I am reminded of the "quick draw" of the American frontier gunslingers. If you are in a gunfight, your pistol is in your hand. If you get ambushed or someone suddenly reaches for their weapon, a skilled quick draw can save your life.
I wonder if this person realizes how very VERY Mistaken he is. He states that he does not study Iaido or Iai. So, please do not comment on things you don't know. Or at the very least, do some research on what you are talking about.
I figure Iaido kinda reflects the samurai's role in society. I imagine the samurai did a lot of fending off assassins and angry peasants. It also might be good for deescalation. I imagine a bunch of angry politicians reaching but never drawing.
Hi , I am a 10year practitioner, of battojitsu! Which translated into English is the art of drawing and cutting in one fluid motion, sword Style. The true nature of this Japanese sword Is battojitsu! The whole Movement is unison, making the strike twice as fast as any other regular way of drawing a sword.
In my, albeit limited, experience with drawing a katana, I think the idea behind the katana being 'faster from the draw' is more about the way that when you draw the katana it can be used as an attack. One technique that comes to mind is stepping into an enemy's overhead attack to move out of the way of the blade, getting close and letting their own momentum slice their belly open across the blade as it is drawn.
As a Japanese person, I find it funny how people think Iai is the art of attacking from a sheathed position. It isn't. Iai was not developed as an offensive art, though some branches of martial arts later applied the mechanics of Iai draws into a quick-draw for standing stances. Battou-jutsu means the art of drawing the blade.
I think that we must consider that the Katana was not just a war weapon but also a part of the nobleman's vestment. Just like any street fight, you don't pull out your knife/gun then walk into an argument, or you are sure that it will escalate.
Its because of the anime characters who slice everyone to pieces in a stylized manner and you only see them sheathing the katana after some glowing cutting lines appear on a black screen.
This is just a thought, but about the context of these drawing strikes - in the context of a pitched battle between feudal Japanese warriors, would the sword actually be the primary weapon? I have been told that Samurai warriors would often go into battle with bows or pole arms in addition to swords. If this is the case, surely Iaido as a battlefield tactic makes a lot more sense - if the enemy suddenly closes with you, or disarms you of your primary weapon, the ability to make a quick lethal drawing attack becomes incredibly nifty.
As far as what's considered "traditional practice," I'm not sure- but on a historical viability level, it was not just for merely drawing when you're caught off guard. People seem to neglect that the Katana was not a primary war weapon, it was a side arm. The primary weapons used in war were spears, bows, clubs, and naginata.
I guess the thing about katanas and drawing from the scabbard is that it's a very comfortable weapon to do that with, it comes off very naturally, which is probably why it was developed into it's own thing.
In my short 10+ years (and still training hard) of formal Iai training and practical application, I can wholeheartedly agree with the information discussed. Firstly, Iai/Batto - Do/Jutsu is a methodology meant to draw the blade to quickly defend and counter attack. Once the sword is drawn you enter the realm of Ken-jutsu or otherwise known as fencing in the western world. As far as the impracticality of walking into battle with your sword sheathed, well, all I have to say is look at military and law enforcement tactical maneuvers. If they suspect danger they draw their weapon and have it at the ready, it’s not sitting in the holster for dramatic effect or to be "cool". They train specifically for speed and accuracy, this is the equivalent of Iai/Batto. It happens in a blink of an eye and after the weapon is drawn its all the same. The service men and women are the warrior class of our day and age. If you question what a swordsman would do in any scenario, ask yourself what our modern warriors would do, chances are the tactics have not changed much over the centuries. In fact, ancient tactics are still taught to our military, at least in my country.
