KOBUDO

Kobudo was formed by Okinawans who were prohibited from owning weapons because of Japanese occupation. Kobudo weapons were simple farming implements that were fashioned into weapons and mastered by Okinawan Karate-ka and taught to locals to defend themselves against the pillaging Japanese.

Kobudo originated from Okinawa and its surrounding islands but was also influenced by China due to its proximity and trading with the Chinese mainland. It can be traced back as far as 1477 but it wasn't until around two hundred years later that Matsu Higa and Aburaya Yamaki first sorted Kobudo katas and techniques into a formalised system. Matsu Higa was the Kobudo Sensei of Takahara Peichin who was in turn the Kobudo Sensei of Karate Sakugawa who is regarded by many as the leading figurehead of Okinawan Karate. Kobudo was taught in secret like Karate and was said that if a Karate-ka did not know the weapons one was not well rounded in the art of Karate.

There are eight different weapons of Okinawan Kobudo but the most common used and generally regarded as typical Kobudo weaponry are the Bo, Sai, Tonfa and Nunchaku. Each weapon has its own exclusive set of Katas and basic techniques for use in combat.

Modern day Kobudo only survives due to the efforts of Taira Shinken who established the Ryukyu Kobudo Hozon Shinko-Kai, the association for the promotion and preservation of Kobudo.

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