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Chūdan-no-kamae
, occasionally ''Chūdan-gamae'', or simply ''Chūdan'' as it is shortened to in many Japanese martial arts schools that instruct in the use of the katana (sword). Chūdan-no-kamae translates to "middle-level posture", it is also called Seigan-no-kamae (正眼之構) that can be translated to "right posture". In most traditional schools of swordsmanship, and in the practice of kendo, chūdan-no-kamae is the most basic posture. It provides a balance between attacking and defensive techniques. Kendo Chūdan-no-kamae is one of the five stances in kendo: ''jōdan-no-kamae, jōdan'', ''chūdan'', ''gedan-no-kamae, gedan'', ''hassō-no-kamae, hassō'' and ''waki-gamae, waki''. This is the most basic stance in kendo which balances attack and defence. If correctly assumed, the trunk (''do'') and right wrist (''migi-kote'') are hidden from the opponent. The throat is visible, but the extended tip of the sword threatens a tsuki, thrusting enemy with a likely counter-thrust. The head ...
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Chūdan
is one of the three heights commonly referred to in Japanese martial arts. It roughly means "middle level", and refers to the space above and including the waist, and below but not including the shoulders. The most common strikes to the chūdan area target either the solar plexus or floating ribs. See also *Jōdan , which in a martial arts context means something like "high level", is one of the three heights commonly referred to in Japanese martial arts. It refers to the upper part of the body, which includes the shoulders and above. See also * Chūdan * ... * Gedan Directional terms in Japanese martial arts {{Martialart-term-stub ...
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Japanese Martial Arts
Japanese martial arts refers to the variety of martial arts native to the country of Japan. At least three Japanese terms (''budō'', ''bujutsu'', and ''bugei'') are used interchangeably with the English phrase Japanese martial arts. The usage of the term ''budō'' (武道) to mean martial arts is a modern one: historically the term meant a way of life encompassing physical, spiritual and moral dimensions with a focus on self-improvement, fulfillment or personal growth. The terms ''bujutsu'' (武術) and ''bugei'' (武芸) have different meanings from ''budō'', at least historically speaking. ''Bujutsu'' refers specifically to the practical application of martial tactics and techniques in actual combat. ''Bugei'' refers to the adaptation or refinement of those tactics and techniques to facilitate systematic instruction and dissemination within a formal learning environment. History The historical origin of Japanese martial arts can be found in the warrior tradit ...
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Shinai
A is a Japanese sword typically made of bamboo used for practice and competition in ''kendo''. ''Shinai'' are also used in other martial arts, but may be styled differently from ''kendo shinai'', and represented with different characters. The light, soft wood used in a ''shinai'' distinguishes it from other wooden swords such as a '' bokken'', which is generally made of heavier, sturdier wood. History The earliest use of a bamboo weapon to train with instead of a sword is credited to Kamiizumi Nobutsuna (1508-1572?) of the Shinkage-ryū. The modern ''shinai'', with four slats of bamboo, is generally credited to Nakanishi Chuzo Tsugutate (died 1801) of Nakanishi-ha Ittō-ryū. The ''shinai'' was developed in an effort to reduce the number of practitioners being seriously injured during practice, making a practice weapon that was less dangerous than , the hard wooden swords they were previously using. This is also the motivation behind the development of , the armour that ...
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Tenshin Shōden Katori Shintō-ryū
Written as 天眞正傳香取神道流 before adoption (1946) of Tōyō kanji. is one of the oldest extant Japanese martial arts, and an exemplar of '' bujutsu''. The Tenshin Shōden Katori Shintō-ryū was founded by Iizasa Ienao, born in 1387 in Iizasa village (modern Takomachi, Chiba Prefecture), who was living near Katori Shrine ( Sawara City, Chiba Prefecture) at the time. The '' ryū'' gives 1447 as the year it was founded, but some scholars state that it was about 1480.The year 1387 is given as Iizasa's birth year in ''Deity and the Sword'', Vol 1 pp. 16–17. Watatani (1967) speculates that 1417–1420 is correct. History Foundation Iizasa Ienao (飯篠 長威斎 家直 ''Iizasa Chōi-sai Ienao'', c.1387 – c.1488) was a respected spearman and swordsman whose ''daimyō'' was deposed, encouraging him to relinquish control of his household to conduct purification rituals and study martial arts in isolation.Amdur, Ellis (2002). ''Old School: Essays on J ...
