Uke (martial arts)

Uke
Uke on the left, "receiving" a throw by executing a forward roll.
Japanese name
Kanji	受け
Hiragana	うけ
Transcriptions Revised Hepburn uke

Uke (受け^?) (IPA: [ɯke]) is in Japanese martial arts the person who "receives" a technique. The exact role of uke varies between the different arts and often within the art itself depending on the situation. For instance, in aikido, judo kata, and bujinkan ninjutsu, uke initiates an attack against their partner, who then defends, whereas in competition judo, there is no designated uke.

An uke typically partners with a partner or nominal opponent. The latter person may be referred to by any of several terms, again depending on the art or situation. They include nage (投げ, "thrower"^?), tori (取り, "grabber"^?) or shite (仕手, "doer"^?).