Karate and Kobudo? the 8Th Edition of Our Magazine Is a Fact
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We want your help! Karate and Kobudo? The 8th edition of our magazine is a fact. Although the business of our daily lives gives us but few possibilities, we are glad that we can present another In talking to many practitioners of the Okinawan martial arts, one edition to thousands of international readers. Our often hears two separate terms used; karate and kobudo. One is web statistics show that our PDF editions are well visited and downloaded and therefore we can also the unarmed practice common to the island, the other the weapon adopt that these are read. Also we get daily arts. On the surface, this separation makes sense; it's a very easy registrations of people who have put themselves on the mailing list for the announcement of every division to make since the difference between holding something new edition (by means of our website). We are and not holding something is pretty obvious. Since the translation delighted that our aim, spreading the knowledge and spirit of the martial arts on an international for karate means "empty hand", the separation seems even more level by means of the Internet, is met. obvious. However, although this separation makes sense on the We want to thank those who have declared their surface and is a common idea in Okinawa, in Japan, and here in the mental support by sending us positive e-mails. West, I would suggest it is an artificial one, one that comes out of a We appreciate these responses and want to let you all know that we feel strengthened in our specific set of historic circumstances, and is not actually mission. representative of the Okinawan martial heritage. Because of changes in work and home situations, - Frederick W. Lohse III - the editorial board of Meibukan Magazine has been reduced since the last two editions. For Mei- bukan Magazine this means less capacity on different fronts. Therefore we have to put more effort by means of time and energy into the search Conceptually, separating armed and un- In the past, the leading figures in the for interesting articles which would qualify for a armed arts is rather unusual worldwide. Okinawan martial traditions practiced, and possible publication in our magazine. While many of the Japanese Shin-budo taught, a variety of techniques. Looking at The general appraisal of an article (checking of are extremely specific in their choice of the various figures of Okinawa’s martial facts/sources/persons etc. and aptitude), the contact tools- Judo is empty handed, Kendo uses past, this becomes immediately obvious. with the authors and copyright holders, the preparations of those articles which are effectively only a shinai (bamboo practice sword), Kosaku Matsumora was known for his placed, demand more time than most people Kyudo uses only the bow- these arts skill with the bo (staff) (Nagamine, 2000, imagine. We are always searching for good resemble the Western sports of fencing, p. 34). In the 1866 demonstration at the material, be it already published or new material. Often we have a mixture of both since our aim is boxing, or wrestling more than they do departure of the last Chinese Sapposhi, not to be newsworthy in the first place but to be most martial arts. They were designed, Seisho Aragaki, who went on to be Kanryo helpful in providing serious martial arts material to the interested. Both new and old material are much like their Western counterparts, to Higaonna’s teacher, demonstrated a variety fine for our magazine and when we ourselves have fit a specific need. Elements of practice of armed and unarmed techniques ranging time and energy we also actively create and that were deemed unnecessary to their from empty hand to tinbe (shield & machete contribute to it. goals were eliminated. Hence, Judo does or short spear). The famous Yara Chatan Because we only have a few hands for the job to not contain many of the armed or striking passed down both Chatan Yara no Kusanku search/investigate interesting material, I want to techniques common to many traditional and Chatan Yara no Sai. Perhaps most call upon our readers to provide us with references/ links to serious and thorough non-commercial Jujutsu styles, Kendo includes no unarmed telling, the single greatest legacy of one articles which could be suitable for publication in training or understanding of the spear, of karate’s most famous exponents, a man our magazine. halberd, or thrown weapons as many clas- who was nicknamed for his karate, “Tode” It is difficult to explain in short what kind of sical Japanese arts do, and so on. Their Sakugawa (Kanga Sakugawa), is the bo material Meibukan Magazine is looking for, but specific designs enable focused study of kata that bears his name, not his karate. now that the first 8 editions of our magazine