Seiza no bu

1.   Ipponme  -  MAE:  Front

Situation:  You and your enemy are standing facing each other.  Both of you get into seiza carefully facing each other.

Start: You sense your enemy is about to attack.           

1. While maintaining zanshin you rise to your knees, drawing your iaito, step out with right foot and cut horizontally at your opponent’s temple.
2. Your enemy eludes your cut and continues to be a threat.
3. You bring your iaito overhead, shuffle forward and cut strongly vertically with both hands holding the iaito.
4. Your enemy has been stopped.
5. Perform o-chiburi as you rise.
6. Step in (left foot to right) and check enemy.
7. Right foot back. Perform noto. As your right knee touches the ground check enemy.
8. Rise, bring right foot to left.
9. Take your hand off tsuka and step back with dignity.

2.   Nihonme  -  USHIRO:   Back

Situation:  You and your enemy are standing facing each other.  You turn to the right until your back is to your enemy. Both of you get into seiza carefully.

Start: You sense your enemy is about to attack.           

1. While maintaining zanshin look left and rise to your knees, as you turn left start drawing your iaito.
2. Step out with left foot and cut horizontally at your opponent’s temple. (Notice the rest of the kata is the same as Mae with right and left foot movement switched.)
3. Your enemy eludes your cut and continues to be a threat.
4. Bring your iaito overhead, shuffle (left foot) forward and cut strongly vertically with both hands holding the iaito.
5. Your enemy has been stopped.
6. Perform o-chiburi as you rise.
7. Step in (right foot to left) and check enemy.
8. Left foot back. Perform noto. As your left knee touches the ground and check enemy.
9. Rise, bring left foot to right.
10. Take your hand off tsuka and step back with dignity.

3.   Samponme  -  UKE NAGASHI:  Receive and deflect

Situation:  You and your enemy are standing facing each other.  You turn to the right until your left side is to your enemy. Both of you get into seiza carefully.

Start: You sense your enemy is about to rise and attack.            

1.        While maintaining zanshin you turn your chest to the left while rising, drawing your iaito upward and placing your left foot next to your right knee.

2.        As your enemy rises and cuts at your head, you rise and deflect his cut with the back of your iaito.

3.        The deflection brings your iaito over your right shoulder as you bring your feet together then as you move your left foot back you cut your enemy left shoulder to right hip.

4.        Your enemy has been stopped.

5.        While holding the iaito with both hands, bring your left arm out horizontally and place the end of the iaito just above the right knee touching the hakama performing chiburi.

6.        Reverse the grip of your right hand. (Palm up to palm down.)

7.        Move your left hand to the opening on the saya.

8.        Sweep the iaito tip in a protective (protect legs) manner from your right knee to your left side to perform noto.

9.        While performing noto lower your left knee to touch the ground and check enemy

10.     Rise, bring left foot to right.

11.   Take your hand off tsuka turn to face front and step back with dignity.

Tatehiza no bu

4.   Yonhonme  -  TSUKA – ATE:  Hilt strike

Situation:  You are standing and you carefully sit into  iai-hiza with one enemy in seiza facing you and another in back of you sitting in seiza..

Start: You sense your enemy in front is about to attack. 

1.        1.While maintaining zanshin you rise to your left knee, stomp right foot and simultaneously strike your enemy in the solarplex with the kashira (but end of handle).

2.        Looking to your left you see the enemy behind is attacking.

3.        You turn your hips left unsheathing the iaito and thrust it into the opponent’s chest.

4.        The enemy behind you has been stopped.

5.        Looking to the front you see the stunned enemy is about to resume attacking.

6.        You turn your hips back to the front bringing your iaito overhead and strongly cut down vertically.

7.        The enemy in front has been stopped.

8.        Perform yoki chiburi by snapping the iaito to the right.

9.        While performing noto, turn your hips right and bring your right foot back slightly to check both enemies.

10.     Return your hips and right foot to previous position and rise.

11.     Take your hand off the tsuka turn to face front and step back with dignity.

All standing katas are 3 steps (except as noted in kata): 

Start with right step, as you step left grab saya, as you step right draw iaito.

Tachi no bu

5.   Gohonme  -  KESA   GIRI:  Diagonal Cuts

Situation:  You are walking and an enemy is approaching you.

Start: You sense your enemy in front is about to attack. 

1.        While walking maintaining zanshin you (on the left step) turn the saya over and draw your iaito and (on right step) cut diagonally upward, momentarily immobilizing you enemy.

