Okinawan kobudo

Okinawan kobudo (also known as Ryūkyū Kobujutsu, Koryū, or just as Kobudo) is a Japanese term that can be translated as "old martial way of Okinawa". It generally refers to the classical weapon traditions of Okinawan martial arts, most notably the rokushakubo (six foot staff, known as the "bō"), sai (short unsharpened dagger), tonfa (handled club), kama (sickle), and nunchaku (chained sticks), but also the tekko (knuckledusters), tinbe-rochin (shield and spear), and surujin (weighted chain). Less common Okinawan weapons include the tambo (short staff) and the eku (boat oar of traditional Okinawan design).

Surviving Okinawan Karate styles include; Naha-te, Shuri-te and Tomari-te.

It is a popular story and common belief that Okinawan farming tools evolved into weapons due to restrictions placed upon the peasants by the Satsuma samurai clan when the island was made a part of Japan, which forbade them from carrying arms. As a result, it is said, they were defenseless and developed a fighting system around their traditional farming implements. However, modern martial arts scholars have been unable to find historical backing for this story, and the evidence uncovered by various martial historians points to the Pechin Warrior caste in Okinawa as being those who practiced and studied various martial arts, rather than the Heimin, or commoner. It is true that Okinawans, under the rule of foreign powers, were prohibited from carrying weapons or practicing with them in public. But the weapons-based fighting that they secretly practiced (and the types of weapons they practiced with) had strong Chinese roots, and examples of similar weapons have been found in China, Thailand and Indonesia pre-dating the Okinawan adaptations.

Okinawan kobudō systems were shaped by indigenous Okinawan techniques that arose within the Aji, or noble class, and by imported methods from China and Southeast Asia. The majority of Okinawan kobudō traditions that survived the difficult times during and following World War II were preserved and handed down by Taira Shinken (Ryūkyū Kobudō Hozon Shinkokai), Chogi Kishaba (Ryūkyū Bujustsu Kenkyu Doyukai), and Kenwa Mabuni (Shito-ryū). Practical systems were developed by Toshihiro Oshiro and Motokatsu Inoue in conjunction with these masters. Other noted masters who have Okinawan kobudō kata named after them include Chōtoku Kyan, Shigeru Nakamura, Kanga Sakukawa, and Shinko Matayoshi.

Okinawan kobudō arts are thought by some to be the forerunner of the bare hand martial art of karate, and several styles of that art include some degree of Okinawan kobudō training as part of their curriculum. Similarly, it is not uncommon to see an occasional kick or other empty-hand technique in an Okinawan kobudō kata. The techniques of the two arts are closely related in some styles, evidenced by the empty-hand and weapon variants of certain kata.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okinawan_kobud%C5%8D

Modern Kobudo was founded by Shinko Matayoshi (1888-1947), born into a wealthy family in the Naha region of Okinawa. His kobujutsu training began in his early teens and included kobujutsu, kamajutsu, ekujutsu, tonfajutsu and nunchakujutsu. At the age of 22, he ventured into Manchuria by way of northern Japan. There he joined a team of mounted bandits and learned several other weapons arts, including the bow and arrow, all from horseback making them unique from other Okinawan Kobujutsu styles. Later, after returning to Okinawa, he traveled to Fuchow and Shanghai were he learned even more weapons arts in addition to acupuncture, herbal medicine and another form of Shaolin boxing.

Shinko Matayoshi, along with Gichin Funakoshi, was the first to publicly demonstrate Okinawan kobudo to mainland Japan in 1915. With the 1921 royal visit of Emperor Hirohito on Okinawa, Matayoshi performed kobudo at a demonstration with Naha-te master Chojun Miyagi.

Shimpo Matayoshi (1922-1997), Hanshi 10th Dan, son of Shinko, started his martial arts training at age 8 under Chotoku Kyan. Upon his father’s return in 1934, began to train in karate and kobudo under his father’s tutelage. In 1935, he began studying with Gokenki, learning the same Hakutsuru (White Crane Chaun' fa) that his father had been taught. Upon his father’s death, he continued the legacy and assumed the teaching responsibilities.

In 1970, he formed the All Okinawa Kobudo Federation (Zen Okinawa Kobudo Renmei) and until his untimely death in 1997 was the technical advisor for all Okinawan Kobudo styles. He was also one of the last surviving students to learn to rare Hakutsuru directly from an authentic Chinese master. In his travels demonstrating his unique style of Kobudo, he was constantly besieged to demonstrate the Hakutsuru, which he never taught openly to anyone. His knowledge of the elusive Crane was unparalleled.

Credit: http://kobudo.okinawa.free.fr/history/index.html