Hara
腹
The belly, in martial arts chiefly the lower belly as the body's center of gravity. The point below the navel is seika tanden, the Japanese counterpart of the Chinese dantian.
Quick Facts
Word breakdown
Definition
Hara (腹) means belly. In martial arts the word mainly means the lower belly as the body's center of gravity and the starting point of movement and breath. The spot roughly below the navel is called seika tanden (臍下丹田), literally “elixir field below the navel”. Tanden is the Japanese reading of the Chinese dantian. In practice teachers lead students to let movement come from the hips and center of gravity and not just the arms, and to breathe into the belly. Related is the expression hara ga dekite iru, “has a finished belly”, of a calm and composed person. The ritual suicide of samurai, seppuku, is popularly called harakiri, “cutting the belly”.