Age-uke , which translates to "rising block", or "upward block" is the Japanese term for a technique used in martial arts. There numerous variations in how the technique might be executed, and nothing implicit in the term itself restricts its use to unarmed techniques. It is commonly used with regards to the Karate technique that goes by that name, but can also refer to similar techniques in Kobudo. Age-uke may be used to stiffly block or deflect an incoming high attack. Alternately, it may be used to receive an incoming attack, sweeping it overhead while maintaining contact with the attacking instrument . The term age-uke is frequently used interchangeably with "jōdan-uke" . Whether these terms refer to two distinct techniques, or the same technique, depends entirely upon how each is used within any given martial arts school. However, the terms are distinct in that age comes from the verb ageru, meaning upward, and implying direction and/or motion. In the martial arts, the noun jōdan refers specifically to a target area of the body, including the shoulders and above. Since the term "age-uke" refers to blocks with an upward motion, there are many techniques called "age-uke" that can also be called "jōdan-uke", but some techniques are aimed at the center level, and are referred to as chūdan-uke.