, frequently shortened simply to ''hassō'' and occasionally called ''hassō-gamae'', is one of the five stances in

kendo is a modern Japanese martial art, descended from kenjutsu (one of the old Japanese martial arts, swordsmanship), that uses bamboo swords (shinai) as well as protective armor (bōgu). Today, it is widely practiced within Japan and has spread ...

: ''

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 * ...

'', ''

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 chūda ...

'', ''

gedan , meaning roughly "lower level", is one of the three heights commonly referred to in Japanese martial arts. It refers specifically to the lower part of the body, from the belt on the ''karategi'' and below. See also *Chūdan *Jōdan , which i ...

'', ''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 ''Kata'' is a Japanese word ( 型 or 形) meaning "form". It refers to a detailed choreographed pattern of martial arts movements made to be practised alone. It can also be reviewed within groups and in unison when training. It is practised ...

. 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 ''

''.上野靖之 (1966) ''剣道教典 (Educational Model Fencing)'' 尚武館刊. p317 ''Hassō-no-kamae'' is used by

uchidachi means "striking/attacking sword" and is one of the two roles in kata of budō and bujutsu; the other role is shidachi (受太刀).shidachi means "doing/receiving sword" and is one of the two roles in kata of budō and bujutsu, the other being uchidachi (打太刀).Naginata The ''naginata'' (, ) is a pole weapon and one of several varieties of traditionally made Japanese blades (''nihontō''). ''Naginata'' were originally used by the samurai class of feudal Japan, as well as by ashigaru (foot soldiers) and sōhei ( ...

. It is also used in

Kashima Shinden Jikishinkage-ryū , often referred to simply as Jikishinkage-ryū or Kashima Shinden, is a traditional school ('' koryū'') of the Japanese martial art of swordsmanship ('' kenjutsu''). The school was founded in the mid-16th century, based upon older styles of sw ...

's kata.Kashima Shinden Jikishinkage-ryu. The Origin of Samurai-Swordsmanship from KASHIMA SHRINE, The God of BUSHIDO KASHIMA - A Symbol of Justice by the Sword.
by Masaru Iwasa. Japan
SAMURAI-BUSHIDO SOCIETY
2005, hardcover. . ''Hassō'' is called in

Ittō-ryū , meaning "one-sword school", is the ancestor school of several Japanese Koryū kenjutsu styles, including Ono-ha, Mizoguchi-ha, Nakanishi-ha, Kogen, Hokushin, and Itto Shoden. The style was developed by Itō Ittōsai Kagehisa. Ono-ha Ittō-ryū ...

and Katori Shintō-ryū, in

Shinkage-ryū ' meaning "new shadow school", is a traditional school ('' koryu'') of Japanese martial arts, founded by Kamiizumi Ise-no-Kami Fujiwara-no-Hidetsuna, later Kamiizumi Ise-no-Kami Nobutsuna Friday, Karl ''Legacies of the sword'', page 24. Univer ...

, and occasionally , because of the stance's resemblance to a tree.

European schools of swordsmanship

In German traditions such as Liechtenauer this is called ''right vom Tag''. It is often translated as "day" or "from the roof".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hasso-no-kamae Kendo stances