Welcome to the Beginner's Guide to Iaido
This website will help you learn about Iaido. Iaido literally translates to the “Way of Iai,” and is a Japanese martial art of swordsmanship focused on unsheathing techniques. In addition to exploring the basic movements, this site contains often overlooked information such as the cultural and historical background of the art and equipment used. For those who have no Iaido or martial arts background, this site could pique your interest and motivate you to start practicing. For the beginning practitioners, this site will fortify your basics and further your knowledge in the art. This site is also tool to clear up any misconceptions learned from media, and to present Iaido as a culturally significant martial art.
About the Author
Clement Lee has practiced Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu for the past 3 years through the University of California San Diego (UCSD) Iaido recreational class. The class is taught by Scott Chang sensei, a direct student of Shimabukuro sensei, the 21st grandmaster of the style. Clement cofounded the UCSD Iaido Club in 2011, and believes that the major reason why young people turn away from Iaido after trying it is because Iaido does not align with their cultural expectations of the Japanese, the samurai, and their swords. This website is a class project for a Fall 2013 course, titled "Culture, Art, and Technology 125B: Demonstrating Expertise through Digital Media," with Professor Joe Bigham and Teaching Assistant Tara Zepel.