Seiza
Seiza ( Japanese. 正 座 , originally: 正坐 , dt. “Sit correctly”) or heel seat is the traditional Japanese sitting posture in which you kneel on your heels, the instep on the floor, right over left big toe, back straight erect. The Seiza posture can become painful for inexperienced users after a while.
In ancient Japan, people generally sat in the Seiza because there were no chairs. There are reports of a shogun from the Sengoku period who was so amazed at a chair that he had it carried in front of him during processions.
Seiza is recommended as a sitting posture for those zazen practitioners who are unable to take the so-called "lotus posture" ( Kekka-Fuza , Sanskrit: Padmasana ), which in the "Far East" is considered to be the most suitable sitting posture for meditation .
Seiza was also the prescribed posture for ritual suicide ( seppuku ) of a samurai .
Seiza is more of a "comfortable" sitting posture. On formal occasions, people sit in the kiza , i. H. with feet up. A third, half-kneeling pose, which goes back to the sitting position of the samurai in armor, is Tatehiza . In some Japanese martial arts, Seiza, Kiza and Tatehiza are part of the ceremonial processes, for example in Iaidō or Kyūdō .
Kiza
When kiza ( 跪座 ., Dt "kneeling sitting") can sit so on the ball of the foot , that the toes are placed and facing forward and rests the buttocks on the heels; the soles of the feet are vertical and point backwards. Due to the higher tension and readiness of the feet, this seat was especially important for samurai in terms of their willingness to fight, but also to demonstrate this and generally high attention in a demonstrative or ceremonial manner.
posture
Otherwise, the following points apply to both Seiza and Kiza, with variations depending on the respective occasion and use (e.g. martial arts).
- Men leave about one to two fist widths between their knees, women keep no distance
- Keeping the head, neck and spine upright
- Chest and shoulders relaxed
- the weight lies centrally in the lower abdominal area
- Eyes straight
- the mouth remains closed (as long as it is not used)
- Fingers are relaxed together
