Canadian Iaido Association Tsuba Crest

Canadian Iaido Association

30th year
In order from left to right: Denton Hewgill Sensei, 7th Dan, President of the Canadian Iaido Association; Kato Haruo Sensei, 10th Dan Hanshi, ZNIR Vice President and President of the Kantō region federation; Tanida Hiroshi Sensei, 10th Dan Hanshi, Head of ZNIR Secretary Bureau of the Kantō region.

What is Iaido?

Iaido is the traditional Japanese martial art of drawing and cutting with the samurai sword. The purpose of Iaido is to develop awareness, centeredness, sincerity, a calm mind, and mental and physical harmony through the practice of traditional sword techniques. Iaido practitioners, or Iaidoka, perform predetermined techniques, or waza, to replicate a specific situation and the correct way to respond to these situations with defending or attacking techniques. It was derived from Iaijutsu, a specialization of Kenjutsu. It is the Japanese martial art that is most closely associated with the samurai class and Japanese nobility. It is not considered a sport, but rather a unique and ancient traditional art for the development of mind, body, and spirit.

Iai translates literally to “meeting in a place” but a deeper meaning is “flowing from peace, to conflict, then back to peace”. This transmission from peace to conflict and back again with an innate state, neither prepared nor unprepared of mind is the most difficult part to train, for a samurai or martial artist.

The Canadian Iaido Association (ZNIR/CIA) was established in 1993 to promote iaido in Canada, establish formal links with the All Japan Iaido Federation (ZNIR), to hold seminars on a regular basis with high-ranking teachers of the ZNIR, and to administer dan examinations in Canada in accordance with the standards and methods of the ZNIR.

The Association is a non-profit organization registered with the British Columbia Provincial Government. Instructors are volunteers and receive no pay.

Recent News

Congratulations to the 2023 Shinsa Juushinsha!

Congratulations to everyone who tested at the 2023 CIA Seminar Dan exam, everyone passed!
(more…)

Posted on: 22 Nov 23 | Read on

2023 CIA Seminar Complete!

The 2023 CIA Seminar is complete, thank you to all who travelled to Victoria to make this a successful seminar.

(more…)

Posted on: 22 Nov 23 | Read on

2023 Canadian Iaido Association Seminar

We are pleased to announce, after a long hiatus, the 27th ZNIR/CIA Iaido Seminar will be held in Victoria, BC, from November 17 to 19, 2023, at the Lochside School in Victoria British Columbia.

(more…)

Posted on: 16 Apr 23 | Read on

Happy New Year 2023!

Happy New Year 2023! 明けましておめでとうございます!

2022 was a year we were able to practice more frequently since the pandemic started. Things are starting to look up! The Canadian Iaido Association will continue to follow all precautions as necessary; hopefully we have some good news for a seminar this year, and we look forward to reconnecting with iaidoka if we can do so.
(more…)

Posted on: 02 Jan 23 | Read on

2022 Summer Seminar Cancelled due to Continued Pandemic Response

After a short discussion, we have decided to cancel the 2022 Canadian Iaido Association Summer Seminar due to the ongoing issues with respect to the pandemic.

(more…)

Posted on: 28 Jun 22 | Read on
  • Become an Affiliated Dojo
  • Home
  • News Archive
  • Past Seminars
  • Affiliated/Supporting Dojos
    • Become an Affiliated Dojo
  • Association Regulations
    • Communication Rules
    • Seminar Rules & Etiquette
    • Apparel Rules
    • Safety concerns
    • Video filming
  • ZNIR/CIA Registration
    • ZNIR Regulations
    • ZNIR and CIA Fees
    • Dan and Kyu Examinations
    • CIA Attainable Dan and Kyu
  • ZNIR/CIA Information
    • Shibu Certificate
    • The Three Official CIA Artifacts
    • CIA Membership Structure
    • CIA Directors
    • Instructor Profiles
      • Denton Hewgill Sensei, CIA President
      • Chris Tooley Sensei, Vice President and Manager of Finances
      • Eric Dunning Sensei, Manager of General Affairs
      • Itoh Takeji Sensei, ZNIR Overseas Auditor and CIA Secretary General
        • Kansayaku Commission Certificate
      • Mark MᶜAllister, Manager of Promotion
      • Stuart Branson, Manager of Labour
      • Theodore Davis Sensei, Canadian Iaido Association Founder
    • CIA Honours and Lapel Pin
    • Temporary Certificate Example
    • The ZNIR/CIA Relation
    • ZNIR/CIA Dan and Kyu Ranks
    • ZNIR and MJER Seitokai
  • ZNIR/CIA History
  • Contact Us
  • Non-Profit Society
  • Other Sites
Click to subscribe to our RSS feedRSS Feed
Canadian Iaido Association Crest Zen Nippon Iaido Renmei Mon

© Canadian Iaido Association