The Okinawa International Hokama Kobudo Organization
The Okinawa International Hokama Kobudo Organization is an organization with branches in several countries and which goal is to teach and promote traditional Okinawan Kobudo (Okinawan Weapon Arts) as taught by Hokama Tetsuhiro Hanshi (10th Dan). Hokama Tetsuhiro is known mainly for being the curator of the Okinawan Karate and Kobu-jutsu Museum and as an internationally recognized expert of “Old Style” Okinawa Goju Ryu from the Higa Seiko lineage. But it is less known that he is also one of Okinawa’s leading Kobudo masters. His Kobudo training began with his Grand Father (Tokuyama Seiken) who was a student of Oshiro Chojo (1887-1935). Oshiro Chojo was the student of Chinen Sanda (1842-1925) who was a student of the famous Bushi Chinen Kana (1797-1881).
In order to promote and preserve the old ways of Kobudo, Hokama Hanshi created the Okinawa International Hokama Kobudo Organization as a separate organization from his International Kenshi-kai (Goju-Ryu) Organization.
We are honored to be the USA Headquarters for Hokama Hanshi’s Kobudo organization and we are under the direct guidance of Hokama Hanshi.
History of Kobudo
Okinawan Kobudo (also known as Ryukyu Kobu-jutsu, Koryu, or just as Kobudo) is a Japanese term that can be translated as “Ancient Martial way of Okinawa.” It has as long a history as the human settlement and use of weapons on the island. However, it went through a particular development in the Sanzan or three warring kingdoms period in the 11th and 12th centuries. At that time three kingdoms: Nanzan (Ozato Aji), Hokuzan (Nakijin Aji) and Chuzan King (King Tamagusuku) fought intense battles to control the island. It is at this time that various weapons and other martial technologies such as castle construction and siege warfare were developed. These battles finally resulted in the unification of the Island in the 15th century under the Shuri Dynasty.
The art was further developed within this new centralized Shuri warrior class (Pechin) of Okinawa. Like many other Asian countries these weapons traditionally included the sword, the spear, the battle axe, the halberd and various other bladed weapons and like Karate they came mainly from China. But other weapons were also imported from other South East Asian countries such as Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia. There is no doubt that the arts surrounding these weapons would have continued their natural evolution had it not been for two important historical events. The first was the Order of the Sword an edict by King Soshin (1477-1526) by which the Okinawan people and the warrior classes were no longer allowed to bear arms. The second was the 'Policy of Banning Weapons' enforced after the Satsuma Invasion in1609.
The invasion of the Japanese Satsuma clan resulted in the repression and oppression of the indigenous Okinawan warrior classes and nobility (Aji). The Satsuma edict banning the use of weapons was no doubt aimed at avoiding the possibility of popular uprisings against a foreign invader. In turn, this repression caused the warriors of Okinawa to adopt various household farming implements as surrogates for their previous bladed arts. These surrogates included such weapons as the:
Bo (Wooden Staff)
Sai (Trucheon)
Tonfa (Millstone Handle)
Nunchaku, (Rice Flail, or Horse Bit and Bridle)
Kama (Farming Sickle)
Tekko (Metal Knuckles)
Tinbe-rochin (Small Turtle Back Shield and Short Spear)
Surujin (Common Chain)
Eku (Boat Oar)
Tanbo (Short Staff or Stick)
Kuwa (Farming Hoe)
Nunti (A Staff with a Sai placed on the end)
Sansetkun (Three Sectional staff)
As can be seen in the above list, it is clear that Okinawan warriors were choosing and developing weapons most similar to those they had previously used. For example, the Nunti replaced the halberd and the Bo the spear, etc... In time though, specific strategies would develop using the unique attributes of each of these weapons and something similar to the modern art of Ryukyu Kobujutsu was born.
But the invasion had a second important effect. The repression by the Satsuma’s caused the Okinawa warrior class to develop these arts in a clandestine way. Because of this, Kobudo remained a secret family tradition right up to the 20th century, when Okinawan popular cultural movements, as well as the modernization of Japan allowed the Okinawan weapon arts to come out of hiding. The leaders of this popular Kobudo movement were: Moden Yabiku (1878-1941), Shinko Matayoshi (1888-1947), Shinken Taira (1897-1970), and Oshiro Chojo (1887-1935). Through their tireless efforts the organization of schools and associations teaching Kobudo openly, greatly accelerated. More important for us Oshiro Chojo would teach those arts to Master Hokama Tetsuhiro Hanshi’s Grand Father.
A Note About Kobudo Styles or Systems
Unlike Modern Karate which clearly delineates between Naha Te, Shuri Te and Tomari Te based styles, modern Kobudo systems are largely compilations of different kata and techniques derived from various family lineages and geographic locations. Therefore, most Kobudo Kata bear the name of either a person who is believed to have originally developed the kata such as Sakagawa no Sai or “Sai from a person called Sakugawa,” or the name of the village where they came from such as Hama Higa no Tonfa or “Tonfa from the village of Hama Higa.”
