SAMURAI SWORD ARTS At the core of Japanese tradition is the samurai, and the foremost symbol of the samurai is the sword. Katana, the Japanese sword, is a masterpiece of skilled craftsman­ship, demanding the same perfection of its user.     Above is an ukiyo-e, Japanese woodprint, by Kuniteru (Sadashige) 1855. It shows a scene from the story of the 47 ronin. The two major Japanese sword arts are kendo and iaido. The former is fencing, and the latter solo exercises with the steel blade.   In kendo, the fencers move quicker than the eye can see, to strike at the smallest openings the very moment they appear. The traditional equipment used by the kendoka must resist extreme wear and tear, and it is treated with the same care as the samurai had for his sword.   Iaido is the art of precision, of being as sharp in mind and movement as the edge of the sword. The primary equipment of the iaidoka is the sword, whether it is a shinken, a sharp blade, or iaito, a practice sword. The care and the exactitude is the same.   The kendo photos are from the International Kendo Seminar in Malmö, 2005. Tomas Ohlsson of Enighet dojo (EC gold, silver and bronze, four times Swedish Champion) shows iaido. The photos were taken by Stefan Stenudd. Notice that you can click on each picture to see an enlarged version. © SBI Sport AB. All rights reserved. Web design: Stefan Stenudd. Subscribe to our newsletter. KARATE JUDO TAEKWONDO JUJUTSU AIKIDO TAIDO SWORD BUDO-NORD is a brand of quality equipment for the Martial Arts since the 1960's. We are based in Sweden and sell to several European countries. Visit our internet store, by clicking our logotype to the right.