Mental awareness, zanshin, is a tenet of the art, as is ki, the harnessing and projection of a “universal energy.”īerdine began studying iaido five years ago with Sensei Kiyoshi Yamazaki, an Anaheim-based master swordsman who helped to choreograph such sword-and-sorcery epics as the “Conan” films with Arnold Schwarzenegger. The very drawing of the sword is a precise maneuver. Before ever taking on an opponent in competition, a student learns an increasingly complex series of kata, choreographed sequences of defensive moves against an imaginary opponent. We would never initiate an attack,” Berdine said.īeginners start with practice wooden swords, graduating eventually to unsharpened metal blades and only later to real swords. The art employs a strict moral code: “We see ourselves as honorable. It sounds very esoteric, but it actually applies to everyday life.” The aim of the art is “not to battle an external enemy, but to battle our own weaknesses,” Berdine said. Would-be samurai who join with visions of clanging sword battles will soon learn that iaido puts more emphasis on physical and mental discipline than on combat skills.
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