2.        You continue immediately with a cut diagonally downward (right foot is still forward).

3.        The enemy has been stopped.

4.        Step back with your right foot into hasso and check the enemy.

5.        Perform chiburi from hasso as you step back with your left foot.

6.        Perform noto, then bring the back foot to the front foot.

7.        Take your hand off the tsuka and step back with dignity.

6.   Ropponme  -  MOROTE  ZUKI:  Two hand thrust

Situation:  You are walking, an enemy is approaching you and another is following you..

Start: You sense your enemy in front is about to attack. 

1.        While walking maintaining zanshin you (on the right step) draw your iaito and cut diagonally at his face.

2.        Immediately bring your feet together and step with your right foot while doing a two hand thrust to his chest immobilizing your enemy.

3.        Sensing the enemy behind you turn around (left) step with the right foot and cut overhead to his head.

4.        The enemy behind has been stopped.

5.        Turning around again (left), to the enemy in front you, step with your right foot and cut overhead to his head.

6.        This enemy has been stoped.

7.        Perform yoki chiburi by snapping the iaito to the right.

8.        Perform noto, then bring the back foot to the front foot.

9.        Take your hand off the tsuka and step back with dignity.

7.   Shichihonme  -  SAMPO GIRI:  Three directional cutting

Situation:  You are walking (This kata is five steps) through an open doorway.  You see an enemy inside facing you.

Start: You sense something is wrong as you cautiously approach the doorway.  

1.        As you are about to step into the doorway - when you notice two enemies. One is hiding on the right and the other on the left ready to attack you.

2.        While walking maintaining zanshin on the fourth step reach for the saya.

3.        On the fifth step, right foot sliding to the right, draw your iaito overhead. Cut downward (one handed) to the enemy right temple.

4.        Pivot immediately 180 degree, look at enemy in front (no threat), and continue with a two handed overhead downward cut to the head of the enemy on the left.

5.        The two enemies on the right and left have been stopped.

6.        Pivot confidently to the right facing the last enemy.  Slide forward and finish that enemy with an overhead downward cut his head.

7.        The last enemy has been stopped.

8.        As you step back with your right foot bring the iaito to jodan and check all three enemies.

9.        Perform chiburi from jodon as you step back with your left foot.

10.     Perform noto, then bring the back foot to the front foot.

11.     Take your hand off the tsuka and step back with dignity.

8.   Hachihonme  -  GAMMEN ATE:  Face strike

Situation:  You are walking seeing an enemy approaching you while another is following you.

Start: You sense the enemy approaching is about to attack.

1.        While walking maintaining zanshin as you step with the right foot strike the enemy with the kashira in the face.

2.        Pivot immediately 180 degree, while taking your iaito out of the saya.  Place the tsuka on your hip with the kissaki pointing at the second enemy, cutting edge to your right. 

3.        Step with your right foot as you thrust your iaito, one handed, into the solarplex of the enemy.

4.        Pivot immediately 180 degree, and step with your right foot while bringing the iaito to jodan and cutting the first dazed enemy in the temple.

5.        Both enemies have been stopped.

6.        Perform yoki chiburi by snapping the iaito to the right

7.        Perform noto, then bring the back foot to the front foot.

8.        Take yourhand off the tsuka and step back with dignity

9.   Kyuhonme – SOETE TSUKI:  Joined hand thrust

Situation:  You are walking with a building at your left.

Start: You sense an enemy as you approach the end of the building hiding behind the corner

1.        While walking maintaining zanshin you look to your left at the corner, seeing the enemy.

2.        As you turn your body to the left draw your iaito overhead and cut (one handed) down through the enemies right shoulder as your left foot is drawn back.

3.        Draw your iaito back to your hip and twisting your right shoulder place your left hand atop the mune.

4.        Thrust the kissaki forcibly, left hand assisting, into the abdomen of the enemy while stepping left, right, pause.

5.        Leaving the left hand, palm down, move the right hand away from your body and up diagonally.

6.        The enemy has been stopped.

7.        Move your left hand to the koiguchi and your left foot back as you snap the chiburi.

8.        Perform noto, then bring the back foot to the front foot.

9.        Take yourhand off the tsuka,, face front, then step back with dignit

10.   Jupponme – SHIHO GIRI:  Four directional cutting.

Situation:  You are walking surrounded by four enemies walking with you at your four diagonals.  You sense the enemy attacking.

Summary:  You surprise the first attacking enemy (right front) by suddenly striking his wrist with your hilt. Turning left you remove the saya and thrust your iaito into the solar plexus of the second enemy (left rear).Turn back to the first enemy and finish him with a downward vertical cut.  Turn right and cut downward vertically at the third enemy (right rear).  Then turn (180 degree) into waki gami, step and cut downward vertically at the last enemy (left front).  Step back into jodan and survey your enemies. All four have been stopped.  Perform chiburi, noto and step back with dignity.