However, after the end of World War II, all forms of Japanese martial arts were banned by occupying forces. In the 1930’s, due to military nationalism, Judo and Kendo were reintroduced to the Japanese education system and became more widespread than ever. Various public demonstrations and tournaments at the turn of the 20th century helped revive public interest and pride in Japanese martial arts. The addition of the suffix “-do” to “iai” helped establish it, as well as other martial arts, as a national artform that was to be taught. In order to preserve the priceless cultural and philosophical values of these martial arts, they were renamed and adapted to modern times. Martial arts were no longer being taught in schools and Iaijutsu was considered obsolete on the battlefield and in law enforcement. To provide a bit more history, by the end of the 19th century, many Japanese martial arts were in danger of being erased from society. However, the name “Iaido” was only recently recognized by the the Dai Nippon Butoku Kai (DNBK) in 1932, a bit less than 90 years ago. It is deeply rooted in Iaijutsu (sword techniques) dating back to Japan’s warring 16th century. He offered a number of fascinating insights on the history and current standing of the martial art in Japan. Tsutomu Yamamoto, the head teacher of the Kenshinkan Dojo, has been practicing Iaido for over 60 years. What I learned was a story of a martial art that has faced near extinction multiple times but has survived thanks to groups of forward-thinking, adaptive practitioners. To better understand the martial art, its practitioners, and the future of Iaido, I visited the Kenshinkan Dojo in Okayama city. Despite the world-wide popularity of the iconic Japanese sword, Iaido is one of the lesser known Japanese martial arts, often lumped together with Kendo or even misheard as Aikido by unfamiliar listeners (yes, even in Japan). For those who have never heard the word, Iaido is a Japanese martial art which trains you, in both body and mind, how to properly use a Katana for self-defense.
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