Q13. What other arts has Sensei trained in?
IS.: I have also studied kendo and jukendo (rifle/bayonet). In the beginning kendo was my main interest.

Q13b What is Sensei’s rank in kendo?
IS.: I am Kyoshi Nanadan.

Q14. How do these other budo arts fit in with your iai practice?
IS.: Kendo complements iaido, the form is different but the spirit is the same. The body movements are also slightly different but can help with each other.

Q14b Is it advisable for iaido students to learn kendo or Koryu Kenjutsu in order to get a better understanding of Japanese sword arts?
IS.: Yes, this is very much the case. The partner work will help the iaido waza to develop further and better, and vice versa.

Q15. Who was Sensei's first budo teacher?
IS.: My junior high school teacher Seo Hikosaburo was very good, excellent in fact. Because of him I learnt a lot and I am very thankful to him for what he taught me.

Q15b What was the name of your school?
IS.: It was called Kagawa Kenritsu Miyoshi Junior High School.

Q16. Who was Sensei's first iai teacher?
IS.: Soon after coming back to Japan in 1949, I started practicing kendo again. I heard there was a very traditional Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu in Kochi and there was Soke there and I wanted to learn iaido too. I knew Koda Morio Sensei, who had just came back from Taiwan. I started to practice kendo and learn iaido under him. Koda Sensei graduated from a special budo school (Kyoto Budo Senmon Gakko), and took part in a 7-day iaido seminar by Oe sensei. One day I asked Koda sensei about waza, then he said, "I learned from Oe sensei, but just for seven days and that was a long time ago, so I forgot. The parts I forgot are my own style." Then I asked him, "May I go to Kochi to learn iaido?" He said, "yes". So I decided to go. But we kept practicing together after that, for about 20 years. He corrected his own style silently. He was a very upright and good teacher.

In May 1957 I attended the Kyoto Taikai (organised by the ZNKR). On my way home, I met by chance Fukui Harumasa Sensei (the 19th Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu Soke) Yamamoto Takuji Sensei and Taoka Tsutau (also called Taoka Den) Sensei. Soon after I met them, I asked Yamamoto Sensei to teach me and I started to visit Kochi in August 1957. I was 43 years old then. I learnt all the waza and all the things about the old and new Kochi iaido by asking them. I studied iaido there for 5 years.Then I studied under Mori Shigeki sensei until he passed away in 1988. Mori Sensei started to learn under Oe Sensei when he was a junior high school student, and kept learning till Oe Sensei passed away in 1927.

Q16b Was Iwata Sensei Yamamoto Sensei’s private student or were there lots of students?
IS.: Yes I was a private student of Yamamoto Takuji Sensei, but he also had lots of other students.

Q16c In what year did Iwata Sensei start iaido under Mori Sensei?
IS.: I started to learn separately with Mori Shigeki Sensei in 1972.

Q17. Who were the most influential teachers for Iwata Sensei's iai and budo career?
IS.: I would have to say that it was the three teachers I mentioned above. I have met many fine budoka and teachers in my life, including Morihei Ueshiba Sensei who was very powerful, but these three teachers are still the most important to me.
I met Ueshiba Sensei at Military Police school, where he was giving lessons. I was there for two months just before the war broke. The training was meant to be for a year but war broke out after two months and it stopped. Ueshiba Sensei was a very special person. No one could reach him, he moved so well and his spirit was so strong. Even when ten people tried to attack him at the same time they were not able to catch him. But when he caught hold of your hand you had to move where he wanted you to move or your arm would break.

Q18. Are these teachers still teaching, where?
IS.: Unfortunately all of these teachers are now dead. This is the natural way of things but their memory and their teaching is still with me. The Menkyo Kaiden's I have from both Yamamoto Takuji Sensei and Mori Shigeki Sensei help to remind me of their teaching and in this respect they are very useful. We also have some film footage of these teachers, which is also useful, but you have to look closely at what they are doing, and know what was common at the time, to understand these films. Again, my students in Eikoku Roshu Kai have copies of these.

