Basic Stances in kendo

There are five basic stances in kendo. Chudan, gedan, jodan, hasso, waki. A sixth stance nito, is a hybrid of chudan and jodan. There are actually many more stances in the study of the sword, however, in kendo, there only five. The sixth stance, nito is often mistaken as not being a part of kendo. Nito-no-kamae is, contrary to popular belief, a stance in modern kendo and is not a separate art.

Of the five basic stances or kamae only four are used as primary kamae in matches-- one of the four is almost never used. The majority of kendoists use chudan-no-kamae for several reasons. It is, by far, the most versatile stance. It is also the most basic. A small percentage of kendoists use jodan-no-kamae, usually hidari-jodan-no-kamae (see below). An even smaller percentage use nito-no-kamae. Gedan-no-kamae is also a stance that is used today, but is frowned upon as it portrays the kendoist to be over-confident of his/her abilities.

Nito and jodan users are, in today’s kendo world, much more accepted than they were 10 years ago. A common misconception about both stances is that they’re similar and interchangeable to regular chudan kendo.

It should be made clear that Nito and jodan are not interchangeable with standard chudan. Both MUST be taught by senseis that specialize in the different stances. It is possible to self-teach yourself after receiving your 6th or 7th degree black-belt (roku-dan or nana-dan); before that, it is all but impossible to learn either stance as it should be learned.

Chudan-no-kamae(水) the Middle Stance

Your body and back should be straight, your tummy in, shoulders tucked back. Your neck should also be straight, your eyes facing forward, your chest out. A good rule of thumb is try to be one foot taller than you actually are.

The tsuka or hilt of the shinai should be approximately one of your fists away from the navel. See holding the shinai. The kensen, or tip, should be pointing at your opponent’s throat. You elbows should be bent and relaxed (think that you’re hugging a tree).

Gedan-no-kamae(土) the Lower Stance

Waki-gamae(金) the Side Stance

The sword is held horizontally and slightly angles downward. The cutting blade is at a downward angle. The opponent should only be able to see the pommel of the sword. The left leg leads, with the right leg behind in an open stance (meaning the toes are pointing at nearly perpendicular angles). This stance is NOT used in kendo today and only is seen in kendo-kata.

Hasso-no-kamae(木) the All-around Stance

Jodan-no-kamae(火) the Upper Stance

There are three types of jodan-no-kamae: migi-jodan where the right foot is forward in a normal jodan stance, hidari-jodan where the left foot is forward providing greater reach and power, and gyaku-jodan where the right foot is in front, but the right hand controls the sword with the left hand in front by the tsuba or hilt guard. As far as we are aware, there are no current gyaku-jodan users in the States or Europe, although there is a school in Japan known for teaching gyaku-jodan.

Combating jodan-no-kamae is simpler than most people think. The stance is, indeed, aggressive and slightly disheartening to go up against. That fear of the stance is where the trick to defeating a jodan user comes into play. It helps to be in seigan-no-kamae which is a variation of chudan-no-kamae. The difference is that instead of pointing your kensen (or tip) of your shinai to the opponents left kote or gauntlet. This tends to make it easier to defend against attacks that jodan users favor.

Defeating a jodan user of equal rank is a simple matter of throwing their aggression back at them. Don’t back up or run away. Constantly pressure them into giving ground. Once a jodan user retreats, the match is usually yours to win since at that point they have usually lost the initiative that the stance itself gives.

Assuming that you’re of rank to use the tsuki thrust or gyaku-do attack, (attack to the left side of the opponents do-- your right side), use both tsuki and gyaku-do often. The two moves should serve well to dishearten the jodan user since both attacks aim for a jodan users vulnerable areas and are, quite simply, a pain to defend against and are mentally intimidating.

Nito-no-kamae(二刀) the Two-sword Stance

There are two versions of this stance. The regular one, just described, was originally created by the legendary historical figure, Miyamoto Musashi, and is similar to the techniques taught in the Niten-itchi-ryu form of Kenjutsu (old kendo). The second version, gyaku-nito-no-kamae, is more common among kendoists today and uses itto (one sword) principles. The long sword is held in the left hand (itto way of cutting with the left hand), and the short sword in the right (as a deflective shield). From those two there are several other lesser known variations of nito.

Two swords require skill to wield-- consequently, just because there are two swords does not make nito superior to itto (one sword) stances. In fact, the reason there are so few skilled nito kendoists is because having two swords is just as difficult, if not more so, as itto kendo.

There has been a recent insurgence of nito kendoists in the western world lately. What is not so great about this recent insurgence, however, is the fact that half of those taking up nito are self-taught and don’t have the credentials to self-teach. As a result, finding strong nito-kendoists is not only difficult but also confusing since many nito kendoists are not trained properly.

Fighting against a nito kendoist of equal rank is similar to fighting against a jodan kendoist of equal rank. It’s a simple matter of throwing their aggression back at them. Of course, you have another sword to worry about that could potentially score against you—potentially being the key word as scoring with the shoto or short shinai is difficult and not likely.

Nito kendoists tend to be weak in the tsuba-zeriai (where both kendoists are hilt-guard to hilt-guard trying to get the initiative over their opponent) position, and they definitely don’t appreciate their tsuki being offended.