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Kendo practice at an agricultural school c.1920. The person at right in the foreground is in chūdan-no-kamae, the person at left is in jōdan-no-kamae.. Chūdan-no-kamae (中段の構え:ちゅうだんのかまえ), sometimes shortened to Chūdan-gamae or simply Chūdan, is a basic weapon stance in many Japanese martial arts.
The word katana first appears in Japanese in the Nihon Shoki of 720. The term is a compound of kata ("one side, one-sided") + na ("blade"), [6] [7] [8] in contrast to the double-sided tsurugi. The katana belongs to the nihontō family of swords, and is distinguished by a blade length (nagasa) of more than 2 shaku, approximately 60 cm (24 in). [9]
Jōdan-no-kamae (上段の構え:じょうだんのかまえ), also known as jōdan-gamae, and frequently shortened simply to jōdan, is a basic kenjutsu posture. (It is also found in naginatajutsu but is far less used due to the length of the weapon involved.) Jōdan-no-kamae means upper-level posture (lit. 'high/upper degree posture').
Jigen-ryū is known for its emphasis on the first strike: Jigen-ryū teachings state that a second strike is not even to be considered. [2] The basic technique is to hold the sword in a high version of hasso-no-kamae called tonbo-no-kamae (蜻蛉構 Dragonfly Stance), with the sword held vertically above the right shoulder. The attack is then ...
Archaeological excavations dated the oldest sword in Japan from at least as early as second century B.C. [2]: 4 The Kojiki (Record of Ancient Matters) and the Nihon Shoki (History of Japan), ancient texts on early Japanese history and myth that were compiled in the eighth century A.D., describe iron swords and swordsmanship that pre-date recorded history, attributed to the mythological age of ...
A matched set (daisho) of antique Japanese (samurai) swords and their individual mountings (koshirae), katana on top and wakisashi below, Edo period. Swordsmanship, the art of the sword, has an almost mythological ethos, and is believed by some to be the paramount martial art, surpassing all others. Regardless of the truth of that belief, the ...
The katana further facilitated this by being worn thrust through a belt-like sash with the sharpened edge facing up. Ideally, samurai could draw the sword and strike the enemy in a single motion. Previously, the curved tachi had been worn with the edge of the blade facing down and suspended from a belt. [70] [71]
Atsuen Empi Uchi: Rolling elbow strike (e.g. in the kata Nijushiho) Sokumen Zuki: Double side punch (e.g. in the kata, Tekki shodan) Ippon Ken: One finger Punch/Strike; Nakadaka Ken: Middle finger punch/strike; Nihon Ken: Two finger punch/strike; eye strike (e.g. in the kata, Chinte) Hiraken: Four knuckle strike; Nukite: Spear-hand strike