A Philisophical note on the stances in Kendo

The stances in kendo have meanings beyond their visual purposes. Each stance is represented by an element. Originally, this struck me as just more oriental mysticism on martial arts. Upon doing further research, however, I uncovered several other very intriguing facts and reasons for the elements.In kendo, part of our training is understanding balance—Yin and yang as it were. Kendo is all about the balance. When you look at the elements, you will notice that some elements are the opposite of others. When correlating this to the kata or forms, you will realize that they are indeed opposites. In fact, much of the time, one element will triumph over another.

Jodan- Fire

Chudan- Water

Gedan- Earth

Waki- Metal

Hasso- Wood

As an example

Metal (waki) axe cuts Wood (hasso)

Earth (gedan) stops water (chudan)

Wood (hasso) grows on Earth (gedan)

Fire (jodan) burns Wood (hasso)


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