Sitting and Moving in Martial Arts

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Kiza [危座]

The characters/ideograms mean "sitting up straight." The first character means, "dangerous; fear; uneasy," the second character means, "squat; seat; cushion; gathering; sit." 

Seiza is a proper sitting or correct sitting form in Japan. It is about quiet sitting. Kiza is another form of proper sitting where the difference is merely a change from where one rests the buttocks on the heels while the feet are stretched out so the top of the feet are stretched out on the floor but kiza the person is seated similar to seiza except the heels with the balls of the feet touching the floor and toes flexed forward. 

It is then very simple to change from kiza to seiza by simply lowering the tops of the feet to the floor to achieve seiza. In iaido, practitioners will stand to draw their swords and cut after moving from seiza to kiza, so they don't inadvertently sprain the instep when quickly going from seiza to standing. 

The formal kata to sit seiza involves a transition through kiza to reach the final formal sitting position. Shikata, a form for reishiki or formal etiquette, has specific forms to sit and stand according to cultural position within the Japanese society. 

Agura [胡座]

THe characters/ideograms mean "sitting cross-legged (i.e. Indian style)." The first character means, "barbarian; foreign," the second character means, "squat; seat; cushion; gathering; sit." 

This is a sitting position often assumed for a more relaxed state. It is also used by practitioners who are not conditioned to sit seiza or kiza. The seiza and kiza forms are painful even for those who have sat in this form their whole lives, i.e. the Japanese. It is also appropriate for certain situations such as eating at a low table in a casual restaurant. It is allowed in more formal situations for those who find seiza and kiza difficult (the elderly or non-Japanese people. Women don't sit agura or anza style as it is considered uncouth, i.e. they sit formally with both legs off to one side, with one side of the hips on the floor.  

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Anza [安座]

The characters/ideograms mean "sitting quietly; sitting cross-legged." The first character means, "relax; cheap; low; quiet; rested; contented; peaceful," the second character means, "squat; seat; cushion; gathering; sit."

See Agura. 

Shikko [膝行]

The characters/ideograms mean "moving forward by sliding on one's knees (in the presence of high-ranking individuals)." The first character means, "knee; lap," the second character means, "going; journey." 

This is a form of waling on the feet and knees from and in the seiza sitting posture. It is described as a "knee movement" and is a polite way to move or walk and is more polite than standing up and walking regularly. It is rare in today's Japanese society but can be found in various koryu martial systems. Most martial artists see it performed as a part of the aikido martial art. In aikido, the practitioner learns to defend themselves while moving is shikko. 

To perform this knee-walking movement correctly the heels must be kept close together, and the body must move as a whole unit. It is because movement in shikko forces one to engage the hips that it is considered valuable for aikido training.