Iaijutsu is the art of killing on the draw.

Iaijutsu teaches how to draw quickly

and in such a fashion as to negate an opponents attack with finality.
Seitei-gata iaido (that set of techniques recommended by the ZNKR) is like a mov
ing meditation - the draw and cut are very deliberate, formalized and beautiful.
It is as far removed from iai-jutsu as kendo is from kenjutsu. Iaijutsu is more
direct and forceful, less concerned with the state of the practitioner's mind a
nd more with dispatching the opponent.
Again, generally, batto-jutsu is another word for iaijutsu, tameshi-giri is the
art of physically cutting with the sword and shinkendo is fencing from a real sw
ord perspective.
Shigenobu Jinsuke allegedly was divinely inspired to develop a new sword-drawing
art. He renamed himself Hayashizaki after the inspirational place and founded t
he Shimmei Muso Ryu to teach his art, called batto-jutsu. He was one of the firs
t to teach swordsmanship as a way for spiritual development. Popularly misidenti
fied as the originator of iai-jutsu, his influence has been great. More than 200
ryu have been founded in the wake of Jinsuke's inspiration and image

Although often stated to be a student of Hayashizaki Jinsuke ( r ), the ry? itself state
that Katayama Hisayasu inherited eighteen secret sword techniques from his uncl
e Katayama Sh?an
In 1596 he traveled to Atago Shrine in Kyoto and for seven days and seven night
s trained and prayed continuously. In a divine dream, Hisayasu was supposedly gi
ven insight and was said to have attained enlightenment to the mysteries of the
art of iai.[3] Using this insight and the teachings received from his uncle he f
ormed his own tradition of swordsmanship.

The original name for Hisayasu's tradition was said to be @Ikkan-ry? ( j @for a time, b
s known within the Katayama family as Katayama-ry? ( R j. Katayama Hisayasu's teaching a
lso became widely spread in Kumamoto and the name H?ki-ry? ( )
In 1610 he was called to the Royal Palace to demonstrate before the emperor. He
demonstrated Iso-no-nami,
Using Iso-no-nami as a base, Hisayasu and later generations of the Katayama and
Hoshino families developed and established over seventy sword forms
forms
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C5%8Dki-ry%C5%AB
"Quigong is composed of three important energies that travel through the body th
rough meridians. It is wrong to consider them different as they are one and the
same, but you will need to mold and shift them to achieve the pinnacle of your a
rt. This three energies are called Qi, Jing and Shen." the kind giant said.
"Jing is the essence coursing through all things, living and inanimate, a univer
sal flowing energy that is constantly at movement, even within your own body.
Qi is your personal energy, it is unique to you as a human being, this energy gr
ows with you as you perfect your art, as you meditate, as you understand yoursel
f. Everyone has a different and distinct Qi, you must respect all forms of Qi as
if they were your own, no matter if they are from plants or animals, every sing
le form of Qi is unique and invaluable.
Shen is referred to as spirit energy, if mastered, it is Shen the form of energy
that will allow you to use the skills I teach you and elevate your art."
"By using the 'Dantian' or 'pressure point' in your navel, if you can mold and t
ransform your Jing into Qi. The 'Dantian' in your heart will allow you to conver

t this Qi into Shen. And finally, the 'Dantian' in your forehead, the 'Dantian'
in your mind .."
"What? what does it do?" a young Gabriel had asked the Martial art master. He sh
ook his head however.
"It is far too early to tell you about that .. master your 3 energies young man,
we will talk then. Don't neglect your training, Gabriel, energy is the essence
of everything, where everything begins and ends as well. Practice and use it wel
l"
***************************************
5 stances
The five kamae are called fire (j?dan), water (ch?dan), earth (gedan), wood (has
s?) and metal (waki) according to the Five Elements
**************************************
*J?dan-no-kamae ( i \ ) -FIRE-HEAVEN
SWORD UP, SUPER AGGRESIVE, NEEDS PRESENCE AND SPIRIT
sword is raised above the head with the tip (kissaki) pointing back and the blad
e facing up, in readiness to strike.[1] It is the most aggressive stance of the
five
Its advantage is the reach of the strike, the intimidating posture and the speed
of the strike. Its disadvantage is the weak defense, since the throat, wrists a
nd body are open. In order to protect the vulnerable area, a j?dan user must hav
e a very fiery spirit to "scare off" the opponent. It is also more difficult to
judge the striking distance (maai). Therefore, this stance is only used as the n
ormal stance during practice or competition by experienced kend?ka.
elbows to be as far inward as possible. Many others insist on the elbows being o
pen.
J?dan-no-kamae is called the Kamae of Heaven ( V \ ten-no-kamae?) in Yagy? Shinkage-ry?
and the Kamae of Fire ( \ hi-no-kamae?) in Shinkage-ry?
hard because of big helmets