnt really work when everyone is familiar with it. You just end up having conversations from further apart..