Therefore, the most popular styles of Kobudo today are collections of these different Katas and traditions. The genius of the modern compilers was to introduce progressive training methods as well as the systematization of Kobudo’s pedagogy. Through their tireless efforts and now Hokama Hanshi’s these weapon arts have been preserved for future human generations.
The Curriculum of the Okinawa International Hokama Kobudo Organization
The curriculum of the Okinawa International Hokama Kobudo Organization contains all the classical Kobudo weapons used in Okinawa, but also many rarer forms of weapons not usually seen outside of Okinawa such as the Sansetkun (Three sectional staff) and the Eku (Boat Oar).
In order to promote and preserve the old ways of Kobudo, Hokama Hanshi created the Okinawa International Hokama Kobudo Organization as a separate organization from his International Kenshi-kai (Goju-Ryu) Organization.
We are honored to be the USA Headquarters for Hokama Hanshi’s Kobudo organization and we are under the direct guidance of Hokama Hanshi.
History of Kobudo
Okinawan Kobudo (also known as Ryukyu Kobu-jutsu, Koryu, or just as Kobudo) is a Japanese term that can be translated as “Ancient Martial way of Okinawa.” It has as long a history as the human settlement and use of weapons on the island. However, it went through a particular development in the Sanzan or three warring kingdoms period in the 11th and 12th centuries. At that time three kingdoms: Nanzan (Ozato Aji), Hokuzan (Nakijin Aji) and Chuzan King (King Tamagusuku) fought intense battles to control the island. It is at this time that various weapons and other martial technologies such as castle construction and siege warfare were developed. These battles finally resulted in the unification of the Island in the 15th century under the Shuri Dynasty.
The art was further developed within this new centralized Shuri warrior class (Pechin) of Okinawa. Like many other Asian countries these weapons traditionally included the sword, the spear, the battle axe, the halberd and various other bladed weapons and like Karate they came mainly from China. But other weapons were also imported from other South East Asian countries such as Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia. There is no doubt that the arts surrounding these weapons would have continued their natural evolution had it not been for two important historical events. The first was the Order of the Sword an edict by King Soshin (1477-1526) by which the Okinawan people and the warrior classes were no longer allowed to bear arms. The second was the 'Policy of Banning Weapons' enforced after the Satsuma Invasion in1609.
The invasion of the Japanese Satsuma clan resulted in the repression and oppression of the indigenous Okinawan warrior classes and nobility (Aji). The Satsuma edict banning the use of weapons was no doubt aimed at avoiding the possibility of popular uprisings against a foreign invader. In turn, this repression caused the warriors of Okinawa to adopt various household farming implements as surrogates for their previous bladed arts. These surrogates included such weapons as the:
Bo (Wooden Staff)
Sai (Trucheon)
Tonfa (Millstone Handle)
Nunchaku, (Rice Flail, or Horse Bit and Bridle)
Kama (Farming Sickle)
Tekko (Metal Knuckles)
Tinbe-rochin (Small Turtle Back Shield and Short Spear)
Surujin (Common Chain)
Eku (Boat Oar)
Tanbo (Short Staff or Stick)
Kuwa (Farming Hoe)
Nunti (A Staff with a Sai placed on the end)
Sansetkun (Three Sectional staff)
As can be seen in the above list, it is clear that Okinawan warriors were choosing and developing weapons most similar to those they had previously used. For example, the Nunti replaced the halberd and the Bo the spear, etc... In time though, specific strategies would develop using the unique attributes of each of these weapons and something similar to the modern art of Ryukyu Kobujutsu was born.
But the invasion had a second important effect. The repression by the Satsuma’s caused the Okinawa warrior class to develop these arts in a clandestine way. Because of this, Kobudo remained a secret family tradition right up to the 20th century, when Okinawan popular cultural movements, as well as the modernization of Japan allowed the Okinawan weapon arts to come out of hiding. The leaders of this popular Kobudo movement were: Moden Yabiku (1878-1941), Shinko Matayoshi (1888-1947), Shinken Taira (1897-1970), and Oshiro Chojo (1887-1935). Through their tireless efforts the organization of schools and associations teaching Kobudo openly, greatly accelerated. More important for us Oshiro Chojo would teach those arts to Master Hokama Tetsuhiro Hanshi’s Grand Father.
A Note About Kobudo Styles or Systems
Unlike Modern Karate which clearly delineates between Naha Te, Shuri Te and Tomari Te based styles, modern Kobudo systems are largely compilations of different kata and techniques derived from various family lineages and geographic locations. Therefore, most Kobudo Kata bear the name of either a person who is believed to have originally developed the kata such as Sakagawa no Sai or “Sai from a person called Sakugawa,” or the name of the village where they came from such as Hama Higa no Tonfa or “Tonfa from the village of Hama Higa.”
