Okinawan kobudo
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Okinawan kobudo (less commonly Ryukyu Kobujutsu) is a Japanese term that can be translated as "old martial way of Okinawa". It generally refers to the classical weapon traditions of Okinawa, most notably the rokushakubo (six foot staff, known as the "Bo Staff" or "Bo" for short), sai (short unsharpened dagger), tonfa (handled club), kama (sickle), and nunchaku (nunchucks), but also the Tekko (knuckledusters), Tinbe-Rochin (Shield and Spear), and Surujin (Weighted Chain). Less common Okinawan weapons include a short staff and the eku, a boat oar of traditional Okinawan design. (It is a common misperception that Kobudo weapons means only the Bo, sai, tonfa, nunchuck, and kama.) Many believe that the five better-known weapons trace back to fishing or farming traditions as classical implements used in these trades.
Kobudo traditions were shaped by indigenous Okinawan techniques that arose within the Aji, or noble class, and by imported methods from China and possibly other countries that traded with the Ryukyus. The majority of modern kobudo traditions that survived the difficult times during and following World War II were preserved and handed down by Taira Shinken and Kenwa Mabuni, and developed into a practical system by Motokatsu Inoue in conjunction with Taira Shinken. Other noted masters who have kobudo kata named after them include Chotoku Kyan, Shigeru Nakamura, and Shinko Matayoshi.
Kobudo arts are not strictly related to karate, but several styles of that art include some degree of kobudo training as part of their curriculum. Similarly, it is not uncommon to see an occasional kick or other empty-hand technique in a kobudo kata. The techniques of the two arts are closely related in some styles, evidenced by the empty-hand and weapon variants of certain kata: for example, Kanku-dai and Kanku-sai, and Gojushiho and Gojushiho-no-sai, although these are examples of Kobudo Kata which have been developed from Karate Kata and are not traditional Kobudo forms. Other more authentic kobudo kata demonstrate elements of empty hand techniques as is shown in older forms such as Soeishi No Dai, a Bo form.
| Okinawan weapons of Kobudo, the "old martial way of Okinawa" (Japan). |
| Bo staff | Eku | Kama | Nunchaku | Sai | Tambo | Surujin | Tekko | Tinbe-Rochin | Tonfa |
See also
- Bojutsu
- Jojutsu
- sai
- nunchaku
- tonfa
- Tekko
- Tinbe-Rochin
- Surujin
- kama
- Eku
- Sansetsukon
- kuwa
- Nunti-bo
- Manji-sai
- hanbo
- Juttejutsu
External Links
- [Information about Kobudo weapons from a website of the Okinawa Prefectural Government]
- [Ryukyu Kobujutsu Association G.B.] (reinforces above, but seems less important than the above native source)
- http://www.oshirodojo.com/ Yamanni Chinen-ryu kobujutsu
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