Mono Uchi 1/3 of blade nearest tip, cutting area. Blade: Tsuba Moto 1/3 of blade nearest tsuba. Ha Machi Notch for habaki, at edge side of blade. Mune Machi Notch for habaki, at back of blade. Hitoe Back of tang, meets mune at mune machi. Points on the sword blade (tang to tip): Tang: Nakago Tang of blade. That side that faces out from the hip when it is in the saya in its usual mounting. Wakizashi Equivalent to SHOTO, the shorter sword in a DAISHO pair, typically less than 2 SHAKU in length Uchi Gatana Inside sword, forerunner of Katana, worn in belt. Tanto A knife-sized short sword, typically less than 1 SHAKU in length To Sword, curved type, single edge. Tachi Old style sword, (koto) mounted edge down. Shoto The smaller of a pair of daisho, the other is the daito. Shinto New swords, from about 1600 to 1870. Shinai Bamboo practice sword, used for Kendo. "small TACHI" with the same fittings as a tachi. Ken Sword, usually refers to the straight double edged type. Iaito Practice sword for Iaido, usually not sharp. Gunto War sword, usually refers to those made just prior to and during WWII. Daito Great sword, larger of the set of two, daisho along with shoto. Daisho Great small, the set of two swords, daito and shoto.
Sword Types: Aikuchi A dagger with no tsuba, typically worn by women Bokken Hardwood replica of sword. Zanshin Awareness, watchfulness, "lingering heart". Tate Noto Standing noto, blade replaced with edge facing up. Chinugui Wiping off the blood, as is done in Uke Nagashi. Yoko Chiburi Horizontal chiburi, move to the side. (Flipping up the blade.) Chiburi Shaking off the blood, cleaning the blade. Hiki Kiri Pulling cut, usually when pulling over teki. Kiri Kudashi or Kiri Tsuke The finishing strike. Kime Focus Furi Kaburi Lifting sword from nuki to morote jodan. Saya Banare Tip at koiguchi during draw, just before strike, the flight from the scabbard. Saya Biki Movement of scabbard (usually to rear during nukitsuke). Jo Ha Kyu Acceleration in technique, buildup to climax. Tate Ha Standing edge, draw with edge up. Nukitsuke or Kiri Tsuke Simultaneous draw and strike. Enzen No Metsuke Gaze at the far mountains. Kae Waza Substitute or totally different techniques. This type of practice, while almost totally safe, is closer to dance than to a real martial art, and bankrupts aikido of many of its most valuable qualities.Parts of an Iaido Technique (Kata) Henka Waza Small variations in same basic technique. Finally, there is a disturbing trend in many schools to remove all traces of realism from their training, using light, compliant attacks and jumping or falling before the technique can actually be applied. It is generally a less strenuous workout than other martial arts such as judo or karate, though two people who want to train hard can easily add power and speed to their training. Because training involves cooperation, it is possible to practice for many years without ever knowing if your techniques would actually work in self-defense. The drawbacks of the art are mostly the converse sides of its unique strengths.
IAIDO BELT HOW TO
The dojo is usually a pleasant social environment where students cooperate to get things done, and the principles of the art can be a good tool for learning how to manage conflict. The movement drills can transform a clumsy person into someone who moves with grace and good balance. The cooperative practice means there are few injuries, and it allows people with a wide range of abilities to practice together. Its relatively gentle physical exercise builds strength gradually. The benefits of studying aikido are many. Today, there are three major schools of aikido: Hombu (headquarters) style, Aikikai (probably the softest style), and Yoshinkai (the most regimented of the three). Ueshiba was a religious man who stressed spiritual development as much or more than physical development, an emphasis that some of his successors have adopted and reinforced. Ueshiba Morihei created aikido by modifying many earlier Japanese jujutsu techniques and adding to them the idea of harmonizing with the opponent's movements. Older people or people who are not in top physical condition can usually practice this art safely, at least at the beginning levels. The main philosophical premise of aikido is harmony with the opponent, both in body and spirit. Practice can be very gentle, especially in schools that emphasize the idea of using ki ("intrinsic energy") over physical strength. Many of the techniques involve circular motions that first take you out of harm's way, then cause the attacker to lose balance. Most of the skills involve responding to an opponent's attack and redirecting the offensive energy in such a way as to unbalance and topple the attacker to the ground. Aikido consists mainly of throwing techniques and pins that rely on joint locking.