A Trainee Reveals the True Colors of Iaido
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- Опубліковано 31 тра 2024
- Iaido is a katana budo martial art that is believed to have started about 450 years ago. Because we train with steel blades, we never actually fight with anyone like in kendo, but we usually only practice through “形 kata” which are the fixed exercises assuming various situations of battle.
I am an iaido trainee that has been training for about six years now, but I am still seriously obsessed with this budo, and I am always excited to go to my training. You too might be training iaido yourself and might agree to what I say.
... However, because I am a dedicated trainee, I often see the dark side of the world of iaido too. It’s a little bit sad, but there are some things that I hate about this katana martial art.
So today, please allow me to talk about my opinions on why I hate iaido. I would also like to present my ideas about how iaido should change and what it should learn from kyudo, the Japanese archery martial art.
A katana and bow are two very different weapons... What does IAIDO have to learn from KYUDO?
I hope you can watch this video till the end to find out!
By watching this video you can deepen your understanding towards iaido, and I hope it’ll be useful information for those who are interested in starting training.
One thing I need to make very clear before I start is that I am going to be talking about iaido and not about other katana martial arts such as battodo, iaijutsu, and kenjutsu.
Lastly, if you are a budo practitioner yourself, it would be great if you could let me know about your experiences or opinions in the comments. I would love to learn from you.
[Time codes]
0:00 Let's START!
2:34 3 Things I Hate About IAIDO
8:52 What IAIDO Should Learn From KYUDO
17:17 Today's Conclusion
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#iaido #iaidokata #iaidotraining #reallybadiaido #eishinryuiaido - Розваги
A wise warrior once said. "Never train alone. You will only engrain your errors". Refusing to learn and grow even when you consider yourself a master, is just foolish and silly.
Was that Vesemir the Witcher?
@@jayteegamble You nailed it.
Wow
Just about every teacher of value learning from says as much. Usually it goes as some form of proverb like someone who fights in the dark forgets to shine and so on.
You absolute king. Love Vesemir such a wise old wolf
"They made it a taboo to learn other styles of thinking"
This is a concern in many things in life. Calling this out is important. Very wise words.
I've practiced iaido for a few years, that was amazing. I didn't encounter the problems you did face. My instructor was serious when it comes to etiquette. Also, he was rather saying "I'm teaching you as I was taught, but you may hear other things from other instructors. It's always evolving, some things are still up to discussion". I guess I was lucky to be in France, where japanese martial arts are important, so my teacher learnt from Malcolm Tiki Shewan, who learnt from Nobuyoshi Tamura, and many classes regularly take place with these great teachers.
When you mentioned about your Iaido teacher talking about other teachers and the evolutionof the martial art, It reminds me of a quote from the animated series Avatar. "It is important to draw wisdom from many different places. If you take from one place, it becomes rigid and stale" -Uncle Iroh.
It's the same for me in Germany. I am happy that it's taken seriously in my Dojo.
I have had an instructor with a similar opinion, that things may be different with others but it is still valid. We have done different drawing procedures from other styles and learn differences between styles
Being a historical martial arts enthusiast from Germany i had been trying out Iaido in my area too and the toxic environment u described was so in point for the schools here... that's why i never picked it up as an actual student.
it's kind of sad, because i realy enjoyed the historical and trditional background of it.
Wenn ich das alles so lese, bin ich echt froh, dass es bei uns nicht so zugeht! Tut mir leid, dass du so schlechte Erfahrungen gemacht hast, Iaido kann wirklich sehr faszinierend sein, vor allem vor dem historischen Hintergrund.
Ich hoffe, du findest irgendwann nochmal ein Dojo, in dem du bessere Erfahrungen machen kannst und vielleicht sogar drauf kleben bleibst ;)
I'm not surprised. All you do is do kata and your only form of contact with other Iaido students is kata and smack talk.
You don't have to spar, so you don't have to -trust-.
You never actually know who is better through competition, all you have to compete with is your mouth.
Very easy to become a cess pool that way.
Because the entire martial art is just a cult that preys on weak people. To even refer to it as a "martial" art is technically incorrect. The entire thing is a scham
quit lyin 🤣
Darf ich fragen welches Bundesland? Denn bei mir in Brandenburg geht es nicht so zu.
Insulting others in the dojo or bad talking about senseis is horrible. There is all the talk of becoming a better person and than something like this happens, and it´s the same in Kendo. Really makes you wanna vomit. Edit: You are very brave to speak about this. This is the only thing one can do to change budo for the better. Thank you for doing so. ありがとうございます
If the instructors or other students are instructing in ridiculous things, they should expect criticism. Always deferring to seniors or authority figures is the worst aspect of dysfunctional group-think or encouraging idiotic cultish mentalities.
Such as instructing people on the importance of ritually bowing to their weapon, or the asinine notion that the person with the "purist spiritual enlightenment" will be the best swordsman is just ludicrous time-wasting.
@@sejembalm As said in the video: Senseis used to share and discuss their different koryu, so constructive criticism should always be a part of budo. Talking crap about others on the other hand only shows your dysfunctions as a human being. Following reho shows that you respect the art, the dojo and everyone practicing together with you. If you think anything of this is related to becoming the best swordsman/fighter, it only shows your misunderstanding of budo.
@@sejembalm you seem to misunderstand Iaido completely.
This is not about becoming a swordsman at all.
maybe you should try MMA
@@sejembalm You completely miss the point of training Iaido. It is not about becoming the best swordman at all.
It's all talk, more like bullcrap. I do respect someone who adheres to the morality they're talking about. But if they don't even keep their words and do what they said themselves, then why should we respect them?
I was a firearms instructor and ran into this kind of elitism. I took the approach of teaching all I could but you should ultimately do what works for you.
In America?
