TOMITA Seiji Shihan
on the essence of
IAI
What is iai? The notion of-i-aUs opposed to the notion of-taGhi-ai, which refers
to all that happens after the sword has been drawn. Iai relates to what
happens before drawing, before fighting, with the sword still in the saya. At that
time, we should concentrate all our spirit to win for the drawing moment, but
we should put up peace as a virtue. Without fighting, we should keep the
peace. In that sense it is the spirit of the noble dignity. An iai master put it as
follows in a poem: "Iai is not killing. We were not killed by the sword, so we will
not kill the other. Do not blame someone else, ask your own heart. Brush up
and improve yourself and keep the peaceful way".
BAN
SEN
JUKU
VZW • ASBL
A traditional expression is TEN DO wa which means the way of heaven never
kills a person. The essence is: don't kill, don't cut, but love humanity.
Iai was named in several different ways : ISO, BATO JUTSU, BATO HYO HO,
SAYA NO UCHI, IAI JUTSU. But today IAIDO is the common name. DO is the
way of truth. The significance of I is the place where you find yourself right now
and Al indicates your surrounding conditions. You should cooperate all the
time and when you strike, you should do it at the same time, like an echo.
When someone calls out to you, reply at the same moment, adapt your
movement in a smart and flexible way. That is the meaning of iai.
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In such a way Iai is the japanese traditional art of drawing the sword, an
intangible cultural treasure. The deeper essence of iai is changing endlessly,
adapting immediately to all possible conditions. The basic movements are
generally performed in slow motion, with utmost and maintained concentration.
Before drawing the sword, one needs to be conscious of all the surrounding
conditions, in order to be able to adapt the way of drawing. This means that
the sword is actually drawn with a slow and attentive concentration, all the time
ready, until at the last minute, there is a sudden outburst of speed and will
power in the final drawing itself. Once the sword is completely drawn, one
should be able to cut immediately, in one and the same movement, in an
efficiënt way. All the time, this final cutting should already be included in the
slow and concentrated way in which the sword is drawn. Like the attack of a
tiger.
All Japan Aikikai Western Headquarters • Federation Osaka Aikikai • Europe Branch
lai is a special training. Even if something happens suddenly, we must be able
to take care of ourselves. In the period of martial arts, samurai carried the
sword in daily life. The sword itself was their representative weapon. Whether
awake or sleeping, they had to remain on guard and watchful, they had to
know how to handle a sword, whether they were carrying one or not.
In order to do that, we have to sharpen our senses, to be able to anticipate
the attack. Japanese call this "sugatanaki ni mini otonakinikiku", understand
where the sound will come from before it is actually there. It is like feeling in
the darkness. All the time we should be ready and prepared before things
actually happen. Drawing, we should "keep our last energy for the final cut. This
last moment is important, but it is only the conclusion of what was already
included in condensed form from the very beginning.
We must guard ourselves. We must concentrate on our daily condition, live
and die, die and live... That means we have to know how to live in this world
in the best condition possible. That is the meaning of iai.
Aikido for instance, as a modern martial art, is the source of all that we come
to term "ki", and in that sense the name is right, but today it easily yields to
idealism. No sword, no budo. In reality, the entrance into understanding aiki,
is the iai-mind. With just one stroke, the head and body are separate, it makes
the difference between living and dying, that is budo. In such a sense iai is the
same as understanding martial art, the same as zen, as all essence of religion.
It is a great gate through which one can pass in order to come to an
understanding of the world and the problems of life.
So in Japan, after a period during which battles were fought with guns and
rifles, sword training still exists. This sword training (as also the arrow training)
is better than training with guns, as there is a more direct connection with body
movement. It gives us an understanding of primitive life conditions, in essence
bloody conditions. If we do not concentrate we cannot live.
lai is not a way to learn a certain form in a dojo, but a way to learn a certain
spirit and how to use it in your daily life. There is only one chance, and in that
sense it is good training to keep up concentration for our life. It still exists in
modern Japan as a way to keep the right spirit in our daily lives, for businessmen, great artists, students and house-wives; for everybody.
lai is thus the primitive basic mental training through the sword.
- essence of iai 2 -
THE HISTORY OF IAI
lai was originated as a sword technique for a sudden or unexpected attack by
the enemy. Immediately there should be iawasu; like an echo, unifying and
drawing adapting to the condition. Leave the sword still a moment in the saya.
In one moment live or die, win or loose, will become clear. Then we must risk
our lives. It is a practice of the high spirit. The nature guided spirit of the
oriental philosophy that sees live and die as one thing, movement and still, and
heaven and earth as one. No I no him, no separation between you and the
other. You and me are one. Automaticatly the world of Zen is coming up and
is going to guide naturally the intuition or sixth sense world.
