, frequently shortened simply to hassō and occasionally called hassō-gamae, is one of the five stances in kendo

Kendo

, meaning "Way of The Sword", is a modern Japanese martial art of sword-fighting based on traditional Japanese swordsmanship, or kenjutsu.Kendo is a physically and mentally challenging activity that combines strong martial arts values with sport-like physical elements.-Practitioners:Practitioners...

: jōdan, chūdan, gedan, hassō, and waki. It is an offensive stance, named for one's ability to respond to a situation in any direction. Waki and hassō are not commonly used in modern kendo, except in kata

Kata

is a Japanese word describing detailed choreographed patterns of movements practised either solo or in pairs. The term form is used for the corresponding concept in non-Japanese martial arts in general....

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In hassō-no-kamae, the left foot is forward, and the sword is held pointing upright with the hilt in front of the right shoulder. The blade should slope slightly to the rear. When cutting, the sword is raised above the head, as in jōdan.

Hassō-no-kamae is used by uchidachi

Uchidachi

means "striking/attacking sword" and is one of the two roles in kata of budō and bujutsu, the other being shidachi .The senior party is normally uchidachi...

 in the 4th kendo kata, opposite shidachi

Shidachi

means "doing/receiving sword" and is one of the two roles in kata of budō and bujutsu, the other being uchidachi . In modern Kendo this is normally written ....

's waki-gamae. This posture is also used in Naginata

Naginata

The naginata is one of several varieties of traditionally made Japanese blades in the form of a pole weapon. Naginata were originally used by the samurai class in feudal Japan, and naginata were also used by ashigaru and sōhei .-Description:A naginata consists of a wooden shaft with a curved...

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It is also used in Kashima Shinden Jikishinkage-ryū

Kashima Shinden Jikishinkage-ryu

, often referred to simply as Jikishinkage-ryū or Kashima Shinden, is a traditional school of the Japanese martial art of swordsmanship...

's kata.

Hassō is called in Ittō-ryū

Itto-ryu

, meaning "one-sword school", is the ancestor school of several Japanese Koryū kenjutsu styles, including Ono-ha, Mizoguchi-ha, Nakanishi-ha, Kogen, Hokushin, and Itto Shoden. The style was developed by Ittōsai Kagehisa.-Ono-ha Ittō-ryū:...

, in Shinkage-ryū

Shinkage-ryu

' meaning "new shadow school", is a traditional school of Japanese martial arts, founded by Kamiizumi Ise-no-Kami Nobutsuna in the mid-sixteenth century...

, and occasionally , because of the stance's resemblance to a tree.