Q19. How was your instruction carried out? What teaching methods did your teachers use?
IS.: Initially the teaching was strict. The Sensei's would demonstrate the waza, then I would imitate them and afterwards they would correct. So the teachers did more iaido, again and again they would demonstrate good waza and I would follow.
A) Yamamoto Takuji sensei's iaido: He learnt iaido under Oe Sensei for about 6 years before Oe Sensei passed away. Yamamoto Takuji Sensei was not so young when he learnt Oe Sensei's iaido. He acquired Oe sensei's last iaido thoroughly.

B) How I learnt under Yamamoto Takuji sensei: For the first 3 months he didn't explain at all. He demonstrated the eleven Seiza No Bu waza, then I did them. We did this in turns. I learnt his iaido without asking. Three months later, he explained the reasons briefly. He taught me Seiza No Bu for one year. Then I could learn Tate Hiza No Bu. I visited Kochi every Sunday. I arrived at the Kochi dojo (Chidokan) at around 9:30 in the morning. I left Kochi after 3 o'clock in the afternoon by train. I practiced for 5 or 6 hours each time.

While I was practicing under Yamamoto Takuji Sensei, Fukui Harumasa Sensei, Taoka Tsutau Sensei, and Shimazaki Teruyuki san gathered around and watched my practice smiling. Shimazaki san owned a martial arts shop. He was always with Oe Sensei until Oe Sensei passed away. While Yamamoto Takuji Sensei was taking a break, they called me aside and gave me additional lessons. I remember I had little break. I learnt all the 45 waza during these 3 years, and my teacher said, "You don't need to come any more. You have finished." However, I asked him to teach me more. I went to Kochi for 2 years and 6 months more. We did all the 45 waza for about one hour and each time I listened to all the traditional Kochi iaido stories they knew. Later this helped me a lot. I feel the long years of practice were really good. Yamamoto Takuji Sensei passed away in 1977. He was 92 years old.

C) How I learnt under Mori Shigeki sensei: After learning in Kochi, I started to visit Mori Sensei in Matsuyama to get his comments and guidance once every 2 months. Maybe he liked my iaido attitude, for he sometimes visited me. He also came to Kanonji, and taught my comrades and me. Mori Sensei respected Yamamoto Takuji Sensei's teachings. He said repeatedly "You have learnt the most dynamic Tosa (Kochi) gihou (technique). You have attained the dynamic iaido sufficiently well. However, Oe Sensei's iaido was half-dynamic and half-graceful." I remember he encouraged me. He didn't correct what I was doing, he only added his iaido to mine. Later he became disabled and moved to his child's house in Nagoya. I made it a point to visit him once in every 2 or 3 months and talked on various topics all day long. He was very pleased with this. He passed away on 29 May 1988. He was 97 years old. My teachers were long-lived.
Mori Sensei learnt with Oe Sensei for 20 years. Yamamoto Sensei learnt from Oe Sensei for the last 6 years. So both had direct teaching from Oe Sensei. Mori Sensei also learnt from Hokiyama Namio Sensei, the 18th Soke. Hokiyama Sensei and Mori Sensei were high school classmates. I learnt a lot from Mori Sensei, especially in the conversations about Oe Sensei’s life and iaido. Also Mori Sensei saw Fukui Harumasa Sensei for the last time just 2 hours before he died. So all the teachers were very close.

At that time there was no conflict between people practicing Tanimura Ha and Shimomura Ha. In Kochi you could go to both. Kochi people were very friendly and you could train as you liked, so I was able to learn both ha of the ryu. People outside Kochi then, and now, sometimes say differently but they are not correct. I was very happy and lucky to have such great teachers, they were always pleased to teach me more when I asked.

Q19a When was Hokiyama Sensei born and when did he die? Was his successor already known?
IS.: You can find the dates for Hokiyama Sensei in my book. No, his successor was not known right away. Fukui sensei was Hokiyama Sensei's close friend. They used to drink together. So soon after Hokiyama Sensei died, his wife gave his sword to Fukui sensei without the ceremony. After that, for a few years, no one said anything, because the people were having a hard time. He died in 1935 - it was before the Second World War. But people started to object. Fukui sensei said, "I will choose 21st Soke from Kochi". The old teachers in Kochi quelled the dispute.

Q19b Did Oe Sensei leave any written material about iaido or budo?
IS.: Unfortunately Oe Sensei did not leave any books or written material. His students collated all the information.

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