Welcome to the Calgary Iaido Club

What is Iaido

Iaido is a traditional Japanese martial art consisting of drawing the sword and cutting in the same motion. Iaido is a not combative martial art, so there are no opponents beyond the imaginary kind. The whole point is self improvement, not self defence. Iaido is the sister art to Kendo and Jodo which are all under the jurisdiction of the Canadian Kendo Federation which in turn is under the jurisdiction of the All Japan Kendo Federation. It is recommended that practitioners have some understanding of all three of the aforementioned martial arts, but is not required.

Iaido is a very personal martial art and the word ‘Iaido’ has different meanings depending on the iaidoka (iaido practitioner). A less abstract meaning of the word is the way of the sword or the way of harmonizing one's self in action at all times and in all conditions.