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Muso Shinden Ryu
Muso Shinden Ryu traces its roots back to Hayashizaki Minamoto no Shigenobu (1546 - 1621). He called his style Shimmei Muso Ryu. This was the first systematized iai school. Later, his students named the style Shin Muso Hayashizaki Ryu. In the 20th century the masters Oe Masamichi Shikei (1852-1927) and Nakayama Hakudo Hiromichi (1869-1958) significantly reorganised and modified the curriculum, and presented the collection of three ryu of the tradition as just one style, calling one ryu 'basic techniques', another 'intermediate', and the third one 'advanced'.

With this foundation, Muso Shinden Ryu as we know it today was born in the early 1900's. Nakayama Hakudo Sensei, a man who had dedicated his life to the study of kendo and iai, came to the conclusion that the classical arts should be reinterpreted and opened to the general public in order for them to survive in the changing world. He formulated the Muso Shinden Ryu katas using techniques from Omori Ryu and Eishin Ryu. He stressed the importance of sword training, no longer as a just a practical art, but as a method of improving oneself. The sword is no longer a tool for cutting down your enemy, but a tool for cutting your ego as well.

• The First Level
  This level is originally called Omori style. The forms of this level start in Seiza pose except the 10th, which starts with a standing position.

• The Middle Level
  This level is also called the Hidenobu (Eishin) style. The last form "Nukiuti" starts in "Seiza" position, but this is the only exception. The rests start in the older sitting pose "Tatehiza". The naming of forms is like poems (pseudo-archaic elegant style, which literate people, not warriors, tend to use). This style maybe a collection of older forms, revised to apply to modern situations by HASEGAWA Hidenobu, who as an officer served for Nagoya Tokugawa Family.

• The Secret Level
  It is called "Oku Iai" in Japanese. It seems a collection of real assasinating techniques. The name "Oku" implies that these forms were confidentially inherited and have never been exposed to people outside of the school? I don't think so. I think these forms are simply old and original, have been treated as sacred ones.
  Divided into two parts: sitting and standing. Itomagoi starts in Seiza pose, though. Standing Forms seem rather old.

• Seitei Gata
  In addition to one or more of the various traditional schools, many iaido practitioners also practice the Zen Nihon Kendo Renmei (ZNKR) Seitei Gata (All Japan Kendo Federation Example Forms). These forms were introduced in 1967 because it was felt that modern kendo (Japanese fencing) practitioners were losing touch with real sword techniques. This is because modern kendo is practiced using a bamboo sword called a shinai instead of a katana or a wooden katana substitute (bokuto or bokken). The ZNKR introduced seven example forms that were based on several traditional schools but were not forms associated with any one school. Thirteen years later in 1980, three more forms were added. In 2001, another two forms were added. Today there are a total number of 12 seitei gata. These twelve forms or kata contain about ninety percent of the fundamental elements of iaido. The ZNKR iaido kata consist of four sitting and eight standing kata that include the most typical and effective sword techniques from the variaous older traditional ryu: horizontal, vertical, diagonal and successive cuts, as well as thrusts and stabs.