Iaido was outlawed by the occupation forces after World War II, but after the art was reinstated, iaidoka created groups to standardize practice. Each has its own stylistic differences and approach to training. In the 16th century, Hayashizaki Jinsuke Shigenobu founded Shin Muso Hayashizaki-ryu, a school of iaido that spread across Japan and branched off into numerous other traditions or ryuha. Today, the most popular are Muso Shinden-ryu, Muso Jikiden Eishin-ryu, Tamiya-ryu, and Mugai-ryu, but dozens, if not hundreds, of other styles exist. Schools of swordsmanship developed that placed a great emphasis on the initial draw-and-cut. Batto (“sword drawing”) was taught as one of the many martial arts required for samurai.
The exquisite sharpness of the Japanese sword meant that fights could end an instant after they began, so quick actions with no wasted motions meant the difference between life and death. But when these weapons failed, or when fighting came down to close-quarter combat, the ability to swiftly draw one’s sword and attack was essential. On the battlefields of medieval Japan, samurai were armed with various weapons such as bows, spears, halberds, and eventually firearms.
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