Iaijutsu

From L5r: Legend of the Five Rings

Iaijutsu is a martial art that trains the motions associated with drawing a katana from its sheath, striking an opponent, removing blood from the blade, and then re-sheathing the katana with smooth, controlled movement. Devised by Kakita, iaijutsu is dominated by the philosophy that a single, perfect cut is all one needs to be victorious in combat. Iaijutsu is the standard technique for duels within Rokugan and a signature trait of trained duelists, such as the Kenshinzen. The iaijutsu techniques can also be applied to standard combat, but they are not quite as versatile as kenjutsu techniques, such as niten.

The primary emphasis is on the psychological state of being present. The secondary emphasis is on drawing the sword and attacking as quickly as possible. Starting positions can be from combative postures or from everyday sitting or standing positions. The ability to react quickly from different starting positions was considered essential for a samurai.

A very important part of iai, sometimes called the 'life of iai', is nukitsuke. This is a very quick draw accomplished by drawing the sword out of the saya (scabbard) while drawing the saya itself back (saya biki). The blade can be brought out of the scabbard and used in a slashing motion very quickly using nukitsuke.

[edit] Kenjutsu and Iaijutsu

The major distinction between iaijutsu and kenjutsu is the condition of the sword at the start of combat. In iaijutsu, the sword begins sheathed and the emphasis is on the initial strikes, while in kenjutsu, the sword begins unsheathed, and the emphasis is on both attack and defense. Kenjutsu also often includes consideration of combat against opponents wearing armor while iaijutsu generally assumes that the opponent is unarmored. Some kenjutsu schools also teach sword combat against other weapons such as naginata or yari.

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