Sword Arts: The Japanese Sword Arts:

Throughout history The sword arts have been divided several

different ways. First is by type, ken or iai (sometimes called batto).

They are also divided by thier own origin, Now, the three families

of sword arts are; Muso {"empty"}, Kage {"shadow"}, and the thrid

one is Shinto {"new sword"} styles. Some types will mix these

depending on thier origin and the type of application.

However, you can always find that each type are within the three

styles. You can easily recognize them by their arrangement of

various charateristics. As we dig into the history we find two

organizations within Japan that have tried to dominate these

sword arts.

The Zen Nihon Kendo Renmei (All Japan Kendo Federation)

require an oversees certification for kendo, kenjutsu, and we

also have some iaido ryu. The Zen Nihon Iaido Renmei (All

Japan Iaido Federation) is a younger organization.

But, they also require oversees certification of some kenjutsu

and a lot of the iaido ryu. But, the most traditional of the ryu

have held out in joining either of the two organizations. To this

day they have remained independent and free minded.

Please find below some basic sword arts for examples for you to check out;

Iaido Basics Sword Arts: Introduction

This series is geared to those who may not have a proper teacher and desire a more than casual understanding of Japanese Swordsmanship;