Shomen Uchi
正面打ち
Literally: strike to the front of the head
Also known as: Men
A vertical cut down the head's centreline; in kendo it is called men and is the first and most practised of the five basic strikes.
Quick Facts
About
Shomen uchi (正面打ち), literally a strike to the front of the head, is a vertical cut down the head's centreline. In kendo it is called men and is one of the five basic strikes; taught first and practised the most of all. The head, with the wrist, torso and throat, is one of four valid targets. The shinai is raised about forty-five degrees behind the head, the left hand staying roughly a fist's width in front of the forehead. The cut is led straight down mainly by the left hand; at impact, both hands briefly grip the handle and twist it inward, called te-no-uchi and shibori. Sayu men differs from shomen in being aimed about fifteen degrees left or right of the centreline. Men is part of four of the nine basic forms of the Bokuto ni yoru kendo kihon-waza keiko-ho, introduced by the All Japan Kendo Federation in June 2001. Under FIK rules, a point is awarded only for an accurate hit with the correct part of the shinai, full spirit, correct posture and the follow-up awareness called zanshin. The strike derives from kenjutsu; training with a bamboo sword in armour was introduced in the 18th century by Naganuma Shirozaemon Kunisato.