Switzerland
What Iaidō is
Iaidō practises the moment in which the sword leaves the scabbard. Unlike Kenjutsu, there is no opponent at the outset but a situation: the attack that has not yet begun. The form answers it in one movement — nukitsuke, the draw with the first cut; kiritsuke, the decisive blow; chiburi, shaking the blood from the blade; nōtō, returning it to the scabbard without looking.
Old line, new framework
The two Ryūha practised in Switzerland, Musō Jikiden Eishin-ryū and Musō Shinden-ryū, go back to Hayashizaki Jinsuke Shigenobu in the 16th century and are uncontested Koryū lines.
The Swiss groups, however, are organised through modern federation structures: alongside the Ryūha, the standardised Seitei Iaidō of the Zen Nippon Kendō Renmei is practised, and grading and competition assessment follow it as well. It is precisely this combination — transmitted Ryūha plus unified examination syllabus — that distinguishes Iaidō from a Koryū in the narrower sense.
Where training takes place
The federation keeps the club list itself and holds it up to date. Alongside the SKI there are groups in Switzerland in the Europe Shibu of the All Japan Iaido Federation and in the Fédération Européenne de Iaï.