I just do it the Army taught me with one caveat. I use the BRAS method (Breath, Relax, Aim, Squeeze) except I do better holding my breath for a moment and adjusting my aim slightly then pulling the trigger. I know that's considered bad but, like you said, it works for me better then shooting on the exhale 🤷
One of the things I hated was the big macho type who said: "I've been around guns all my life, blah blah blah", because (I suppose) he feels it necessary due to his gender. This is a person who makes me think: "He's probably going to have to unlearn a lifetime's worth of bad habits."
@@ColonelMarcellus ok
@@darkhorse13golfgaming i was always taught to shoot with the lungs half emptied. Breathe in, exhale half , squeeze when ready.
Respect is very important. I remember, while learning Kendo as a beginner, I was failing, falling while swinging my shinai in crutch position. My balance was horrible, and I felt I was playing the clown.
After training, in the locker room, I asked one fo the advanced students "how dod you do it when you started?". His answer: "Pretty much the same you are doing right now". That token of respect made me feel better and become a better student. He could easily have said "you are terrible", but he did not.
I've been studying the Mugai Ryu Iai Hyodo Iaido for about 2.5 years in America, and I feel like I've been very lucky with my instructors and training, I haven't experienced any elitism or disregard of etiquette, and I'm very thankful for this.
Nice, I study this as well, in Canada, under Ryusuke Juge Sensei, who is a student of Yoshitaro Nakatani. Who do you study with?
I was happy to hear someone else having as positive an experience as I. I also study in America the Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu Iaido and my Sensei speaks with unbridled enthusiasm on etiquette and the underlying philosophy behind it all very thoroughly. I am blessed by their passion for the art.
I am a Mugai student and I get criticized a lot for my lack of tradition but not really etiquette I come from an Iaijutsu family not exactly Iado I am a bit more Old school in style. I believe my family technically predates The separation between iaido and battodo. I think that my teacher gives me some grace because I teach as much as I learn When it comes to the grappling behind the cuts
Shogo, it's okay to show the true colors of Iaido. These people who you mentioned loss their value in the martial arts. I hope that in the future, Iaido will remain one of the best martial arts with a proper instructors who value Iaido as how they value their family. I also hope that you wouldn't have to quit Iaido even though you saw its true colors. Don't let their true colors stop you, Shogo. Keep on practicing and eventually, you can form your own Dojo where everyone will learn from you
As they said, "it's not because of the Martial Arts techniques that brought bad reputation to itself, but the people who *trained* and *insulting* they're own Martial Arts is the one that brought they're own demised".
I love how you point out why some instructers are against tameshigiri because performing tameshigiri would show their actual lack of skill.
I think that the lack of a means to prove skill is entirely the reason behind everything he said he hated in Iaido. Too many people allowed to run their mouths unchallenged and unable to be proven/disproven.
When you are truly confident your not afraid to be tested.
just like karate "masters" refuse to fight with MMA fighters, the older the martial art, the less effective in modern combat
@@kevinthiago413 Untrue.
@@kevinthiago413
Boxing and wrestling are older than written language, and they compare very favourably to 19th and 20th century sports like karate, TKD, etc.
A lot of individual arts were probably better before their modern iterations too. For example, comparing karate before and after it started adopting "competition-friendly" rules and a lot of fancy French kicks. And I'm pretty confident that old-timey killing-eachother-with-swords fencing was way better for killing eachother with swords than is modern Olympic fencing.
I’ve been practicing Kyudo for a few months now, and I have to say it is one of the most significant changes that I’ve incurred in recent years. Prior to this, I’d always been involved in more brutal practices like Muay Thai and MMA. Everything you said about Kyudo I’ve experienced: the respect, the reverence for one another and the art (my sensei doesn’t even like to be called sensei, because he says we’re all students of the art), and the most important concept; letting go of ego. The whole of the procedure revolves around centering yourself and your Yumi, not hitting the target. If you are centered, then your Ya will find the target.
It goes to show you have high standards for your Iaido training. It's great to see someone geninuely interested in Iado to that level. You're exactly the kind of person we need to keep these beautiful traditions alive, so I sincerely thank you for shedding light on the matter.
This video truly has a lot of value.
I love how much Shogo expresses his mind! I’m not sure if it’s a consequence of living abroad for a while, but unlike the traditional Japanese mindset of keeping your real thoughts to yourself, Shogo is not afraid of saying what’s on his mind and calling out issues when he sees them. I’m from South East Asia, and the epidemic of “politeness” has been a hindrance to progress for far too long!
Yap yap i would not mind if he were to become the president of our country but thaaats a stretch, just a metaphor
I suppose not criticizing abusive parents is also an epidemic as well.It's really bad.
D'OH GOD, Yes politeness is hindering a lot of things in our country. I wish we had a few more sword style schools here in America
@@RealLifeZatoichi Not sure if sarcastic, but in case you are, “politeness” is something thrown around a lot here in Asia, but it’s an excuse people use to gain power. Want to leave work on time instead of do 4 hours unpaid overtime? You’re impolite to your coworkers. Want to not work forced labour for your uncle you barely know? You’re impolite to your uncle. Want basic human decency and to be treated like a student and not a braindead nuisance? You’re impolite to your teacher.
Note that none of these examples actually have anything to do with politeness. It’s just the excuse the powerful throw around to oppress the weak.
@@btat16 Asia is not only East Asia and Southeast Asia. When the Greeks described Asia they meant Anatolia and the rest of West Asia before the term was extended in modern times.
Shogo, your concerns of your training in Iaido reflect almost exactly why I left a local BJJ gym: 1: Mocking other styles and teachers 2: Pushing only competition 3: Mocking Traditional Values. This is toxic Dojo culture, that can poison an otherwise profound and enjoyable art, regardless of style. 👺Oss, please keep training Skill and Spirit.🥋
Happens exactly to me with Karate Dojos XD toxic culture is widespread unfortunately T.T
That is not how Joe Rogan portrays BJJ. I thought it was all about love, letting out tension, being a man and tripping on 'shrooms.
