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**plantBanceper** · 04-18-2006, 03:51 PM

I don't know what the major differences are between kenjitsu and iaido and if someone that does know could explain.

They are just names, like all things Japanese there is a grey area.

Most people think of iaido as solo kata with a metal practice sword where you start and end with the sword sheathed, and inbetween dispatch a number of imaginary opponents. Furthermore, most people think of iaido as associated with the two most popular schools that teach it, Muso Shinden Ryu and Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu.

Most people think of kenjutsu as the practice of swordsmanship with a partner usually with bokken. This would consist normally of paired kata practice. Kenjutsu would be the sword-fighting curriculum of a koryu (old school), that school may or may not have additional material in its curriculum (such as empty-handed techniques, or other weapons like spear or staff).

Of course where it gets fuzzy is that you can easily argue that MSR and MJER are also koryu, and not only that but they both have paired kata practice. Furthermore most kenjutsu traditions also practice drawing and solo kata. Really it's much simpler/more correct to consider it all koryu, except with different emphasis. However with MSR and MJER where the people spend the vast majority of their time on the solo kata, it's a little easier to label what they do "iaido".

Most of the legitimate people practising koryu understand all these things. The ones practicing (mostly) iaido will say either they practice iaido or they will say they practice X-ryu. The ones practising what many would consider kenjutsu normally do not say that - they typically say they practice X-ryu.

So when someone posts on the internet that they are "taking kenjutsu", my red flag goes up immediately. If they say they are "studing X-ryu" then my red flag may or may not go up, depending on where they are and what "X" is.

04-18-2006, 03:51 PM	#17
plantBanceper Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 375 Senior Member	I don't know what the major differences are between kenjitsu and iaido and if someone that does know could explain. They are just names, like all things Japanese there is a grey area. Most people think of iaido as solo kata with a metal practice sword where you start and end with the sword sheathed, and inbetween dispatch a number of imaginary opponents. Furthermore, most people think of iaido as associated with the two most popular schools that teach it, Muso Shinden Ryu and Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu. Most people think of kenjutsu as the practice of swordsmanship with a partner usually with bokken. This would consist normally of paired kata practice. Kenjutsu would be the sword-fighting curriculum of a koryu (old school), that school may or may not have additional material in its curriculum (such as empty-handed techniques, or other weapons like spear or staff). Of course where it gets fuzzy is that you can easily argue that MSR and MJER are also koryu, and not only that but they both have paired kata practice. Furthermore most kenjutsu traditions also practice drawing and solo kata. Really it's much simpler/more correct to consider it all koryu, except with different emphasis. However with MSR and MJER where the people spend the vast majority of their time on the solo kata, it's a little easier to label what they do "iaido". Most of the legitimate people practising koryu understand all these things. The ones practicing (mostly) iaido will say either they practice iaido or they will say they practice X-ryu. The ones practising what many would consider kenjutsu normally do not say that - they typically say they practice X-ryu. So when someone posts on the internet that they are "taking kenjutsu", my red flag goes up immediately. If they say they are "studing X-ryu" then my red flag may or may not go up, depending on where they are and what "X" is.
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