Martial Arts Terms
Aiki (Meeting of the Ki). The impassive
state of mind of the combatant, in which all his or her force id collected
in the Hara. Thus his or her mind must be completely free from
all intention of injuring anyone and remain alert. This is the static
mode of the Kiai of Aiki. The dynamic Kiai may
be expressed aloud or not; it is this which gives one the power of overcoming
an opponent, morally or spiritually, without the use of weapons. It
is that psychological condition which demands 'win without striking
a blow'.
Awase-waza. A score of no points to either contestant when one is
held down by the other, but when he or she in turn is strangling the
opponent effectively. The contest may begin again, in a standing position,
on the referee's command.
Butsukari. An exercise involving the study of particular movements
through repetition. The number of repetitions may vary. The idea is
that one's partner provide minimum resistance to the technique but does
not accept being thrown to the floor (Nage) unless the performance
of the movement against him or her is carried out perfectly. Also called
Uchi-komi.
Eri 'Lapel'.
-gaeshi 'Counter-attack'.
Garami. A 'wrapping, winding, and holding' action used in immobilizing
an opponent (Osae-waza).
-gake 'Hook'. A technique in which Tori hooks Uke's
legs with his or her own legs or feet. It is also refers to the last
phase of a push taken by Uke, leading to loss of balance and
a fall. It is in fact the preliminary act of a throw executed by Tori.
-gari 'Sweeping'. Technique of sweeping away the opponent's legs.
-guruma 'Wheel'. A vertical turning movement of the body.
Gyaku 'Contrary, reverse'.
-gatame "Keeping under control'.
Hane 'Wing'. 'To leap'.
Happo "Eight directions'.
Happo no Kuzushi 'Loss of balance in eight directions': backwards,
forwards, right, left, diagonally forwards right, diagonally forwards
left, diagonally backwards right, diagonally backwards left.
Hara 'Belly'. The human body's inner center of gravity and the
source of breath (energy), which is traditionally located about four
centimeters below the navel, between the latter and the vertebral column.
According to Japanese belief, it is here that profound vital forces
reside. Through the Hara men and women can communicate with the
universal energy, and there Ki is found. 'Deep' breathing must
take place from the Hara, for it is from there that all the individual's
physical and psychic forces emanate.
Harai. Sweeping or reaping the feet from under an opponent using
a driving movement of the foot or leg, producing a loss of balance on
one side.
Hasami 'Scissors', a scissor-like action using either the arms
or the legs.
Hidari 'Left'.
Hiza 'Knee'.
Hon 'Origin', 'Root', 'Foundation'.
Ju 'Soft', 'Pliant', 'Adaptable', 'Yielding', 'Harmonious'. This
Sino-Japanese written character has often been translated as 'Gentle'.
The interpretation of the meaning of 'gentle' in relation to the practice
of martial arts is frequently misleading. Many people have equated gentle
with weak, when in fact the character contains more an idea of flexibility,
in both mind and body. When a bamboo or willow branch is laden down
with snow, it yields; it is flexible towards the new 'circumstances',
and by yielding it allows the snow to fall to the ground, preserving
its own existence and springing back into place with more force and
speed than was employed in its yielding and bending action. The concept
of Ju therefore implies flexibility and suppleness in direct
proportion to subsequent speed and force. It is the direct opposite
or hardness, or GO. Thus, whatever word is used to translate
'Ju', that word in itself will be insufficient without a practical
explanation of its meaning.
Junin-gake. Training which involves fighting against ten opponents,
one at a time, in unbroken succession.
Kansetsu 'Joints', 'Knuckles'.
Kata 'Form', 'Sequences'. In all the martial arts, the Kata
are made up of 'imaginary combats' against, in most cases. relatively
slow-moving real or imaginary opponents. They are constructed of sequences
of basic, intermediate or advanced techniques which are meant to be
performed with technical accuracy. They are studied so that their nature,
purpose and the teaching implicit in them may be understood. They are
practiced as much for perfecting of technique as for the aesthetic experience
to be derived from 'beautiful movements'. They may be described as a
choreography of attack and defense, a 'ritual' of technique and movement;
the Waza are the application of the latter and the Do
their spiritual aspect. All the Kata must be begun and ended
with a bow to the master as his assistants, in front of the Kamiza
(Joseki).
