Abstract
The purpose of this research is to make a quantitative analysis of iaido (the martial art of using the Japanese sword) proficiency using body movement data captured with a motion capture system. We carried out motion capture experiments on kirioroshi (a straight overhead slash) movement of roppon-me (a two-handed sword thrust) in iaido. It proved possible to analyze the proficiency of an iaido practitioner by conducting a principal components analysis (PCA) and a cluster analysis using the characteristic parameters of body movement. As a result, we verified that a skilled practitioner has more velocity with respect to center of gravity and right-hand movement, and has a more stabilized body than a beginner when performing kirioroshi. Therefore, it was found that the feature values extracted from a PCA can be used to classify the proficiency of an iaido practitioner by using cluster analysis.