I think you find this sort of disdain for other martial arts in people who have never practiced anything other than what they teach. My bjj teacher had done judo, taekwondo, wrestling, and a few others and never has anything bad to say about any other martial art. Granted, he's only one example, but disdain often springs from ignorance, and if you've never practiced anything other than one martial art, you can't truly appreciate the virtues of others.
@@Robin-L_Hood Breath, its okay. It was a joke. Not laughing at you, but at Joe Rogan. He makes it seem that their is never an issues when training BJJ (or stand up comedy... and drugs).
Sounds like a Mc Dojo, the ones I have been focus in self-defense and technique after all I don't want a medal I want to survive
Oh gosh, this one hit me hard. I practiced Iaido for many years and become the only woman in my doujo. I know I may sound like I'm complaining, but I got extremely lonely at times as the only woman and my Sensei and some of my other Senpai truly did not understand why. I also got hit on a lot by some of the guys when I just wanted to practice. I also felt the constant need to prove myself as the only woman. I practiced a style that is all but dying out in Japan and it became extremely esoteric and a closed community. While I truly miss the beauty of the art and some wonder aspects of it, I just feel like the style I practiced wanted to grown and change. It is a shame as I feel like I failed for quitting as I spent so much of my life devoted to this art.
I'm sorry to hear that you felt lonely, I can't understand how your sensei or classmates didn't understand something as basic as that. No empathy, I am really sorry, maybe it was for the better, maybe you will find somewhere nicer? Sending you a hug!
That makes me sad to hear. I feel very fortunate that I have several women as enthusiastic students currently. I'm always trying to keep an awareness that all feel comfortable in the dojo.
I actually had the opportunity to witness Kyudo in college because a local group practiced near the woods of College Park. They were a very welcoming and nice group that was composed of the most calm and relaxed men and women I have every meet. I found out why later when I meet the master of the school. He was a true practitioner of the art and his influence, patience and wisdom definitely fostered that sense of community within the group.
About Kyudo: Let's take a moment to appreciate the simple brilliance of the rubber band mechanism used in the demonstration. Weapons training doesn't train the weapon- it trains the person, the intention. 10/10
Nice! Japanese police don’t want martial arts champions because they fight well. it’s important to understand Ogasawara Ryu etiquette… “It is fundamental the correct heart and mind to have the correct posture”… and every japanese martial art depends of the correct posture to the correctly application of the technique.
"Do you think you'll be able to win with that?" is a completely laughable comment for any Iaidoka to make.
There's a time and a place for Iaido. It's a beautiful art (emphasis on art there) and it teaches great discipline and self awareness.
However, should an Iaidoka turn up for sparring against a Kendoka, or even worse a western fencer or HEMA practitioner, they will be absolutely destroyed in short order.
The reason is simply that Iaido doesn't teach you to fight. Even if you can execute your techniques perfectly in a kata, it means nothing if you can't read your opponent, react quickly enough and have no understanding or experience of how to apply techniques in a real fight.
Real fighting is chaotic, unpredictable and doesn't follow the rigid patterns that you've carefully trained into your muscle memory with kata.
So this kind of arrogance is absurd.
A wise Iaidoka would understand the nature of his art and take a more enlightened, dignified and respectful perspective when contemplating other styles.
The fact that Shogo appears to understand this is a credit to him.
An Iaidoka is not limited to practicing only Iaido. I remember a story/legend that someone once asked Nakakura Kyoshi who he thought would win, a Kendoka or a Western fencer. Nakakura replied that if he was the Kendoka then the Kendoka would win, but if he was the fencer then the fencer would win :)
I think it’s not only applicable to Iaido but any other martial art that is purely for hobbyist and the coach treats it that way. The training intensity makes a massive difference. The guys who practice maybe once or twice a week compared to those people who are on the Olympic team just as a general standard for athleticism is insane... In an actual sword fight I would probably even give it to an Olympic figure skater with only a few months training just because they have a much better gas tank/ Stamina, endurance than a Iaido hobbyist.
Iaido is like Taichi a kind of meditation in motion, to fight it is better to learn Kenjutsu, and sometimes it is not traditional Iaido what people learns, it is Seitei Iai modern version it is more like a sport in contest, Battojutsu or Iaijutsu is more for combat too
Agreed. The problem that I've seen along the years practicing Japanese martial arts is that many times the masters/instructors aren't humble enough to realize that a simple butcher is a more skilled (or even skillful) than them. Art is... purely ...art at all.
@@eliomarcosta5752
Heck I wouldn’t limit that comment to just Japanese arts. I’ve seen it extending to all martial arts and even firearm training, like some others have alluded in the comments.
I think it’s okay that there are martial arts not used for combat, there is value to them. How does combat suddenly make things more important? This is coming from someone who lost most of their eyesight doing lots of combat heavy MMA training.
I used to think anything not combat related was useless, but there is more to life than killing each other I’ve learned. I think both types of arts are important now for their own reasons.
I'm greatful for my Sensei and my Dojo. I have experienced nothing less than the best quality and character from all of my teachers and peers. I have never experienced what is being discussed here. Our Judan Sensei from Japan upholds our values and his character is a model that we all strive to emulate. My Sensei here in the US is the very definition of the person I want to develop myself into. I grieve this man's unfortunate experience and I hope he finds a dojo of quality.
When I saw the title of this video I worried that you had become fed up with Iaido & didn't love it anymore. I'm so glad that you still love it and what you hate is not Iaido itself but the irresponsible behaviour of some of the instructors who should know better. I love your outspokenness especially as you are being outspoken in Japan which must be harder than being outspoken in places like the US, I'd imagine. And I admire your bravery in standing up for what you believe in and wanting to improve the situation. Most of all, thank you for making videos that teach us more about Japan. I really love your presentation style!
Very interesting to hear about this side of the Iaido world. I practiced Iaido about 15 years ago, and the first thing the senseis told us about training is that we're fighting our 'bad' sides when we do the katas, making it a more spiritual training. And me myself liked that idea of it, as a form of meditation to combat your own negative emotions or sides of yourself you didn't like.
