Ninjutsu Glossary

Tori: 取り, literally the 'taker', the initiator or the attacker in a paired kata.

Uke: 受け, as a noun: the 'receiver', responds to an attacker in a paired kata, usually the one 'doing a technique'. As a verb, to receive an attack.

Ukemi: 受身, literally 'receiving body'. A cultivated skill of receiving attacks and danger will minimizing harm to the body. Someone who can take a high fall and land in a roll safely has developed one aspect of ukemi. Someone who can slip or softly absorb a punch has developed another aspect.

Tsuki: 突き, to penetrate or stab. Our basic attack both armed or unarmed.

Kamae: 構え, posture or attitude. A specific body shape used as a basis for movement. Sometimes used as a shorthand for ichimonji no kamae, due to its ubiquity.

Ichimonji: short for Ichimonji no Kamae (一文字の構え), literally posture like the character one. Resembles the side-profile minimizing stance of fencers. Bring the body onto a single line with the weight on the back leg.

Jumonji: short for Jumonji no Kamae (十文字の構え), posture like the character ten. A posture with weight evenly balanced on both feet, standing, with the arms crossed in front.

Utsu: 打つ, to strike.

Kuzushi: 崩し, unbalancing your opponent, controlling their balance.

Sen-no-utsu: 線の打つ, striking the line. A way of receiving an attack where U 'strike' the line of attack, stopping the attack by occupying the space. Done properly it also applies kuzushi.

Tomeru: 止める, stopping. Often referring to a type of uke that hits an attack, in contrast to a nagashi-uke.

Nagashi: 流し, a flowing / following quality of movement. For example, nagashi-uke means a smooth flowing way of receiving an attack.

Iaijutsu: 居合術, the skill of drawing a blade and cutting in a single technique.

Iaito: 居合刀, a sword for the practice of Iaijutsu.

Muto Dori: 無刀捕。Techniques that allow an unarmed person to overcome an armed assailant. One of the high aims of Ninjutsu. Much of ninjutsu training only makes sense in relation to this aim.