Kamae

(構え)

Glossary Entry

Pronunciation: kah-mah-eh

A Japanese martial term referring to a prepared physical and mental posture from which a practitioner can observe, respond, attack, defend, or transition.

MEANING & ETYMOLOGY

構え

(kamae)

Posture, stance, position, or state of readiness.

Derived from the verb kamaeru (構える): to set up, assume a posture, prepare, or ready oneself.

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Term Type

Martial concept

lITERAL SENSE

Kamae is often translated as “stance” or “posture,” but in Japanese martial arts it can imply more than a fixed body position. It describes an organized state of readiness involving posture, orientation, attention, and the ability to act or transition.

References

Miyamoto, Musashi (1645). Go Rin No Sho (The Book of Five Rings).

Draeger, Donn F. (1973). Classical Bujutsu: The Martial Arts and Ways of Japan, Volume I. Weatherhill.

Tokeshi, Jinichi (2003). Kendo: Elements, Rules, and Philosophy. University of Hawai‘i Press.

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