This, I think, is where the idea of "virtual enemy" that Shogo talks about comes from.
But the way YOU put it, that is what I believe such a concept should be like.
Training for mental balance os Very useful, there is space for that as for martial arts with enphasis on combat.
I appreciate your Honesty, Ego has no place in or out of the Dojo. I have myself in the US. run into the same issues. As "Master" they should be learning from each other and collaborating for the betterment of the student for a common goal... Arigatōgozaimashita
Dear Shogo, Thankyou for voicing a very similar experience to mine in the UK.
I practiced Iaido for over six years and became a member of the UK squad in 2007 as a 1st Kyu, I rose the 3rd Dan and was practicing ZNKR Kyudo at about the same time even building my own kyudojo. I gradually became disillusioned with Iaido because of constant minor changes each year that meant we were always chasing changing goals. Also I could not understand the attitude to cutting especially as we were doing a sword art ! Eventually I discovered ShinKendo and a small club not to far away. I visited it once with another iaidoka from my club and he told another student about it. He in turn told my instructor who told the UK senior sensei and he then instructed my sensei throw me out of Musoshinden ryu.
In Kyudo things are not all rosy either with primidone's heading the UK ZNKR kyudo and even the head of Hondaryu UK who I introduced to Seikyukai Tokyo ( I was the first person to go to Japan and grade to grade in Honraryu with Seikyukai Tokyo. But due to circumstances and disassociating myself from dishonest sensei who saw me as a threat. Since having a stroke 5 years ago I've lost touch with my Sekyukai contacts. I am sad that my experience is not that dissimilar to yours.
My interest in Iaido is simple but honest. My grandfather was Japanese and so it’s a way of connecting with the Japanese culture and my lineage. It’s also a way to familiarize myself with a sword. Finally a meditative form I can utilize to calm my busy mind while learning a new skill.
I'm a judoka, and my experience in twelve years of training in judo has been very positive. That being said, I have seen some of what you're talking about. While there hasn't been much insulting other judo instructors, I have heard others ( at a tournament, not my dojo) saying bad things about Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu of all things. It's sad.
That's like insulting your own kids.
Id argue the problem with that more so comes from the fact that schools worry about points and the sport more when it originally was for the self as well as defense to fight back. So people who teach it for self defense look down on point grabbers y'know?
I'm sure the Gracies would just hear that and laugh
that brazilian jyuhitsu IS A TRIP ! i got a few once every couple of weekend clases. by an actual member of tbe Gracie family! one day... he cancelled class: he was gonna videotape the class -- but someone beat the crap out of him and he did not want to record bruises on his face : ) : ) !
This sounds a lot like the culture that develops in other arts that are not actually that practical. Students and instructors spend a lot of energy convincing themselves that they could win any fight, even when they've never actually been in one 🙄
word
My parents signed me up for classes at a McDojo when I was in elementary school. Even at the age of eight, I could tell how ridiculously impractical most of what we were learning actually was.
@@Macrochenia been there.
Hi hope you are well. Have just started watching your videos. I personally studied Judo when I was 7 to 13 and Karate from 13 to 18 when my Father died life took over. I am now 64 and thinking about either taking up Kendo or Iaido. One of the most important things I loved about Japanese Martial arts is etiquette, traditions and respect, I am shocked to hear what you said happens as I don't remember it like that. I have practiced Wing Chun for 34 year 24 of them on my own because I got feed up with rudeness and infighting.
It's is great to see you fighting for honour and respect. I would be honoured to learn from someone as wise as you. Maybe you will have to breakaway to make it better. Peace and respect 🙏 from England.
John.
you could try different gyms and see jf you like the sensei
As someone who used to tutor I can relate. Although, the "backbiting" was mostly because they wanted my clients so it was more of a short-term thinking business decision. And yes, it does hurt them far more in the long run.
I love how expressive Shogo's face is. You can instantly tell that he is experienced in public speaking and lecture-style delivery
As someone's who's trained with different schools and taught some, what is can say is that there is no inherent depth or spirituality to any fighting style. That is something the student brings. It will center you, physically improve coordination, strengthen the body but when most of start we think there's something inherently profound to the teaching. Bad instructors use that to their advantage. Good ones just encourage self exploration and give the tools for the student to do so.
This reminds me quite a bit on that scene from Rurouni Kenshin, where Kenshins teacher tells him that fundamentally all swords are tools made to kill and swordsmanship is learning how to kill. You can put some pretty words there and try to add some profound meaning to it, but this fact is something that always remains the same.
@@lop1652 well that's exactly it. It's a martial art, not ballet. Easy to teach the how. Harder to learn when and why.
"swords are made to kill, they're tools that are made to take as many lifes as possible."
-shimotsuki kozuburo
The thing that amaze me most in Iaido is the attitude. How your face and posture changes, and you go from a young youtuber/trainee to become a medieval dispenser of justice. The way a fight is won even before it starts. In a way is very similar to Kyudo; the archer knows if the arrow is true before releasing it.
I have only just started learning about katana and from that iaido from your videos. It was warmly appreciated you taking the time to make content around these subjects as i would like to eventually join a dojo and take formal instruction. I practiced karate in my youth and am only just now exploring the rich and wonderful world of budo...and what drew me to most of it was the culture around focus, mindfulness, etiquette and spiritual harmony.
Hope to see more of you and wish you peace in your journey.
Will from australia
"And there are no occasions of being attacked by someone with a katana on the streets."
My dreams of traveling Japan have been crushed.
Control on Japanese martial arts like Iaido or Kyudo is so needlessly strict in Japan. Some guys literally fail their whole lives trying and trying to pass a certain set of exams and criteria.
It is suffocating the growth of these beautiful bodies of art instead of helping it flourish.
Great Akatosh, it's Jarl Ballin in the flesh!
