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Okinawan Weaponry - Kobudo
Okinawan
weaponry or Ryukyu Kobujutsu, is as much a part of many karate programs as the
front kick and the reverse punch. Most
commonly known as Okinawan Kobudo, this increasingly familiar art was once
affectionately called Tegua in some circles of old Okinawa. Within
the Okinawan karate community, there has never been any real distinction between
For years, the story has gone that kobudo was the result of some Okinawan peasants adapting their garden, dockside and farm tools as weapons of opportunity. For instance, the Nunchaku was supposedly a rice flail and the sai was some kind of furrowing device. Nice
stories, but the truth of the matter is that kobudo (while some may have been
handy adaptations) was mostly used and systemized by members of the so-called
“gentry” class, not really your land-tied peasants.
Actually, they were the very same people who were most responsible for
inspiring the development of today’s karate styles. Those
old civilian-warriors acquired their tools and expertise from sources both
native and foreign, especially from China.
One old text, a source of much Okinawan historical information called the
“Issenenshi”, mentions that the “bo” or six foot staff was known in
Okinawa as early as the year 1314. Other
documentation indicates that the sai was in use in Okinawa in the 16th
century. When
the Ryukyu kingdom of Okinawa was subjugated by the Satsuma samurai in 1609, a
strong impetus was given to the practice of kobudo.
Traditional military weapons such as swords, hand axes and cleavers which
had been hastily mustered during the invasion were almost completely outlawed.
This ban followed an earlier prohibition by Sho Shin, the Ryukyuan king a
century before the Satsuma invasion. Some
of the important old masters that contributed to the development of the art
include names like Sakugawa, Chatan Yara, Sanda Chinen, Masami Chinen, Moden
Yabiku, Kinjo Ufuchiku, Gibu Kanegawa, the prolific Taira Shinken, Shinko
Matayoshi and so on. In more recent
times men like Eisuke Akamine, Ryuso Sakagami, Motokatsu Inoue and Teruo Hayashi
have all been at the fore front of the leading and teaching of these great
kobudo arts. The
Weapons
It is said that as many as 21 separate weapons can be counted as part of kobudo. However, the use of many of them has become obscure. The most common weapons and some of the not so well known would include: ü
Bo ü
Sai ü
Nunchaku ü
Tonfa ü
Kama ü
Jo and
Hanbo ü
Nitanbo ü
Tekko ü
Nuntesai ü
Nuntebo ü
Eku or
Kai ü
Tembe-Rochin In
1989, the U.S. Kobudo Association was co-founded by Shihan Rudy Crosswell and
Shihan John Sells. The concept was
to preserve and promote traditional Okinawan kobudo.
With their combined kobudo knowledge and an on-going effort to research
traditional kata and history, information was organized, shared and taught to a
broad cross section of students nationwide.
The U.S. Kobudokai used and recognized legitimate techniques and kata
from several sources of old kobujutsu. After
first deciding which kata to teach and in what order, a broad based methodology
was developed for teaching basics and fighting skills.
It is not enough to just teach the kata.
The kata are analyzed thoroughly, forcing the student to develop some
understanding of combative techniques. Sparring
sets of bo vs. bo, sai vs. bo, and tonfa vs. sword have been developed to give
the student a better sense of the real application of each weapon. In
recent years Shihan Crosswell’s kobudo has become broader in scope and in the
groups that have asked for his instruction and guidance.
Therefore at the outset of the year 2001, Shihan Crosswell has formed the
International Kobudokai expanding the original concept that he and Shihan Sells
started twelve years earlier. The
International Kobudokai offers instruction in a wide cross section of kobudo and
certification that is internationally recognized.
Shihan Crosswell is also available to teach seminars.
Please e-mail us for more information on association membership and/or
scheduling a seminar.
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