Kobujutsu begins at the beginning of time. The first time man picked up a rock or stick to drive off an unwanted attack, is the begining to Kobujtsu. The are no records of this day, no master filled with insight, just a desire to survive.

The most common explanation is that kobudo is largely an Okinawan invention, with some Chinese influence (for example, many of the rokushakubo kata are Chinese in origin). The weapons used in Ryukyu Kobudo (or Kobujutsu) are mostly Okinawan inventions (of course, the bo, or staff, is a weapon common to many civilizations). In this train of thought, kobudo was sometimes used by practitioners to defend themselves against belligerent Japanese warriors during the Satsuma invasion, and some people even go so far as to say that the Okinawans fought the invading forces using kobudo and the empty hand styles that were present at that time (te and tode). This seems unlikely, as the Okinawans would have been tremendously overpowered by the well armed Japanese clan. However, it does seem possible that some fighting might have taken place between the two sides, and many of the kobudo kata contain moves that imply a fight against an opponent with armor and a sword. It is true that the Satsuma clan forbid the use of "real" weapons, but they also forbid the practice of all martial arts in Okinawa. Those that continued to train in te, tode and kobudo did so in secrecy.

It has been established that the bo has been in use since at least the 14th century, and the sai since the 16th. The Yari is mentioned as being used in Okinawa in 1624. The teaching of weapons has been handed down form teacher to pupil, and so it continues. We have our first specific weapons techniques handed down from teacher to student intact can be said to have begun with Sakugawa (1733 - 1815). He is recorded to have gone to China to study the martial arts. He is given credit for bringing back a developed form of bojutsu. Sakugawa no Kon kata is practiced by our dojo to this day. Chatan Yara (174-1812), who was Sakugawa's contemporary. left behind several kinds of weapon kata', including forms for the bo, sai and tonfa. The late 18th centuary is from where most of what we know of Okinawan weaponry. Many of the very same people are responsible for the developent of Okinawan Kara-te.

The most common explanation is that kobudo is largely an Okinawan invention, with some Chinese influence (for example, many of the rokushakubo kata are Chinese in origin). The weapons used in Ryukyu Kobudo (or Kobujutsu) are mostly Okinawan inventions (of course, the bo, or staff, is a weapon common to many civilizations). In this train of thought, kobudo was sometimes used by practitioners to defend themselves against belligerent Japanese warriors during the Satsuma invasion, and some people even go so far as to say that the Okinawans fought the invading forces using kobudo and the empty hand styles that were present at that time (te and tode). This seems unlikely, as the Okinawans would have been tremendously overpowered by the well armed Japanese clan. However, it does seem possible that some fighting might have taken place between the two sides, and many of the kobudo kata contain moves that imply a fight against an opponent with armor and a sword. It is true that the Satsuma clan forbid the use of "real" weapons, but they also forbid the practice of all martial arts in Okinawa. Those that continued to train in te, tode and kobudo did so in secrecy. We next follow the flow of kata to Chinen Sanda and Yabiku Moden, among others. There are many side branches and only for brevity do we leave them out. It is not indicative of there contributions to the art. Sueishi is said to have been a bo student of Chatan Yari. He is the man that devised Sueishi no Kon kata we practice. Matsumura was one of the greatest kobujutsu experts. He studied with Sakugawa, Matsu Higa and Aburaya, as well as Chinese teachers. Tsuken Hantaka (1829-1898) developed kata for the bo, sai and eku.

The above are some of the individuals responsible for gathering all this knowledge and techniques throughout the islands and China. This became what we call Ryukyu Kobudo. In modern times we can thank individuals like Taira Shinken, Shinpo Matayoshi, Eisuke Akamine and others. These individuals form organizations whose function it was to help preserve these Kobudo kata.

 

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