I completely agree though. The Companions massively gatekeep combat arts in Whiterun and are really suffocating the potential growth of local adventurer's martial skills.
@@AdamOwenBrowning lmao 🤣
@@AdamOwenBrowning 🤣🤣🤣
@@AdamOwenBrowning Heard they were reviving the Dawnguard. Vampire hunters or something.
In both academics and martial arts, and in general on both counts, the purpose of the curriculum *MUST NOT* be just to pass a final exam at the end of the instruction period.
I had a Civics/Economics teacher who was affected by this due to No Child Left Behind, as there was a unit/topic/subject/IDK she was very enthusiastic about, but was not allowed to cover it because it was not covered in our final exams.
I found your channel a few days ago. Let me congrat you on how much I liked it. The way you talk politely, with property on what you are saying, it quite impresses me how you are a formal practicioner of so many traditional arts and find time and will to do so much studying and running a channel of this quality, while still being father of two children and married. You are badass. I bow to your knowledge and dedication. Congratulations from Brazil.
I only found your videos a few months ago and haven't watched everything yet, and after seeing this one my respect level for you has only gotten higher. I truly hope you can affect change where it is needed. I'm glad that you are teaching us, I have learned more from you than I did in some of my Japanese culture classes. Hopefully since you uploaded this, nothing spiteful has come your way. But if it does, I know you can persevere. It will only prove that what you were saying was true of those that retaliate. Maybe some day you can open your own school and help re-establish the values that are so important.
It is sad for me to say that all systems of Martial Arts have very similar problems. If more students shared you feelings, the Martial Arts would flourish. However, ego consumes most practitioner.
Sir, You are Spot-on correct there. ... very well stated.
Hearing your experiences, I consider myself very fortunate that I never encountered such unprofessionalism where I trained. My sensei's (a
husband/wife couple who have since passed) were the kindest and most encouraging people I have known. You are absolutely correct to call out anyone wo does not hold to the highest standards.
A very interesting and thought provoking video, this. I trained Seitei Iaido at a Dutch Kendo Renmei affiliated dojo from 1998 to 2003 and saw many of the things you describe here also happen at the seminars and other gatherings. It made me wonder if these people truly understand the meaning of the art they practice, or if it's just a way for them to inflate their own egos. When my sensei unexpectedly died I purposefully did not seek out another dojo because of this. 17 years later I found the need to go train again and I joined a lovely dojo where Mugai Ryu is practiced. The situation and mindset here and in other dojo of the same Ryuha I've visited is very different from my first experience and I feel right at home among them. The improvement points you mention are actually put into practice in these schools. But alas, if you don't have any prior experience with training martial arts and what Budo and its values are then it's very hard to avoid the traps.
Respect is earned and it's easy to see a person's true colors based on how they treat others. Great video as usual and I agree with everything you've said here.
When I was in judo my senseis always spoke well of other senseis unless one of the other ones did something really bad! So this is shocking!😨
This happened to me as well, as a Judo practicioner. I wonder if it has somenthing to do with the founder having studied from a lot of jujitsu master and styles, i believe confrontation makes you humble.
The thing about Judo (at least my understanding of it) is that in order for you to advance to 1st dan and beyond you have to have at least won a certain amount of matches or something similar. Which means that high level instructors have actually proved that they are capable of wielding their martial arts. (I believe the same goes for the Jujitsu Style as well.)
Hi Shogo. This seems to be an issue of business ethics. When I worked as a salesperson there were things I need to learn in order to become better. The most important thing in offering my companies products was to avoid bad mouthing your competition. Once I stopped announcing criticism of my opponents my production increased.
Substantiality! Allow the opponent to reveal their weaknesses, in time they will. Like yourself others do not like to hear people use critical gossip about their competition. Thank you for your observations in this discussion.
I really like your content. It's very nice to hear someone speaking about topics with deep knowledge. I've seen similar attitudes to the ones you describe in many Karate dojo, unfortunately. Since I started studying Koryu, I've been very impressed by the level of respect and decorum shown by everyone I've come into contact with. I'm speaking from my own perspective here, but I think that the best way to learn Iaido is in conjunction with a form of Kenjutsu focused on real, applicable combat techniques.
Very nicely performed katas! Lukily, in Spain we take it very seriously and nobody talks about food during practice. We have great masters here which for the most part respect and admire each others. Hugs from the Zanshin Dojo in Andalusia (Spain)
I've studied both Tae Kwon Do and Shotokan.
In both martial arts it was drilled into us that we were to show respect to all instructors regardless of whether they taught our style, or not.
We were told we can learn something from anyone.
Thanks for making this video Shogo! The issues you mention have become a pervasive issue in traditional Chinese martial arts as well, especially ones that are not being pressure tested ...it is unfortunate to see... as combat skills (some still practical, some for a past battlefield) become codified and passed through systems, styles, and lineages, I do hope we give them both new meaning and pass them on with better meanings and intentions...
Although I have limited experience (training Iaido for 5 years) , in the USA here at our dojo I never experienced any of the things you mentioned and I do not believe they would be tolerated. We had guest sensei and students often and they were all expected to have proper etiquette. I remember one time a guest sensei stopped by and he was acting a bit flippant about things at a certain point he was taken aside and there was a talk and his attitude changed significantly after that.
Amazing video! Wonderful presentation of your experience and opinions and suggestions for change!!!!
As someone who practiced Iaido in Brazil, I never had any of those 3 problems.
The community here is quite united and I never saw anyone fighting or talking bad about others... quite different from how people are in day to day life here XD
It was like once the training began we left all our troubles from the outside world and concentrated only on training.
Shogo! Texan here, with regards to instructors saying 'only MY way is correct', i think its because its holds so deep a meaning for them personally and culturally. When i've learned marksmanship and even basic tactical training, at the basic level, almost everyone is the same 'NO NO, you HAVE to pull the trigger like *this*! NO NO, place your thumb there, not *there*!'
