I dont remember the name of the Iaido instructor in Wakayama, with whom he began study, so you might want to ask, or I can ask for you, if you like, as he will be in my area this weekend. His style of combat was founded based on his combat experiences. Iaido is only one of the arts he teaches and so you will need to go to the links for his schedule in South Carolina. He learned Kogusoku (military fighting arts) from Fujiwarano Katsumi, but he also learned Takenouchi Ryu.ĭuring the Sengoku era, around the Eiroku (1558-1569) or Tensho (1573-1591) periods, he lived in Araki Mura, Nanjo Gun, Fukui prefecture (town, county, & prefecture, respectively) just north of Kyoto. Details of his birth and death are unknown. He joined the army of Hideyoshi and distinguished himself in a battle during the invasion of Korea in 1591, for which he was rewarded by Hideyoshi. Iaido classes essentially involve students practising solo kata against imaginary opponents. For nearly 450 years, since the founding of iaido by Hayashizaki Jinsuke Minamoto no Shigenobu-shodai in present-day Murayama City, Tateoka, Yamagata Prefecture, this technique has been passed from one generation to the next in an unbroken succession of teachers and students. Chiburi- a movement of the sword symbolizing the removal of blood. There are four general movements common in iaido kata: Nukitsuke- drawing the sword from the sheath (saya) and initial cutting stroke. It is one of the oldest traditional sword arts in Japan. Araki Mujinsai Ryu Iaido consists of 30 sitting kata, 26 standing kata, and 13 paired kata. The swords used range from bokuto (wooden sword) for beginners to iaito ( blunt practice swords) for the more experienced. Iaido is the art of drawing and cutting with the Japanese sword. He is said to have been of the clan of Araki Setsunokami Minamotono Murashige a lord of Itami castle in Setsu, Hyogo, near present day Osaka and Kyoto. Iaido classes and club lessons revolve around the use of swords. Who was Araki Mujinsai Minamotono Hidetsuna?
Other disciples include Mori Kasuminosuke Katsushige (Araki Ryu Kenpou – found in Isezaki, Gunma prefecture), Nakamura Daizou Yukiharu (Takenouchi Santon Ryu), Araki Buzaemon Hisakatsu (Araki Ryu Gunyoukogusoku – found in Yokohama, Kanagawa prefecture and includes the study of Iaido, yari, and nagamaki). This is the Iaido that we study at Kenshin Dojo. At Kenshin Dojo in Phoenix, Arizona we study Araki Ryu Iaido, founded by Araki Mujinsai Minamotono Hidetsuna over 400 years ago.Īraki Mujinsai had many disciples, four who formed their own schools: Araki Shingorou Muraharu followed his teachings in the path now known as Araki Mujinsai Ryu Iaido. Moreover, those Hakama are made for Kendo & Iaido, so a Hera (plastic toggle) is attached to the Koshiita (stiff board on the back of a Hakama), and its purpose is to be put inside the Obi to improve the wearing. There are several different ryu (styles/schools) of Iaido. Traditionally, Hakama should fall just above the external ankle, the malleolus. In ancient Japan the need to be able to defend oneself from a sudden attack led to the development of techniques to quickly draw the sword from its saya (scabbard).