What is this martial art that focuses on drawing the sword? Is it a real martial art?

Question

I've seen more independent films being made with a certain type of sword play. It's not the films I'm focusing on, by the fighting system they use.

This fighting style seems to use katanas of average length and there were two people fighting in this particular scene. They started to go at each other but they did not draw their sword as you would expect except they took a very hands on approach. When they did weapon attack it was by flinging the sheathe in their off-hand between kicks or punches.

Ocassionally they drew the swords but with shearing speed. I admit it could be special effects that made it from sheathed to swung but it was interesting. And after they attacked with the sword they immediately sheathed it. I also noticed that when one of them drew from the hip again the defender held up his katana and drew it only half-way, successfully using it as a block.

More details follow:

Both of them were going at each other with strikes only, I did not see a single throw or grapple come into play so that tells me they both studied the same art(or as portrayed). They used all parts of the saya in the fight from saya end stabs to "uppercut slashes" with the sheathed sword(hard to explain).

One other thing I noticed is that their off-hands didn't release where it was holding the saya. even when the sword was drawn and sheathed their off-hand didn't change location of it's grasp on the saya.

Aside from that, they ran the gambit of light punches and saya swipes and kicks. Everything seemed to be in a very wide pattern when they attacked the other person but they seemed to be well guarded.

Again, aside from them taking single drawing swipes, they sheathed the sword immediately after The blades were rarely seen.

Is this the Iaido I've been hearing so much about, or is this a newly fabricated martial art that's just for looks instead of having any worth?

A friend of mine just messaged me about the question and said that it reminded him of Vergil from Devil May Cry 3 Special Edition and how he drew the sword with immense speed. I tried looking up a video on him and it looks a lot like what I saw, the "one, two - THREE" motion, then sheathing the sword immediately after.

Still, my question still remains at it's utmost: is this a real legit martial art that classes are given on?

It doesn't seem to get across, but I'm going to say it this time: they were attacking each other with mostly wide kicks and punches, they only drew the sword at rare times. They seemed to focus more on set-up by body strikes to draw the sword rather than depending on the draw for the final deadly cut.

To put it in context, they punched and kicked about eight times more than the sword blade's actualy use, the saya was used more than the blade itself.

I'm asking if the punches and kicks are also a part of Iaido or Iaijutsu. I can't say I have seen either in action because honestly I don't know what they look like; if this is the style I'm thinking, does it really involve so many punches and kick strikes and saya swipes, and the sword is only there as a trumph card tool?

Sorry if I have a hard time explaining this, if it wasn't an indie film it would be much easier to explain.

Answer 1

its called iaido, and its gaining popularity in the states. just search just about anywhere that sells ma books n videos and you'll find everything you wanna know. it was derived from the art iaijutsu which was the samurai art of drawing and simultaneously cutting. during the period of peace (17th, 18th century) it became more of a civilian method of samurai self defense. most practice consists of kata from sitting,kneeling, and standing positions. also there is two person kata and drills. most iaidoka start out using bokken before progressing to the iaito (katana with dull blade, usually made of steel or aluminum alloy) and finally to the shinken, or live blade. iaido training is best and usually is supplemented with kendo for a more live experience with the sword. hope this helps

Answer 2

This is a refreshingly sincere and excellent question. There are many different clubs that focus on preparing students for "realistic" scenarios, but honestly, no one can teach you what it's really like. No matter how realistic the drill, you'll always know at the back of your mind that your training partners are never going to hurt you seriously, even if they do fully intend to punch you in the face. When you take out the reality of the threat, that anything could happen and there's even a chance you could die, it becomes no more than a drill. That said, having the drills will make you at least more prepared than someone who's never anticipated it. Many people who learn martial arts aren't prepared to be hurt in a fight, let alone to deal with the psychological consequences of hurting someone else. But there are a number of schools which teach you how to deal with both. Krav maga, the Israeli military form, is one "art" that springs to mind for being brutal and "realistic". I would, however, caution you from pursuing a club that focuses on dealing with a threat by hurting your opponent. This is very militaristic, very painful, and hardly conducive to a non-violent way of life. Many martial arts are based more on sports than self-defence, even if they don't know it. Training by sparring with gloves and shinpads dulls the realism, it sets up a fake fighting scenario with rules like "don't kick your opponent in the groin" or "don't bite their nose off". And any such "rule", however small, changes the dynamics of a fight. A good martial art that focuses on true civilian defence is what you're after, and that takes some searching to find. I was fortunate to find one that doesn't teach how to win in a ring fight, but how to avoid being hurt by an attacker, and that's ultimately what I wanted when I started learning the martial arts for self defence. And yes, it has helped me, and all the other people at my club, in situations where we've been attacked. All you can really do is search until you find something you're satisfied with. Your question is a particularly deep topic that I've been contemplating these past few weeks. If you're interested in doing a little contemplation yourself, read the link below.

Answer 3

It seems to be Iaido or Iaijutsu but the techniques predate the style so it could be any number of other sword-fighting styles. The edge of the daito is very hard and sharp, but will lose its edge very quickly when it hits something harder or just as hard as itself. Keeping it in the sheath protects it from any number of things that could happen to it and it would be more preferable to use the sheath for blocking.

Answer 4

Yes and no.Yes Iaido, better known as the art of Quick draw is a real martial art. And no, the punching and kicking part are not part of Iaido, they're probably just shown for cinematic reasons. Just like shooting a gun and doing acrobatics as you see in movies, although shooting a gun is real, doing somersaults while shooting is not, as any real shooting enthusiast will tell you, trying to aim and hit a target is hard enough when you're standing still and holding your arms steady, hitting a target while doing cartwheels is practically impossible.

Answer 5

There is a book titled," IAI the art of Drawing the Sword," written by Darrell Craig. It is a study that focuses on the positioning the the sword from rest to motion and back to rest.

Answer 6

I think its and old japanese art but i dont know its name. I doubt the original art could be practised today but ninjas and samurias may have studied some aspects of it. Take up ninjistsu that probably as close as you could get to learning it.

Answer 7

Iaido.