Kamae
構え
Guard and ready stance in the Japanese martial arts. In kendo, five basic kamae are distinguished, from chudan to waki.
Quick Facts
Word breakdown
Definition
Kamae (構え) is a noun from the verb kamaeru, to get ready, take a position. It means a guard: a posture of body, arms or weapon from which the practitioner can attack or defend at once. It also includes mental readiness. Kendo distinguishes five basic kamae: chudan, with the sword tip at the opponent’s throat, jodan, with the sword overhead, gedan, with the tip down, hasso, with the sword raised at the shoulder, and waki, with the sword drawn back to the side. In karate one enters the guard on the command kamaete.
Relations to other terms
See also
The distance between opponents from which one can strike or evade. It is not only meters but also the time an attack needs to cross the distance.
Kamaete構えてThe command “take your guard”. In karate the instructor or referee uses it to call on practitioners to move into the fighting position kamae.
Gedan下段The lower height level a technique is aimed at: from the waist down. The best-known technique with this word is the block gedan barai.
Jodan上段The upper height level a technique is aimed at: head, face and neck. In kendo, it is also the name of the stance with the sword raised above the head.
Chudan中段The middle height level a technique is aimed at: the torso from neck to waist. In kendo, it is also the name of the basic stance with the sword tip toward the opponent.