What are "kamae"? The word "kamae" can mean several things. One meaning is "structure" or "construction". The other is "a style or appearance". I believe that taken in the first context, this means a solid grounding in fundamentals. Not a solid, firm stance. But, a solid understanding of how your body moves and how to make it move the way YOU want it to. A foundation so to speak, to build your knowledge base on. The kanji for "kamae" can also be translated as the following ideas; assume and attitude, feign, pose as, be ready for, set up, pay attention to, interfere with, be hospitable, tease, expel, banish and to care about. All of these ideas can be seen and felt and represent the essence of the term as it is used in the Bujinkan. You can use kamae to affect these ideas and to hide these same ideas. The choice is up to you, influenced of course by what is happening NOW. Proper body positioning is proper kamae, improper body positioning can also be proper kamae. Just as your body moves from sitting to standing without conscious effort, to stepping over a branch and catching yourself from tripping to swatting a bee away from your face. If you froze any of those particular moments at the apex of your movement, and gave it a name, that would be kamae. Kamae are NOT - static positions, stances. A common misconception is that kamae are fixed stances or static positions. This, I feel, is due in part to taking a photographic or pictorial illustration as the "gospel", end all be all. Photos and pictures are only representations of a split second in time during transition or flow during a fight. Example, in "hicho no kamae" when one leg is bent with the foot near or at the knee of the leg supporting the weight of the body and one hand leading with the other in guard (a la Karate Kid, with the hands close to the body instead of spread). This is not a stance or pose. It is that split second when your opponent attacks your lead foot and follows up with a combination attack. The foot is not drawn back and kept there. It moves far enough back and for as long as it takes to evade the attack, then counter. Hicho does not have to consist of a kick and shuto, that is just one aspect of the technique that can be used. IT does form the basis for the kata, but it is meant to be discarded or modified as the situation dictates. Staying in kamae - Keep your body balanced and centered. If one foot is off the ground (hicho or transition from jumonji to ichimonji as an example) your weight is kept low in the hips and centered. This is to provide a good base to move from. Loss of power and mobility results from a poor or unstable base (shizen no kamae). Every moment you are in kamae. Resting, active or passive. You are always in kamae. I haven't tried to give you examples of kamae, such as hicho or jumonji, because they are irrelevant. The understanding of what they are is more important than knowing them. Kamae are meant to be learned, to be built upon. You learn them, and their function in order to be able to discard them and have the freedom to move, without worry. It's great to know all the names, but when you really need them, what's more important? Knowing the name or knowing how to move? That is what kamae are all about. Any questions, please feel free to email me at brad@somd.net I'll try my best to answer them. The important thing to remember about kamae is this, it is more about feeling and attitude than it is about which foot is where for how long. Bufu Ikkan, Brad Ellin 13 September 2003
