Suwari Waza Iai Kata – Wakizashi Against Katana

This sequence is a Suwari Waza Iai Kata. Both opponents are seated in Seiza, facing each other: Uke carries a sheathed Katana, while Tori carries a sheathed Wakizashi. Tori needs two steps to reach Uke, whereas Uke only needs one.

As Uke places his hand on the Tsuka, Tori takes a small forward step with his left leg to bait the attack. Uke then draws while advancing his right leg, attempting to cut Tori’s forward leg in a single motion. Tori immediately withdraws his leg while drawing his Wakizashi, deflecting Uke’s cut to the outside.
Tori then closes the distance by stepping in with his right leg, entering on the inside. With his free left hand, he grips Uke’s armed wrist and raises his Wakizashi. Instead of cutting, Tori strikes and pushes into Uke’s shoulder with his fist, driving him onto his back. He finishes by controlling Uke with the Wakizashi placed across the neck, his right knee pressing the rib cage, and Uke’s armed arm immobilized by locking the elbow over Tori’s other knee.

The Kata does not end with a killing cut because it represents a situation inside a Lord’s castle. In such a setting, avoiding bloodshed is preferable whenever possible, and restraining the attacker allows for questioning afterward—whether the aggression was personal, or carried out under someone else’s orders.
In addition, responsibility for the conflict would fall on the person who “drew first,” regardless of the outcome. The usual standard was simply who revealed their blade first. For this reason, Tori first brings the knee forward as if preparing to draw, encouraging Uke to expose his sword first.
Finally, since samurai inside a castle would normally carry only a Wakizashi, this Kata is specifically meant to train the use of a shorter blade against a longer Katana—an exceptional situation, practiced in case an opponent managed to enter the castle with a full-length sword and intended to attack from the start.