Sword fighting, not all samurai play

Think of swords and martial arts, and the first two things that come into your mind are ‘ninja’ and samurai warriors.

Iaido lessons have started in Newcastle, a martial arts form which stirs one’s inner swordsman.

Iaido is a Japanese sword martial art which is associated with the smooth, controlled movements of drawing the sword from its scabbard, striking or cutting an opponent, removing blood from the blade, and then replacing the sword in the scabbard. Sensei Frik Willemse of Shorin-ryu Butokukan claimed there was more to it than meets the eye, warning wannabe musketeers that it was not about flashing swords and fighting.

Sensei Willemse said Shorin-ryu Butokukan, incorporated kobudo in its curriculum.

“Kobudo means “old martial way” and refers to the use of agricultural and fishing tools for self-defense. Some of the techniques we practice were developed for defence against a sword wielding attacker. I thought it would be good for my senior students to understand the basis of Japanese swordsmanship to better understand their kobudo training,” he explained.

Sensei Willemse said he also viewed the classes as an ideal opportunity to further his own study of iaido.

Iaido was apparently started in the mid 1500s and Seitei Iaido uses the same Kyu/Dan ranking system used by other Japanese martial arts, such as karate and judo, although there is no belt system used to physically indicate rank.

Students use three types of swords for training. Beginner students train with a wooden sword, intermediate students will practice with an iaito (a blunt training sword) and advanced students will practice with a shinken (real sword).

Sensei Willemse said he started his iaido training in 2004, while living in Pretoria, and enjoyed the opportunity of training under Akira Ishido at the Royal Japanese Embassy.

However, after hr moved back Newcastle in 2006, he found it difficult to continue practicing koryu iaido without a qualified sensei to teach him.

“I eventually started training seitei iaido on my own due to the fact that there are resources available on it and I was already familiar with the basic concepts of iaido,” Sensei Willemse explained.

With a sound knowledge of this form of martial arts, he said anyone of any age could practice without any prior experience in martial arts.

“Our youngest student is seven-years-old and she enjoys it tremendously. Iaido required intense discipline and effort if you want to do it properly. You literally have to do thousands of repetitions of the same technique before you will get it right.”

With no practical use in modern day, Sensei Willemse said there were life lessons which iaido bestowed on people. “In modern times iaido is considered to be a non-combative martial art. It will teach you discipline, patience, determination and confidence,” he said.

Currently, Sensei Willemse teaches iaido every Saturday morning. For more information on iaido, contact Frik Willemse on 079 585 1181.