Rules & Regulations
The Canadian National Iaido Championships are conducted under the official rules and regulations established for the event and apply to judges, competitors, and coaches.
The competition is structured to support a national development pathway, celebrate shared standards across Canada, and provide a meaningful forum to demonstrate technical ability and artistic expression in iaido.
Divisions
Competition is organized into Provincial, Regional, and Open divisions, each with its own format and purpose. Competitors may participate in one division only, under the following conditions:
Competitors not selected to a Provincial or Regional team will only compete in the Open division.
Competitors may compete in both Provincial and Regional divisions ONLY if there are insufficient candidates from a given province or region.
All matches are judged according to official Zen Ken Ren shiai embu standards, with final alignment and clarification provided at the Shinpan Seminar on July 17.
Scoring
For team and individual results, scoring is based on wins and flags earned during competition, with tie-breaking procedures applied where required. If a tie remains after the final tie-break procedure, the tied competitors or teams will share the result.
Scoring is used to rank individuals and teams for preliminary matches and final standings. A different method is used for individual (1 vs 1) shiai and teams (3 vs 3, or 5 vs 5) shiai.
Divisions
Provincial Division
Selected by the most senior leaders in each province. Two (2) teams per province
Team Composition
Senpo: Kyu – 1 Dan
Chuken: Up to 3 Dan
Taisho: Up to 5 Dan
Regional Division
Selected by the most senior leaders in each region. Two (2) teams per region
Team Composition
Senpo: Kyu– 1 Dan
Jiho: 2 Dan
Chuken: 3 Dan
Fukisho: 4 Dan
Taisho: 5 Dan
Open Division
Division is open to all competitors not participating in Provincial or Regional divisions
Format
Elimination only
No preliminary rounds
Scoring
Individual Scoring
Individual competitors compete against others within the same rank category.
For each match:
Win = 1.00 point
Each flag awarded = 0.01 point
An individual’s final score is calculated as:
Total Score = Total Wins + (Total Flags × 0.01)
After all matches in the rank category are complete, competitors are ranked according to their total score.
Team Scoring
Individual Shiai
A team’s final result is based on the combined scores of all team members based on the individual scoring rubric.
The team score is calculated as: Sum of all individual member scores
The team with the highest total score is ranked higher.
Team Shiai
A team’s result is based on having more wins (at least 2/3 for Province and 3/5 for Region).
Tie Breakers
If two or more individuals or teams have the same total score, ties are resolved in the following order:
1. Total Number of Wins
The competitor or team with the greater number of wins is ranked higher.
2. Head-to-Head Result
If total wins are also equal, the result of the direct matchup between the tied competitors or teams will determine the ranking, where applicable.
3. Shared Result
If the tie remains after head-to-head, the tied competitors or teams will share the result.