Iaido curriculum

Katana

Below you can find the names and approximate translations of the various kata in the ZNKR Seitei and Muso Shinden Ryu Iaido syllabus. Koryu kata names come from a long history where meanings may have been different, the Chinese characters redefined or even rewritten and a certain degree of poetic license applied. To that end, it is not advised to take the translations too literally; they are names primarily and meanings secondarily. They may indicate a scenario, a methodology or simply a feeling within the kata. The Chinese characters used have multiple meanings depending on the context.

Zen Nihon Kendo Renmei Iai

Iaido Mae
Nakamura Sensei Shoden Ryuto
Nakamura Sensei  Shoden Gyakuto

Muso Shinden Ryu

Shoden (Omori Ryu) - First Teaching:

Chuden (Hasegawa Eishin Ryu) - Middle Teaching:

Andy Watson Chuden Oroshi
Morishima Sensei Chuden Ukigumo
Morishima Sensei Okuden Tozume

Okuden (Suwariwaza) - Inner Teaching (Seated):

Okuden (Tachiwaza) - Inner Teaching (Standing):

Ishido Sensei Okuden Tachiwaza Ukenagashi

Tachi Uchi No Kurai - Paired Cutting Forms:

An explanation of the kata names in Iaido

The following is provided to assist people in understanding the meaning of the individual kata names in Iaido. Typically the ZNKR Seitei Iai names are reasonably modern, simple and self-explanatory. The names within the koryu can sometimes be derivatives of older names and the original meanings may be lost in history and altered through the lineage. 

ZNKR Seitei Iai