But the serious instructors say 'this is to help you save your own life or the lives of others. Carrying this weapon means you take the responsibility of potentially dying for people who will forget about you in a month. Any method you can perform adequately, consistently, and that wont create bad habits interfering with your ability to do those things is a viable method.''
Im sorry this is so long- but i believe youre right- the instructors who say only THEIR way is correct are winning against an imaginary opponent they cant lose against. Its.. more an immortal thing than really having to say 'you carrying this weapon... (etc. see above)'. They want THEIR manifestation of such a beautiful cultural practice* to be the best because it HAS to be, its so important to *them*.
If anyone's read this far, regardless of whether you agree or not, thank you foe taking the time to read all this.
Edit: I wanted a different phrase
I liked the honesty that you showed in this video about things that happen in martial arts. I had been in a kendo/iaido dojo for many years where I saw much of what you talk about. The instruction was excellent as were the students, but I always saw this undercurrent in the dojo politics. We were extremely insular and never had shiai with other groups. After a little more than a decade I became the senior student merely because everyone ahead of me left because of these issues. They all tried to warn me but I can be blinded by only seeing the good. I finally left because it caught up to me and the drama passed my ability to overlook it. I joined another kendo dojo and it has been very nice with no drama or personal stress. Unfortunately, I am still looking for an iaido group, but have been practicing on my own for a couple of years now. With kendo I am actually learning and improving again as I am surrounded by better students, who are rokudan and nanadan. So, everything happens for a reason.
Always love your videos and watching you as I find you a very down to earth and humble person. What you said about disregarding reiho etiquette blew away my mind. I live in a western country (Denmark) and you would never see this happening here where I practice. I cant even imagine it happening. My senseis/instructors are nothing but respectful/non-arrogant and down to earth people just like you are. I cant fathom how things have evolved into that in some japanese dojo's and I hope for you that you can get to influence and evolve Iaido into that wonderful (and logical) vision you have and to pass onto the future generations and safeguard the spirit of a martial art that I've become to deeply admire, respect and to love. Domo arigato gozaimashita.
I think your points are very interesting, as I am training Iaido for about 8 years now in Europe and all of these points are the complete opposite over here. Everyone ist treating the other with great respect and honors Reiho and tries to do it as exactly as possible. The things you said, make me pretty sad, as someone from Europe there still is this Fantasy, that everyone in Japan is really accurate and respectful when it comes to Iaido. I'm training the Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu btw.
Domo arigato goziamashita, Shogo-san. It took courage to make this video and thank you for reminding the Federation's Sensei of their obligation to proper Reiho. Bad mouthing other styles or practitioners only shows weakness, ignorance or arrogance - none of the values that Iaido upholds and not befitting of a Budoka. It's your right and your duty to make these observations. Well done.
As an Iaido and Kendo practitioner in europe this video really surprises me. I have the complete opposite experience during all my time training and meeting practitioners from different countries. This includes the multiple Japanese sensei I met over the years which are all the most respectable persons I have ever met. Also too each other during big events with multiple ryuha. These are exactly the reasons I love both budo because it trains and values the exact things you mentioned which I don't get in daily live as much.
Thank you for posting this and opening up this forum! My Iaido sensei was very kind and never spoke ill of other styles of Ryu. The training was always about the betterment of the being through this type of martial arts. As a practicing Buddhist, I looked at Iaido as cutting through my attachments and and as a meditation. I play Shankuhachi too and am astounded at how many players play for fame or say their Ryu is better than another. When the dust settles, all are one.🙏
As a person who took a few trial classes of iaido, this was very interesting. Thank you for sharing your thoughts even though it may put you at odds with your seniors, especially in a very hierarchical culture.
"I'm ready for anything that's going to be coming my way." That's why I like you man, you have the kind of courage and dignity that does your nation proud.
Well said, Shogo-san. Years ago I was an Iaidoka whose sensei was fully ingrained in teaching the respect for the art as well as the culture of iaido. Sensei Robert Corella taught in Phoenix, AZ and would speak well of other sensei and how we could learn from them. He was quite strict that we practiced what he taught while in his dojo but would visit others to learn. Many years later, I took up kyudo and could not agree more with you on what iaido could learn from kyudo. My kyudo sensei, Dan DeProspero in North Carolina and Bill Reid were magnificent teachers and were also the type to respect the traditions of their art.
You have hit the nail on the head, much respect to you. I have run into many of the same issues during my journey as well and I think Iaito needs more like minded practitioners.
Very brave and thoughtful criticisms. I’m glad you were committed enough to say these things about something so important to you. I hope that if your instructors do find out, they benefit from YOUR instruction, on these three topics.
I think iaido is a beautiful art and I hope you can move it into the direction you pointed to here. I am dismayed to here how the practice has lost its way.
Thank you for all the wonderful videos. I've been an enthusiast of Japanese culture for a long time and I find your videos to be the most enlightening. Keep up the fantastic work!
In our kendo/iaido dojo in Poland we started to stray a bit from the pure Zen Ken Ren forms. We started to add reality checks, by simulating the situations from the presented katas in "combat sitiations". I think it is a bit on my behalf, since I also practice HEMA and proposed this idea to my sensei. To be honest, you can learn a lot from adding a bit of speed to the forms, with a second person trying to attack you (bokken or foam sword). I know it is not "pure", but I am really grateful to have this opportunity and an open-minded sensei.
To be able to try out what we learned is very satisfying, and puts this wonderful budo art closer to Kyudo.
In general, what were the results of the testing? Was there validation?
I self train due to not having a formal school on Japanese swordsmanship, niten ichi ryu kenjutsu, and I’m amazed by everything you said
I learned so much from this, thank you. Your theory shows strength of mind and spirit. I hope someday you are able to be an instructor who can pass this part of your culture onto future generations. Your students would excel in humanity.
I practiced sword in school for therapy my sensei made me do a lot of the things Shojo talks about and my Sensei also taught me to value the teachings of other senseis and to never talk bad about my peers.
