is a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

term used in

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; a ...

and traditional theater. It translates approximately to "posture". The Kanji of this word means "base". The implied meaning is 'readiness' or 'be ready'. Kamae is to be differentiated from the word , used in

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 ...

to mean stance. While ''tachi'' (pronounced ''dachi'' when used in a compound) refers to the position of the body from the waist down, kamae refers to the posture of the entire body, as well as encompassing one's mental posture (i.e., one's attitude). These connected mental and physical aspects of readiness may be referred to individually as and , respectively. Although it is a generic term, context may mean there's a default specific posture which is being implicitly referred to. e.g. many modern styles use ''kamae'' by itself as shorthand usually for the style's basic stance for sparring or self-defense. As a further note, there are also related verbs, and adding ''te'' to the end of kamae makes the command for . Thus, a

karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the ...

instructor ordering the students to assume a front stance might shout, "''

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 le ...

'', ''kamaete''!"

In Aikidō

Kamae is a basic stance, also defined as natural. In it, the body's three centers of gravity are aligned on a vertical axis of gravity. Those three centers begin with the head, then spinal column, and lower abdomen. This allows for a balanced stance, regardless of positioning of one's feet. It also allows one to move freely into any desired direction.

In Kendō

There are five basic kamae 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''. Of these, chūdan-no-kamae (中段の構え; middle stance) is the most basic posture. It provides a balance between attacking and defensive techniques.

In Karate

The generally used form of kamae in

is where the martial artist places his right hand guarding the

solar plexus The celiac plexus, also known as the solar plexus because of its radiating nerve fibers, is a complex network of nerves located in the abdomen, near where the celiac trunk, superior mesenteric artery, and renal arteries branch from the abdo ...

and the left hand outstretched at shoulder height. This to allow blocking while strikes are further from the body with the left hand and counter-strikes with the right hand (or vice versa depending on the stance).

In Taijutsu

The kamae in

Taijutsu is a Japanese martial art blanket term for any combat skill, technique or system of martial art using body movements that are described as an empty-hand combat skill or system. Taijutsu is a synonym for Jujutsu (method of unarmed or with minor ...

are considered as adaptable postures that occur as 'snapshots' of sequences of movement, rather than fixed attacking or receiving positions. The basic kamae is ichimonji-no-kamae (一文字の構え), which refers to the 'straight-line' that reflects the shape of the body when adopting this position.

References

{{reflist Japanese martial arts terminology Aikido