Kata 'Shoulder'.
Katame no Kata. In the techniques of the Kodokan, these
are the forms (Kata) concerned with control of an opponent,
or Katame. These Kata consist of three techniques (Waza)
of five movements each:
Osae-waza (techniques of immobilization)
Shime-waza (techniques of strangulation)
Kansetsu-waza (techniques
of bending the joints).
The Osae-waza (or Osae-komi) are
carried out across the body (Kesa-gatame) or 'by controlling
the four limbs' (Shiho-gatame).
The Shime-waza are carried out face to face
(Shimeai), from the rear (Ushiro-shime), without
the aid of the Judo-gi (with bare hands, Hadaka-jime)
or with the aid of the judo-gi (Kesa-shime).
The Kansetsu-waza are carried out by bending
the joints of an outstretched limb (Ude-hishigi-gatame) or
a bent limb (Ude-garami-gatame). To control or immobilize
an opponent, two principles are brought into play: which consists of
changing to another technique when necessary, to maintain or complete
an immobilization, and Go, which consists of controlling the
focal point of a technique by using force.
The Katame-no-Kata 'techniques' are also called
Katame-waza, and Ne-waza (lying down techniques, on the
ground).
Ki-ai 'The meeting together of energy'. This is 'the cry which gives
life', sometimes regarded as the manifestation of the Active Principle
(Aiki) of the universe. According to E.J. Harrison, it is 'the
art of perfectly concentrating all one's energy, physical and mental,
upon a given object, with unremitting determination, so that one achieves
one's goal' (see The Fighting Spirit of Japan, London, 1913).
It is the shout made at the moment of attack, akin to the sound uttered
by a lumberjack, butcher or any tradesman who uses blows in his work;
when a particularly difficult piece of material has to be dealt with,
he may utter a sound to give added force to the blow. When the Ki-ai
is uttered by a martial artist, the vibration of the sound may momentarily
paralyze the opponent's functioning and render him or her more susceptible
to an attack. Although reports of the effectiveness of the Ki-ai
have been published, its action has never been clearly demonstrated
except to show that it has the effect of surprising an opponent. This
fact should not lead one to conclude that the claims made concerning
the Ki-ai are invalid. The Ki-ai enables a person carrying
out a violent movement to purify his mind of extraneous thoughts, leaving
simply the pure energy (Ki) which causes him to
act, and confers upon him all its intensity. The efficacy of
the shout depends upon the mastery of certain appropriate breathing
exercises (see Kyoku), analogous to the Pranayama of the
Hindus.
The contention by Japanese martial arts experts
that the Ki-ai enables one to liberate mental and physical force
very rapidly, and so influence another who is in close proximity, explains
why the Ki-ai is sometimes used in resuscitation techniques (Kuatsu).
Kuatsu can be employed by black belt martial artists to bring
back to consciousness anyone who has been strangled or subjected to
a sudden shock. Certain martial arts masters maintain that there are
three or four kinds of Ki-ai: low and weightly at moments of
action, high and piercing with a cry of victory, normal for purposes
of resuscitation, and silent (Kensei) in certain meditation
exercises. It is thus very similar to Aiki.
Kime no Kata. 'Kata of decision'. In the techniques of the
Kodokan there are in this Kata the following: defense techniques
practiced in a kneeling position (Suwari) or Idori (eight
movements), defense techniques from a standing position (Tachi-ai)
(twelve movements). These defensive movements were introduced to
the Kodokan by Funakoshi Gichin).
Kumi-kata. A way of seizing (Kumi) the judogi by the
lapel and by the sleeve; a grip which influences the effectiveness of
a movement. Sometimes the English expression 'grip' is used to describe
Kumi-kata. In contests it is forbidden to grip both sleeves or
the lapel and sleeve on the same side of the jacket, unless the taking
of that grip is immediately followed by an attack.
