Iaido
Iaido has a long history, and is considered to be one of the oldest forms of Japanese martial arts – it was formalised as a sword fighting system in the 16th century. Since then, iaido has developed into various related styles and schools.
Iaido was originally designed as a system to deal with surprise attacks with the sword. Numerous scenarios of attack were studied, and defense movements were drilled as set sequences.
Modern iaidoka practise these sequences as an art which improves concentration and physical skill, and as a way to train and examine body and mind.