I cant speak on iaido or anything really in this video., but i do want to say that ive been watching a few of your videos lately and i must say i really enjoy the way you speak, and how animated you are when talking, in a very delicate, subtle way. It is a breath of fresh air i suppose to watch an easterners content, compared to a lot of western youtubers right now. Not that they are bad or anything, i just am enjoying this calm, straightforward, and i supposed elegant speech.
Martial practice without humility is incomplete and sad. Your views shared in this video are impressive, and I hope that you are able to continue influencing those around you with your positivity. I only wish I could train Iaido with those who have helped you develop such an outlook. Thank you Sir!
I'm really shocked to hear this! I've attended a number of iaido classes, demonstrations, tests and other events in the United States. My housemate in college (in Massachusetts) passed several rank tests, and I enjoyed supporting him. My grad school (in California) also has a pretty active iaido club, and hosts rank tests and other events. It's interesting to watch, even though I don't practice martial arts myself. I have NEVER seen or heard of the behavior you're describing! Reiho is taken extremely seriously here, and as far as I know, advanced students are encouraged to study different styles even if they don't practice them. Not very many people do mat cutting, but I'm told that the reason is that proper steel swords are EXTREMELY difficult to get in the US. In all the events I've attended, I've only seen one or two steel swords, and they were displayed under glass.
Now I'm wondering if I was oblivious to bad behavior. Or, maybe some of the problems you've faced are being addressed in the international iaido community?
In the olden days, trainees would go from dojo to dojo to deepen their skills. Iaido is still very far removed from real fighting scenarios. I think this insularity goes back to the old clan system.
You made me realize how lucky I was when studying under the teachers I had. Thank you! If you'd like to try something that addresses these issues I'd suggest Birankai schools (there should be some in Japan, although they are mostly US-based).
Wonderfully open and honest video! I never studied Iaido, but I've been a lifelong practitioner of the Martial Arts. I started in a traditional Okinawan art, Isshin-ryu. I studied many other systems before finally residing in what I would consider a "true American" system that was built upon the study of many more traditional systems and the practical application of their original mechanics. It was focused on how physics and how the body works to fully understand where many traditional elements came from. Not so ironically, we ended up pursuing an approach that was very similar to Bruce Lee's approach to training.
After all this, I find that for a system to adapt and retain it's presence as a true martial system it needs to stay true to learning and change. Tradition at this point can only hinder, not help, a system to grow to full fruition. A warrior learns by doing, and adapting, and thus growing. While tradition provides structure early on, it ultimately hinders the warriors true growth.
Thanks for sharing. This happens in other martial arts as well, and it's all due to the senior instructors. Some tend to stray away from tradition over time while being motivated by money, popularity or something other than the art. As a student you have to stay focused or seek a more serious dojo.
I love the quote: “Of course you all are right, because your virtual opponent will always lose to you…” - I am crying, that was such a smart quote against self-declared ‘msaters’
I love watching your videos! You are helping others to understand Japanese way of life, thank you, and bless you, and your family!!!
Great breakdown of your experiences in Iaido. I first heard about this budo several years ago and never thought for a second this level of disrespect could exist in their dojo. This is in part because of the level of respect the individual who first introduced it to me carried himself with. I hope that your ideas spread forward and bring honour to the art.
That was extremely instructive. I am a kendo practitioner and I did some iaido a few years back. That respect and spirituality is what I appreciated from iaido. It was a good complement to kendo, in this sense. If this is broken, then iaido loose its purpose.
13:31 in this condition the best martial art is Kendo, because if you just swing the sword around your body, you will never learn how to really fight. If you train in Battodo it will also not help you much. The reason is that if you just cut the mats, which are an object, so they won't strike back. A person will strike back for sure, because they are a living thing. That's why Kendo is the best, because you're FIGHTING someONE instead of ONLY STRIKING someTHING. The problem with Kendo is that it's more of a sport, instead of a martial art.
I like the little illustrations in these videos, they add a nice flair to them.
Thank you for your video. I love my dojo here in Charlottesville Virginia. Since we study Iaido, Kenjustu, and Sparring.
For me my Iaido experience was nice I'm thinking of becoming a master someday and will never give up but you're actually right in this video I agree too. I always keep in my mind not on their theories but my calm mind when I draw my sword it becomes focus.
This is something I’ve run into many, many times with martial arts. I’ve personally even taught under an instructor who genuinely didn’t know what he was doing just because I needed the money at the time, but I never bad mouthed him or spit on his name
I really enjoy your content . Thank you 🙏🏽
Thank you for your videos, they are most informative. I practice Iaido in South Africa, we have a small but dedicated club in the city of Johannesburg. We all enjoy our practice and are constantly trying to improve dispite being far away from the main global centers of Iaido.
This happens in alot of Dojos in the US even innmine sometimes. Especially when practicing Seitei or IaiJutsu even. The only way to really put to the test your technique is to free spar with shinai or bokken carefully.
It's so sad to see such a beautiful sword technique which is iaido to be mistreated by these disgusting masters and practitioners... I love iaido so much because of how peaceful and harmony it looks... And yes I agree with your suggestions on how to correct the way of iaido nowadays ☺️
I was waching this video with a big interest. Wow, it's so honest and realistique. Thank you Shogo !
This was very informative and interesting. Thank you Shogo!
As a student of multiple martial arts, including another koryu kenjutsu tradition in addition to MJER, I train in all the various arts as medieval military training, with all that it implies. I would argue that training in the martial arts without preserving the combative intent that the arts were founded on is to be hollow out the arts themselves; its like taking driving lessons without ever having the intent of being able to drive a car.
I agreed. People back in the day passing their knowledge down to future generation would want to keep the combative intent alive along with the techniques either, it's literally why the japanese preserved these arts even after WW2 because their combative intent train both the mind and the body of the practitioners, even when we don't need to use them in our daily life.