Ne-waza. The range of techniques carried out on the floor (Ne).
These consist of immobilizations (Osae-waza, often called
hold-downs), locking or bending the joints (Kansetsu-waza),
and strangulation and choking techniques (Shime-waza).
Such techniques are allowed only if Tori has not scored an
Ippon when he or she throws Uke.
Osae 'Pressure' (from Osaeru, 'to hold'),'Immobilization'.
- Osae-komi. A groundwork (Ne-waza) technique in which
Uke is immobilized. Uke can escape from such a technique
only by using a movement of disengagement called Toketa. There
are five Osae-komi movements: Kesa (Gesa)-gatame, Kata-gatame,
Kami-shiho-gatame, Yoko-shiho-gatame, Kuzure Kami-shiho-gatame.
- Osae-komi-toketa. Escape from an immobilization.
Seiryoku-zen-yo. An essential principle of all the martial arts
which consists of using the energy of Wa and Ki
contained in the Hara, with the maximum efficiency. The
same principle may be applied to all human activities.
Shime-waza. Strangulation techniques (Shibori) used in groundwork
(Ne-waza). They can be performed in the following ways:
Using the judogi:
Face to face (Shime-ai Juji-jime),
sitting astride Uke, strangulation using the forearm pressing down
on the throat, the hand gripping the Judogi.
From the rear (Ushiro-jime or Hadaka-jime).
Without using the judogi:
From the rear, strangulation of the neck using
the right forearm, helped by the left hand, drawing Uke back
off balance.
Several methods of strangulation are described:
Kata-ha-jime, to the
right of the face
Kata-juji-jime, crossing
under the face
Gyaku-juji-jime, strangulation
beneath the face with one arm
Morote-jime, strangulation
beneath the face with the palms facing down
Hadaka-jime, strangulation
from the rear with the forearm
Ashi-gatame-jime, strangulation
using the arms and legs
Okuri-eri-jime, strangulation
using the lapels
Sode-guruma-jime, strangulation
using the lapels of the judogi rolled up.
Sutemi. 'Sacrifice', literally 'to risk
one's life (in order to win)'. The sense of self sacrifice has always
been deeply rooted in the being of the Japanese people. Since the sixth
century at least they have been fed on the Buddhist idea of the impermanence
of all things. In particular the Samurai and Bushi were
aware of this fact, due to the perilous nature of their calling, and
they likened life to the cherry blossom: so fragile, so easily blown
away by the wind. They did not put the same value on life as the peoples
of the West. In effect, for them life had no meaning except in death
- but not just any form of death; not a useless and pointless death,
an involuntary or unexpected death. Death finds its meaning in sacrifice,
which then gives its full significance to the act of living. And the
Samurai who, with a light heart resulting from Kokoro, sacrifices
his existence in the service of his lord or for the sake of a cause
had the feeling that by dying he created life. This is why the notion
of sacrifice was always so important in Japan. The idea of death was
of course present in the martial arts to the same extent as the idea
of life. Ideally, its presence never left the warrior's awareness for
an instant, for in the end he was truly living with death itself.
- Sutemi-waza. In the ancient techniques
of hand-to-hand combat, as in modern judo, the technique of sacrifice
is placed at the service of victory; not the victory of the individual,
who in the last analysis has little importance, but the victory of the
whole. In present-day martial arts this is a technique of winning. Such
techniques are called 'sacrifice techniques' and are mainly found in
Judo and Aikido. They involve throwing oneself to the ground in order
to bring down the opponent; a movement of ,self-abandon' in making an
attack, or in responding to one. Sutemi are classed in two distinct
categories: the Ma-sutemi, or ,sacrifice on the back', and the
Yoko-sutemi, or 'sacrifice on the side'.
Source: Frederic, Louis. A Dictionary
of the Martial Arts. Boston, MA: Charles E. Tuttle Company, Inc.,
1993
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