Kirin wrote:The Iai sword techniques, similar to batoujutsu, involve expertise in quickly drawing and sheathing a sword (generally a katana). So it makes sense for Georg. Iai swords/techniques show up in some other RPGs as well... I think it's a tech in Legend of Mana.
Yeah, there's a tech in LoM called "Iai Strike".
Honestly, I'd never heard the term "battoujutsu" before, but I'd come across mention of "iaijutsu" and "iaido" in a textbook-style volume about classical samurai fighting arts. I think the advantage to using a katana instead of a straight, more western-styled blade like Georg's is mostly centered around the fact that you can draw a sword with just the right degree of curve faster than you can draw a straight one of the same length. I can't find any information suggesting that there's a special type of iai-specific sword, just a katana of the right length (a little over 2', depending on your height) with a certain degree of curvature. Too much curvature or too little can slow down the draw, and it also affects the balance and makes it harder to control; this is important since iai is based on very quick, precise attacks.
Seems like it wasn't a "war" art so much as a "combat" one, if that makes any sense; the kind of thing that was best-suited for social settings (like dueling) or situations where you found yourself fighting unexpectedly (like ambushes).
Georg's blade definitely isn't a katana, it's my understanding that katana don't generally have doubled edges and aren't that broad or straight...