Agura and Kiza

Agura (胡坐, lit., "foreign/barbarian sitting") is the Japanese term for the position normally referred to as sitting cross-legged in English. The buttocks are on the floor (or on a cushion set on the floor) and the legs are out in front, with the knees bent and each foot crossed beneath the other leg.

In Japan, this posture is considered an informal alternative to the seiza (proper sitting) position for men.
It is appropriate for certain situations but not others. It is common in informal situations, such as eating at a low table in a casual restaurant, and allowed in formal situations especially for those for whom seiza is difficult, such as elderly or non-Japanese people.

Sitting cross-legged is generally considered uncouth for women, and female informal sitting has both legs off to one side, with one side of the hips on the floor.

To sit in seiza requires coming to a kneeling position momentarily, with the heels propped up; if one remains seated on the heels with the balls of the feet touching the floor and toes flexed forward, it is called kiza (跪座^?). If one then lowers the tops of the feet to the floor, one then will be in the seiza position.  

Kiza could be translated as "dangerous sitting", as the bodyweight creates a flexion on the feet which is considered harmful.^{[citation needed]} In iaido, practitioners stand up to draw the sword and cut after momentarily assuming kiza, so as not to sprain the instep jumping up directly from seiza.

Seiza (正座, literally "proper sitting") is the traditional formal way of sitting in Japan.
Iaido (居合道 Iaidō^?) is a modern Japanese martial art associated with the smooth, controlled movements of drawing the sword from its scabbard or saya, striking or cutting an opponent, removing blood from the blade, and then replacing the sword in the scabbard.^{[citation needed]}