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Waki-gamae
, sometimes shortened to ''waki'', is one of the five stances in kendo: '' jōdan'', '' chūdan'', ''gedan'', '' hassō'' and ''waki'', as well as other related and older martial arts involving Japanese sword. ''Waki-gamae'' is a stance involving the swordsman hiding the length of one's own blade behind their body, only exposing the pommel to the opponent. This stance was common when there was no standard length of sword and was often used as a deterrent to any opponents who did not know the range of the sword being hidden and could be used as a sort of bluff technique. It also serves to conceal the orientation of the blade to one's opponent, as to give him no hint about your own intention for the next attack. Other Koryū schools may define "Waki-gamae" differently from its current form in Kendo. ''Waki-gamae'' is also known as the in the five elements classification and the in the Ittō-ryū teachings. 上野 靖之 (1966) ''剣道教典 (Educational Model Fencing)'' 尚武 ...
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Hassō-no-kamae
, frequently shortened simply to ''hassō'' and occasionally called ''hassō-gamae'', is one of the five stances in kendo: '' jōdan'', '' chūdan'', ''gedan'', ''hassō'', and '' waki''. It is an offensive stance, named for one's ability to respond to a situation in any direction. ''Waki'' and ''hassō'' are not commonly used in modern kendo, except in kata. In ''hassō-no-kamae'', the left foot is forward, and the sword is held pointing upright with the hilt in front of the right shoulder. The blade should slope slightly to the rear. When cutting, the sword is raised above the head, as in '' jōdan''.上野 靖之 (1966) ''剣道教典 (Educational Model Fencing)'' 尚武館刊. p317 ''Hassō-no-kamae'' is used by uchidachi in the 4th kendo kata, opposite shidachi's ''waki-gamae''. This posture is also used in Naginata. It is also used in Kashima Shinden Jikishinkage-ryū's kata.
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Jōdan-no-kamae
, also known as ''jōdan-gamae'', and frequently shortened simply to ''jōdan'', is a basic ''kenjutsu'' posture. Jōdan-no-kamae means upper-level posture (lit. 'high/upper degree posture'). Kendo Jōdan-no-kamae is one of the five stances in kendo: ''jōdan'', '' chūdan'', ''gedan'', '' hassō'' and '' waki''. In jōdan-no-kamae, the sword is raised above the head with the tip (''kissaki''; 切先) pointing back and the blade facing up, in readiness to strike. It is the most aggressive stance of the five. There are commonly two types of jōdan-no-kamae, left (''hidari''; 左) and right (''migi''; 右), referring to which foot is out in front. As a more rare case, only one hand is used to hold the sword. Even rarer, the positions of the hands on the hilt of the sword may be reversed. In normal practice or competitions, left (''hidari'') jōdan-gamae is the most common. Its advantage is the reach of the strike, the intimidating posture and the speed of the strike. Its di ...
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Gedan-no-kamae
, frequently shortened simply to ''gedan'', occasionally shortened to ''gedan-gamae'', is one of the five stances in kendo: ''jōdan'', '' chūdan'', ''gedan'', hassō, and '' waki''. ''Gedan-no-kamae'' means "lower-level posture." This position is adopted when the sword is held out in front of the body pointing at the waist in kendo, or at the knee or sometimes the ankle in '' kenjutsu''. It is considered a variant of ''chūdan-no-kamae'' and therefore appearing as a defensive posture, but instead it is used to deflect blows and create striking opportunities. This stance is used as a transition from ''chūdan-no-kamae'' to a ''tsuki'' (突き; thrust). It is called the {{nihongo, Kamae of Earth, 地の構え, chi-no-kamae in Yagyū Shinkage-ryū.上野 靖之 (1966) 剣道教典 (Educational Model Fencing) 尚武館刊. p.317 European schools of swordsmanship The German school of fencing refers to this stance as ''alber'' "Fool's guard"; as it serves to bait the foolish wi ...