Training a combat art without it, especially when there's no sparring, people would be better off learning yoga or weight lifting
As a fellow Kenjutsu trainee, I disagree. My dojo definitely upholds the martial intent of our art, to the point of incorporating modern insights into our style. And personally I probably enjoy getting to fight people the most out of all the things I do while training.
But still I see the appeal of just practicing martial arts as a form of meditation and a means of cultivating personal growth. In everyday civilian life it is extremely unlikely that you'll ever utilise your skills outside of the dojo or competitions. So for practical purposes it really doesn't matter whether the martial art is viable for combat or not (the obvious exception being schools that claim to prepare you to defend yourself but only teach you how to get yourself stabbed).
Combat as sport versus as war. People do often mistake the former for the latter, though, and that does end up with a lot of people needlessly hurt from applying sports techniques and mentalities to serious violence.
@@jonathanmarth6426 in the arts that I learn the meditative aspects are a means to an end, rather than an end in itself. It seems that people are now learning the martial arts for their side effects rather than their primary objective. I strive to approach a discipline in the manner that it was originally intended: I would study poetry in the way that a professional poet would study it; I study martial arts in the way that a historical martial artist would study it. That doesn't mean that I tend to fight to the death with a sword any more than I would give up my day job to be a professional poet.
My experience with Iaido in the US was VERY different. Iaido was taught as a form of moving meditation, yes, against a virtual opponent, but that opponent was an extension of you. Disrespect was not demonstrated nor tolerated. Honestly some of the greatest people I have known.
this might be my most favourite channel ever. also you just made me realize i can build my dojo in my attic. so thank you
Just subscribed! Seems like I have learned another good lesson yet. Thanks!
I had created a little comic, where an Iaido trainee, (he is young at the time), changes it, by creating a virtual world, in which the trainee later goes into, to combat all sorts of crazy opponents lol. He is also able to summon the soul of blades, bringing out a spirit to fight along with him.
link?
@@vnenkpet Oh this was in high school. Recently while I was in the hospital, I was inspired to get back into the project, to redo the comic, and designs for the game. I had left it all alone for awhile, after my friend who worked with me died. I will put stuff up on here, as I start showing the designs.
@@inkmage4084 I'll be keeping an eye out for this.
@@inkmage4084
You should keep this thread informed on this comic. I'm also interested in at least checking it out.
@@TheBanishedWind Definitely, thank you! The main character, is an imaginary friend I had created when I was a child, it scared the hell out of my parents lol.
He's of an artificial race, called "Zayin", which just means weapon in old Hebrew, and that's what they were created to be. They are created with advanced science, and mysticism, as genes of a Nephilim were used.
LOL I actually had created him, when my brother and I played Final Fantasy XV Comrades, and I use it as my avatar of course. Currently in the process of working on his music, because in addition to him being a soldier/guardian, he is the lead singer/guitarist in a Rekkr metal band called "Einherjar". We're creating it as a new style of metal, where the guitars, have to sound very weapon-like.
The Iaido trainee eventually joins his band, and travels with him on the ship Stalheim. I had called the comic "Sentient Armament". The comic is supposed to go along with the game.
Love this video. I am an Iaido student in Michigan. Personally I am very fortunate I have never experienced any of the negative things in this video at my dojo. However my instructors have definitely talked about how they have experienced all of these back in their training days.
We have definitely created an environment of respect to each other, our swords and the art.
Shogo, I have been practicing Iaido for 40 years and I teach now. I like your Iaido videos and your thoughts and opinions.
I came from Kaz's channel. I like his style. No etiquette or mysterious stuff, but a strong and pure love for the sword art. I don't know whether the moves are really useful or not when I got involved in a fight some day, but they do lift up my spirit.
I salute you for expressing your last message before the video ended. That was a genuine Samurai move. I understand you Shogo and may you continue to speak of the truth. You will definitely have your 1M subs one day. Banzai!
I did train Iaido briefly in US, with western teachers. I am amazed, as judging from what you say, they had much more respect to both each other and to iaido itself than their Japanese counterparts. I completely agree that Iaido not being a practical martial art anymore should be approached as a form of mental and spiritual growth. Shame that masters themselves seem to think the opposite.
Japan in general has an issue with stubbornly sticking to traditions. So it doesn’t surprise me that Americans are more like “Check out all this cool stuff you can do.”
Shogo ... I really like your video and was fascinated with your comments.
About 30 years ago I had the privilege and benefit of reading the book Miyamoto Musashi written by Eiji Yoshikawa and it literally changed my outlook on a number of things in life. In particular my biggest take from reading it was that no one person has all the answers and as a result I have lived my life with the belief that “An open mind is the sign of intelligence “.
In the book it highlights that Musashi travelled the country combating against different schools and techniques all in an effort to be the best for himself. In one chapter local villagers laughed at him for attempting to farm a location that was prone to flooding. While he faced a number of failures he eventually overcame the challenge to prove that anything was possible.
Your description of the teachers criticism of other styles and techniques reminds of that story. My take on that is ... let people be ignorant and close minded, especially if you are doing for your own benefit. We all experience things differently and it would be tragic to be deterred by those that have a negative or different outlook in life.
I went to an introductory Iaido class here in Australia many years ago and sadly didn’t pursue it. I was seriously considering taking it up recently, so I for one value your comments and honesty. The truth is an invaluable commodity these days and sadly not used enough.
Thank you. 😎🇦🇺
I come from Germany and practice Iaido for even five years now. I never experienced these three things in our or other dojos or in Training Sessions around Germany. All Trainers are very respectful to each other an when we would talk during Reiho oder Torei, my sensei would be very angry. No one would do this. Also on Training Sessions with Japanese Trainers like Norio Furuichi Sensei we are always very polite to each other. So i wonder what kind of behavior you have experienced. But in one thing i agree to you. Some Trainers think they know the way to wisdom. They don't say it but you feel it.
P.S. Your Chanel is great, i've learned so much! And your way of speaking is very relaxing