Therefore, the most popular styles of Kobudo today are collections of these different Katas and traditions. The genius of the modern compilers was to introduce progressive training methods as well as the systematization of Kobudo’s pedagogy. Through their tireless efforts and now Hokama Hanshi’s these weapon arts have been preserved for future human generations.
The Curriculum of the Okinawa International Hokama Kobudo Organization
The curriculum of the Okinawa International Hokama Kobudo Organization contains all the classical Kobudo weapons used in Okinawa, but also many rarer forms of weapons not usually seen outside of Okinawa such as the Sansetkun (Three sectional staff) and the Eku (Boat Oar).
History
The Fighting Arts have been around since the beginning of time. Fighting has always been a human instinct which has remained with us throughout the times. As time went on it has been technically developed, systematized to form the present Martial Arts, which can be found practically in every culture. This is what happened to the indigenous Okinawan Life-protection Art known as ?Te? (Ti or Di in Okinawan dialect) meaning Hand.
?Te? resembled Okinawan folklore dance and some of its content consisted of Atemi (striking), Tuite (grab hand), and Kyusho-jutsu (vital points art), as well as Nage (throwing).
The RyuKyu's Islands are a small chain of islands located between Japan and China. The largest and most famous of these islands is Okinawa. Because of their strategic location it was a trading center for China and other Asian country. During those times Okinawa had a good relationship with China and China influences their culture, as well as their Life-protection Art.
Karate was born when there indigenous Art of ?Te? (hand) was infused with Chinese Martial Arts and other Asian Arts. The Chinese forms (kata) were integrated and modified and Karate was born.
Te became regionalized when it roughly divided into three distinct forms, Shuri-Te, Naha-Te and Tomari-Te. (These were towns located around Shuri Castle.) These weren't names of styles but rather references to distinguish differences in applications, kata and philosophies. It wasn't until the late 1800's to early 1900's that karate took official names to describe or to differentiate styles.
The Kanji or Chinese ideogram for ?Kara? meaning China was used out of respect for the Chinese. So Kara-te meant China Hand.
After the Meiji Restoration, Okinawa was under the rule of Japan. The Chinese ideogram for ?Kara? meaning China was changed to ?Kara, Ku? meaning open/vastness.
Today Karate literally means "Open hand" which refers to the physical means of hand movement and physical characteristics of the hand; which, when combined together represent human nature. That is to say, that, karate should be a natural movement ? for example, just as in walking. The natural movements in Karate are typical in the old ways of karate.
Karate is often misinterpreted as empty hand. This is wrong; it?s suggesting that there is no substance, or movement in the hand.
Today there are many styles of karate. These styles, although related, differ in philosophy, and interpretation of concepts. Karate is now divided into 3 categories: Modern, Traditional, and Classical.
Here the emphasis is on Classical Karate, meaning uses actual fighting philosophy developed by the warrior class. Classical karate is real karate technique used to stop opponents in actual combat, not the controlled conditions of tournament play.
?Te? resembled Okinawan folklore dance and some of its content consisted of Atemi (striking), Tuite (grab hand), and Kyusho-jutsu (vital points art), as well as Nage (throwing).
The RyuKyu's Islands are a small chain of islands located between Japan and China. The largest and most famous of these islands is Okinawa. Because of their strategic location it was a trading center for China and other Asian country. During those times Okinawa had a good relationship with China and China influences their culture, as well as their Life-protection Art.
Karate was born when there indigenous Art of ?Te? (hand) was infused with Chinese Martial Arts and other Asian Arts. The Chinese forms (kata) were integrated and modified and Karate was born.
Te became regionalized when it roughly divided into three distinct forms, Shuri-Te, Naha-Te and Tomari-Te. (These were towns located around Shuri Castle.) These weren't names of styles but rather references to distinguish differences in applications, kata and philosophies. It wasn't until the late 1800's to early 1900's that karate took official names to describe or to differentiate styles.
The Kanji or Chinese ideogram for ?Kara? meaning China was used out of respect for the Chinese. So Kara-te meant China Hand.
After the Meiji Restoration, Okinawa was under the rule of Japan. The Chinese ideogram for ?Kara? meaning China was changed to ?Kara, Ku? meaning open/vastness.
Today Karate literally means "Open hand" which refers to the physical means of hand movement and physical characteristics of the hand; which, when combined together represent human nature. That is to say, that, karate should be a natural movement ? for example, just as in walking. The natural movements in Karate are typical in the old ways of karate.
Karate is often misinterpreted as empty hand. This is wrong; it?s suggesting that there is no substance, or movement in the hand.
Today there are many styles of karate. These styles, although related, differ in philosophy, and interpretation of concepts. Karate is now divided into 3 categories: Modern, Traditional, and Classical.
Here the emphasis is on Classical Karate, meaning uses actual fighting philosophy developed by the warrior class. Classical karate is real karate technique used to stop opponents in actual combat, not the controlled conditions of tournament play.
