STRIKES
The terms for the strikes are called out by the instructor when we are doing drills, or during corner kihon.
Beside each term below we have included a description of how the strike is executed.
The following is a demonstration of corner kihon that includes footwork and strikes, from the 2014 All Japan Naginata Championships:
Men wo ute – swing naginata overhead & cut men (center of the head)
Furiagete men – another name for men wo ute
Furiagete sune wo ute – swing naginata overhead & cut sune (shin)
Sokumen wo ute – make hasso ni kamae, cut men
Hassou men – another name for sokumen wo ute
Sune wo ute – make hasso ni kamae, cut sune
Hassou sune – another name for sune wo ute
Sayuu – Both sides (left & right OR right & left)
— Sayuu men wo ute – two hassou men in succession
— Sayuu sune wo ute – two hassou sune in succession
Dou wo ute – make waki gamae, cut side of dou dai
Furikaeshite men wo ute – windmill cut men
Furikaeshite sune wo ute – windmill cut sune
Kote wo ute – cut forearm part of kote
Inkou wo tsuke – thrust kissaki to throat
FOOTWORK
The terms below represent both commands for the footwork, and the actual movements themselves
Mae – step forward
Ato – step back
Migi ni hirake – step to the right
Hidari ni hirake – step to the left
Ayumi ashi mae – step forward, crossing feet, four steps at a time
Ayumi ashi ato – step backward, crossing feet, four steps at a time
Tsugi ashi mae – bring feet together, spring forward
Tsugi ashi ato – bring feet together, spring backward
Fumikaete – switch feet
Mochikaete – switch hands
Naore – return to shizentai
Okuri ashi – slide front foot, back foot catches up
Hiraki ashi – stepping to side without crossing feet
Sugiashi – a small hop, first bringing your back foot forwards to meet your front foot
KAMAE
Stance/guard/ready position
Chudan ni kamae – middle guard position, with kissaki pointing at opponent’s solar plexus
Hasso ni kamae – diagonal ready position, with kissaki up and back, ishizuki on body centre
Gedan ni kamae – lower guard, with kissaki down
Jodan ni kamae – upper ready position, with ishizuki forward, blade up, and kissaki back
Waki gamae – side position, with naginata horizontal, ishizuki forward, and kissaki back
U of T Naginata Club 