Iaido: Art of drawing and cutting with Japanese sword – Two days seminar to be held at Pasadena, Feb 19-20

Katsuo Oda sensei of Shizuoka prefecture will come to the Iaido seminar in Pasadena in February 2011 (Photo courtesy of Spiros G Drossoulakis in Athens, Greek)

On February 19 and 20, 2011, the Southern California Iaido Association will be hosting an iaido seminar at the Pasadena Buddhist Church on 1993 Glen Ave., Pasadena, California, 91103. This seminar will be held in conjunction with the Southern California Kendo Federation.

The seminar will feature a guest instructor from Shizuoka prefecture, Japan, Katsuo Oda sensei. Oda sensei holds the ranks of hanshi 8 dan (expert instructor, 8th degree black belt) in iaido and kyoshi 7 dan (advanced instructor, 7th degree black belt) in kendo, the art of Japanese fencing. Oda sensei has traveled extensively throughout Europe, Australia and the Americas conducting seminars on behalf of the All Japan Kendo Federation (AJKF).

Iaido is the art of drawing and cutting with the Japanese sword (katana). Unlike kendo, iaido is practiced mostly solo and is based on predetermined forms, or kata. Each kata contains four elements: drawing of the sword from the scabbard, striking and cutting down one or more opponents, symbolically removing blood off the blade and returning the sword to the scabbard. Only a few hundred people practice this art in the United States and attracts a mature audience.

The seminar is expected to attract over a dozen beginning through advanced iaido practitioners, mainly from the West Coast, and will focus on a standard set of iaido kata as developed by the AJKF used for rankings and tournaments.

For more information, visit the Southern California Kendo Federation website: http://www.eanet.com/sckf/