Hassō-no-kamae explained

Pic:Hassō-no-kamae_Christophe_Chanoux.jpg
Piccap:Hassō-no-kamae in Kendo.
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Kanji:八相(八双)の構え
Hiragana:はっそうのかまえ
Revhep:hassō-no-kamae
Kunrei:hassô-no-kamae

, frequently shortened simply to hassō and occasionally called hassō-gamae, is one of the five stances in kendo: jōdan, chūdan, gedan, hassō, and waki. It is an offensive stance, named for one's ability to respond to a situation in any direction. Waki and hassō are not commonly used in modern kendo, except in kata.

In hassō-no-kamae, the left foot is forward, and the sword is held pointing upright with the hilt in front of the right shoulder. The blade should slope slightly to the rear. When cutting, the sword is raised above the head, as in jōdan.[1]

Hassō-no-kamae is used by uchidachi in the 4th kendo kata, opposite shidachi's waki-gamae.[2] This posture is also used in Naginata.

It is also used in Kashima Shinden Jikishinkage-ryū's kata.[3]

Hassō is called in Ittō-ryū and Katori Shintō-ryū, in Shinkage-ryū, and occasionally, because of the stance's resemblance to a tree.

European schools of swordsmanship

In German traditions such as Liechtenauer this is called right vom Tag (the same name is also used for the equivalent of jōdan-no-kamae—German styles consider the two stances variations on one thing). It is often translated as "day" or "from the roof".[4]

Notes and References

  1. 上野 靖之 (1966) 剣道教典 (Educational Model Fencing) 尚武館刊. p317
  2. Book: Sasamori , Junzo . Gordon Warner. Gordon Warner . This is Kendo . Charles E. Tuttle . 1964 . Japan . registration . 0-8048-0574-1.
  3. Kashima Shinden Jikishinkage-ryu. The Origin of Samurai-Swordsmanship from KASHIMA SHRINE, The God of BUSHIDO KASHIMA - A Symbol of Justice by the Sword. by Masaru Iwasa. Japan, SAMURAI-BUSHIDO SOCIETY, 2005, hardcover. .
  4. Web site: Norling . Roger . HOW DO YOU DO THE VOM TAG? . HROARR . 28 January 2022 . Jan 26, 2011.