Nagasu
What is Nagasu?
- Nagasu (流す) = “to let flow” or “to allow something to stream away.”
In martial arts, it describes the idea of blending with and redirecting an opponent’s attack instead of blocking it rigidly.
How it works
Instead of meeting force with force, you accept the energy and guide it past you—like water flowing around a rock.
- The attack is deflected, not stopped.
- Your body shifts with Tai Sabaki (body movement) while your arms or hands redirect.
- It creates an opening for a smooth counterattack.
Examples
- In Wado-Ryu Karate: sliding aside from a punch while parrying it outward, then countering immediately.
- In Aikido: blending with a strike and turning it into a flowing throw.
- In Kenjutsu: redirecting the sword’s line instead of clashing blades directly.
The essence
Nagasu is about softness overcoming hardness—you conserve energy, protect yourself, and use the attacker’s momentum against them. It embodies the “way of harmony” (Wa) that Wado-Ryu is known for.
Related Article: Wado-Ryu Karate: The Way of Peace and Harmony - A Complete Guide to Japan's Unique Martial Art
My ninja teachers did not pound me to become faster and stronger as I would expect in any conventional martial art school. They urged me to pay more attention to what I felt. What was my attacker doing at any moment, and where did that put me? I must then change reality from within. Instead of me doing more things to him, I was supposed to sense where he was fighting to go, and then grant him what he wanted in a way that confused him into helping me win. The way to make that happen was to pay attention to my own perceptions inside and use that sensitivity to find the perfect way to usher the adversary to defeat outside.
Stephen K. Hayes