Gedan-no-kamae

Gedan-no-kamae (下段の構え Hiragana: げだんのかまえ), frequently shortened simply to gedan, occasionally shortened to gedan-gamae, is one of the five stances in kendo: jōdan, chūdan, gedan, hassō, and waki.

This position is adopted when the sword is held out in front of the body pointing at the waist in kendo, or at the knee or sometimes the ankle in kenjutsu.

It is considered a variant of chūdan-no-kamae and therefore appearing as a defensive posture, but instead it is used to deflect blows and create striking opportunities.

[1] The German school of fencing refers to this stance as alber "Fool's guard"; as it serves to bait the foolish with apparent weakness.

Iron gate refers to postures where the sword is held above the forward knee.