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Aikido
Aikido ( , , , ) is a modern Japanese martial art that is split into many different styles, including Iwama Ryu, Iwama Shin Shin Aiki Shuren Kai, Shodokan Aikido, Yoshinkan, Renshinkai, Aikikai and Ki Aikido. Aikido is now practiced in around 140 countries. It was originally developed by Morihei Ueshiba, as a synthesis of his martial studies, philosophy and religious beliefs. Ueshiba's goal was to create an art that practitioners could use to defend themselves while also protecting their attackers from injury. Aikido is often translated as "the way of unifying (with) life energy" or as "the way of harmonious spirit". According to the founder's philosophy, the primary goal in the practice of aikido is to overcome oneself instead of cultivating violence or aggressiveness. Morihei Ueshiba used the phrase to refer to this principle. Aikido's fundamental principles include: (entering), , (breathing control), (triangular principle) and (turning) movements that redirect the o ...
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Zenkutsu Dachi
Front stance, sometimes also called forward leaning stance or forward stance, is a basic stance used in various Asian martial arts. Although the specifics of the stance vary by style, overall it is visually similar to a lunge, with the forward leg bent at the knee, and the rear leg straight, while the hips and shoulders remain squarely facing forward. The purpose of the stance is to teach musculo-skeletal alignment that adds as much mass of the earth to a strike as possible. The stance allows a great deal of power generation forward, but very little in any other direction. Japanese martial arts In Japanese martial arts, the is primarily practiced in karate and its variants. Some variations include the version practiced by Shotokan, where students generally place their feet at a longer depth, while Isshin-ryū students place their feet shoulder width, but with much shallower length. Other variations are also practiced. The purpose of the front stance is to provide stability w ...
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Kenjutsu
is an umbrella term for all ('' ko-budō'') schools of Japanese swordsmanship, in particular those that predate the Meiji Restoration. Some modern styles of kendo and iaido that were established in the 20th century also included modern forms of kenjutsu in their curriculum. Kenjutsu, which originated with the samurai class of feudal Japan, means "methods, techniques, and the art of the Japanese sword". This is opposed to kendo, which means "the way of the sword" and uses a bamboo sword ( shinai) and protective armour ( bōgu). The exact activities and conventions undertaken when practicing ''kenjutsu'' vary from school to school, where the word school here refers to the practice, methods, ethics, and metaphysics of a given tradition, yet commonly include practice of battlefield techniques without an opponent and techniques whereby two practitioners perform '' kata'' (featuring full contact strikes to the body in some styles and no body contact strikes permitted in others). ...
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Tsuki
derives from the verb , meaning "to thrust". The second syllable is accented, with Japanese's unvoiced vowels making it pronounced almost like "ski" (but preceded by a "t" sound). In Japanese martial arts and Okinawan martial arts, ''tsuki'' is used to refer to various thrusting techniques. Tsuki in Karate In karate and its variants, the term ''tsuki'' is used as a part of a compound word for any one of a variety of thrusting techniques (usually punches). It is never used as a stand-alone term to describe a discrete technique. For example, ''gyaku seiken chudan-tsuki'', more commonly referred to as ''chudan-tsuki'' (段突), refers to a mid-level (''chudan'') punch (''tsuki'') executed with the rear (''gyaku'') arm. Note that in a compound word, where ''tsuki'' does not come first, its pronunciation and writing changes slightly due to rendaku, and it is pronounced as "''zuki''" (and is sometimes transliterated that way). Performing a Choku-Tsuki (Straight Punch) in Karate T ...
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