have appeared, I believe that the articles published so a particular set of techniques, a practice far give a clear indication of the type of material designed for self-development, sport, fitness, we are interested in. or some combination of these. However, If you are in a position to provide us with material, in more traditional martial arts the dif- the most convenient way for us would be if you ferentiation between armed and unarmed could supply us with a weblink or even a Word arts is often vague, at best. The classical document by email concerning the article that you think would fit in our magazine. Ideally, Japanese arts, Chinese arts, Philippine arts, provide us with information of where and when Indonesian arts, all mix armed and unarmed the article is/was published (webpage or magazine), who the author is and -if possible- how to reach techniques, usually in the same system, him and possibly the copyright holder. Even if using the same tactical concepts. Histori- you only have a weblink that you think could be cally, in looking at the Okinawan arts, the interesting for our magazine, please feel free to mail us by our submission email. Of course we can same applies. not guarantee we will place the article(s), but we will certainly take the effort to study the material While today karate and kobudo are often attentively. considered separate practices, this is a Lex Opdam relatively new phenomenon on Okinawa. Editor in chief Kanga Sakugawa House of the Pure Martial Arts WWW.MEIBUKANMAGAZINE.ORG No 8 DECEMBER 2006 2 on a huge number of Okinawan kata, was founded his organization, the Goju-ryu “The classical Japanese arts, Chinese arts, enough of an expert in kobudo to be one Kokusai Karate Kobudo Renmei, Seiko Philippine arts, Indonesian arts, all mix of Shinken Taira’s main teachers; he Higa, who had also studied with Shinken armed and unarmed techniques, usually obviously considered the armed arts im- Taira, Shinpo Matayoshi, and Kenko in the same system, using the same tactical portant enough to preserve as well. Taira, Nakaima, included kobudo in the title even concepts.” the founder of the Society for the Preser- though there are no weapon kata in the vation and Promotion of Ryukyu kobudo, Goju system. Other Goju teachers also Obviously, the pioneers of what was to also learned from Jinsei Kamiya, a noted considered kobudo essential to their become Okinawa’s karate and kobudo did Goju-ryu exponent. Ginchin Funakoshi, the practice- Seikichi Toguchi added rhythm not see the two as separate arts. The lea- founder of Shotokan, also practiced ko- bo and various kobudo kata to his Shorei- ding teachers practiced and taught both. budo, as the famous picture of him using kan, and Meitoku Yagi added Gekisai and This continued on into the next “gene- sai (a forked metal truncheon) demon- Saifa practiced with sai. Zenryo Shima- rations”. Kanryo Higaonna is said to have strates. In the early days, he also taught buko taught Tokumine no kon along with been skilled with a variety of Chinese some bojutsu, though this dropped out of Kyan’s karate. Kenko Nakaima’s Ryuei- weapons. Along with his karate, Chotoku most Shotokan practice. (McMahon, ryu has always included armed and un- Kyan passed down the bo kata Tokumine 2001.) Conversely, his student Shinken armed kata. Hohan Soken was known for no kon, a kata he considered an important Taira also taught karate. During the late his Matsumura style karate, but also for his part of his legacy. The noted bo masters Meiji period and right into the post-war deep knowledge of a number of weapons. Masami Chinen and Modem Yabiku both era, the Okinawan arts were undergoing Seikichi Odo’s Okinawa Kempo includes studied Itosu style karate. (See Hokama, massive change. They were being ex- a variety of armed kata, taught, as in all 2005.) Indeed, virtually every legendary ported to Japan and becoming something these systems, as part and parcel of the Okinawan bushi is known for both armed new in the process, while on Okinawa they karate they accompany. and unarmed skills. This is, with a little were being re-examined and renamed. examination, not surprising. In earlier With each generation, there had always “Throughout the history of the Okinawan times, the martial arts were not practiced been change and crossfertilization arts, karate teachers have taught and primarily for self-development, or sport. between styles and teachers. However, They were practiced for self-defense, or in this period there came to be a more practiced kobudo, and kobudo teachers combat. In that light, any martial artist focused approach to codifying sys-tems, have taught and practiced karate. The would need to be able to use, and be able naming them, and creating clearer lineages two have never been seen as separate to counter, not only unarmed attacks, but and lists of kata to go with them.