I was doing some research regarding the formal way of Japanese sitting but, much to my surprise, I found a few lists detailing different ways of sitting as well as the context and methods behind them. As you may imagine, I didn’t expect to find so much detail about something that I would consider to be as basic as the act of sitting down. Given how fascinating I found the topic, I thought I’d share a few examples of Japanese style sitting as well as some facts about them.
Let’s start off with what may be the most recognisable style and the reason why I was searching for information in the first place. Seiza, written with the kanji 正座 which means proper sitting, is used for formal situations and consists of kneeling down so that your knees and shins are on the floor while you rest your upper body weight on your heels. While this is expected in many situations, this method can inhibit blood flow and cause paresthesia. However, there have been arguments that seiza can improve your posture and strengthen your muscles. The fact that many Japanese households and buildings have tatami flooring also helps to limit potential damage and make sitting seiza easier.
Perhaps the next most recognisable style of sitting is Agura, written with the kanji 胡坐 which amusingly means barbarian sitting, which consists of sitting cross-legged on the floor. As you might guess from the name, this stance is considered to be informal and inappropriate for most occasions where seiza is required. However, there can be exceptions to this with some older men sitting this way when they no longer have the flexibility needed for sitting seiza.
An interesting method of sitting that will likely be recognisable to those who enjoy Japanese popular culture is Wariza. The upper body position is similar to seiza but the legs are spread behind in an M shape from the sitters position or anyone behind them and a W shape from anyone in front. Despite seeing this in a variety of Japanese media, I will confess that I didn’t realise that people actually sat like this in real life. Amusingly, I decided to try sitting like this after learning that fact and, while I did manage to successfully do it, it hurt like hell. It’s also worth noting that it is considered to be an informal way for women to sit which they would never do in a formal setting (which makes sense since I associate it with playful characters).
The last style that I want to bring attention to is Tatehiza which has one leg crossed on the floor while the other is standing. It is considered to be an informal way of sitting which allows one to rest an arm on their knee but, interestingly, it’s considered to be a stance that allows you to be battle ready, particularly in iaido swordsmanship. It’s certainly a position that I recognise from a wide variety of samurai media as well as warrior characters in fantasy.
It’s fascinating to learn about the wide variety of ways to sit in Japan and the meaning behind each one. Let me know your thoughts on these examples of Japanese style sitting, whether you were aware or took notice of these before, what other examples you’re aware of and any additional information you might have on the topic.
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