The essence of the drawing sword techniques was worked out by
HAYASHIZAKI JINSUKE SHIGENNOBU, bom 1543. This master's style was
named MUSO RYU SHIGENNOBU RYU, and according to history he is the
founder of the BATO JUTSU (just draw). Bato jutsu was a very primitive style
of the iai, actually unsophisticated simple fighting, mainly for the battle field
operation. Through direct students, it is still continuing now in the schools of
HOOKI RYU and SEKIGUCHI RYU, TAMIYA RYU, which are today's traces
from this original stream. Afterwards, many martial arts developed, and plenty
of schools appeared, but they belonged mainly to kenjutsu and ju jutsu. By the
philosophy of the iai, by the bato jutsu, kenjutsu and ju jutsu, these days
samurai carried a sword in daily life. Then, mainly by the sword, it became an
an independent unified martial art, especially through the seventh leader of this
school, HASEGAWA-SHUZIENOSUKE-EISHIN. He could handle all sorts of
martial arts. He synthesised from iai jutsu to iaido. At that period the style how
to wear a sword was changed. First carrying the sword at the side, later with
the big and short sword, then carrying it directly in the belt which enables to
put the sword directly into the saya. Techniques and practising ways were
adapted to this new carrying style and the new ages. He modernised sword
fighting style. As an independent martial art, he improved the way how to
brush up and improve humanity trough this practice. After this period, they
adapted to their time what the ancestors taught them and they brushed up and
improved according to the ages, improving up to date, and then passing it on.
Such a spirit of seeking the truth was fit for modem people. In the past over
100 schools did exist, but very few were the ones who were actually handing
down their style. Today most iaido people are practising EISHIN ryu style, with
a separate school of the SHINDEN ryu existing.
The spirit of the practice should be that the one drawing moment will make you
live or die. You should adapt according to whatever might happen,
automatically trying to see before it takes shape, before it makes a sound. And
then win before fighting. And so make a deeper mutual spirit in daily life, stand,
walk, sit, sleep,"gyo o zaga", all day long. All the time, by the iai spirit, we will
be able to understand through our body that heaven and earth is one, and
understand the truth of the whole universe itself. No thought, no opponent, no
self... Understand the reality of cooperation.
- essence of iai 3 -
The Universe itself is the essence of myself. If you understand this well through
the sword, then it has become a way to cultivate our spirit. It has changed
from satsu jin ken, pure murder techniques, the art of killing, to katsu jin ken,
to make people live in the best conditions. It gives us a free mind to keep alive
or kill, and then this entrance by the killing techniques makes us understand
everything, living species on this world in the best way. By the divine will, by
itself, absolute peace and great harmony will come. Then such a spirit will
guide towards the great way, the TAIDO, big road.
For the daily practise we should start with the etiquette and finish with the
etiquette. For traditional japanese aestethics, the japanese sword is the
representative form for all that is true, good and beautiful. When cutting, there
should be the taste of real sharp killing, in balance with elegance. It should be
at the same time beautiful and practical. Through the japanese behaviour, and
through sword techniques it makes a comprehensive unity to brush up and
improve the spirit through the sword form.
This idea is going to guide to the world of YUGEN, the taste for what is simple
and elegant, and all japanese traditional arts NO, CHA, IKEBANA (flower
arrangement), SUMI-E (black ink painting), HAIKU poem, FUE and
SHAKUHACHI (flutes), etc.
The kata movements have no beginning and no end, no start no finish. The
start is the finish, the end is the beginning. Never finish, never loose. It reflects
all of the universe as it is. It becomes a daily behaviour, a discipline
considering how to arrange and rearrange. This kind of spirit will take care of
our daily life, and we will behave ourselves well.
Even in today's japanese daily language many expressions related to sword fighting remain and
are frequently used :
ITO RYO DAN cut down in two by one blow (take decisive measures)
TANTO CHOKU NYU means thrust in the dagger, thrust directly
FUTOKORO GATANA (or KAI TO) a right hand man or a serious helper, same as a small
sword hidden in the clothing
SHINKENNI real sword mind (honest and serious)
SHINKEN SHYOBU fight with real swords (play it real honest)
DENKA NO HOTO O NUKU use the family heritage sword (denka): play the ace or trump
card
TACHI UCHI DEKINU be no match, not possible to fight
TACHI UCHI SURU compete with a rival
TSUBA ZERIAI close contest, death heath
SHINOGIO KEZURU fight desperately
MOTO NO SAYA NI OSAMARU be reconciled
SORIGA AWANAI cannot go along - don't go well together (different shape)
SAYA ATE rivalry in love (sayas clash)
NAMAKURA a dull sword, a useless person or thing
- essence of iai 4 -