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Matayoshi Okinawa Kobudō

Okinawa Kobudō (沖縄古武道) means "old martial arts of Okinawa". This name, which was adopted in the 20th century, refers to a subgroup of martial arts originating from the Ryukyu archipelago and dealing with the use of weapons. Various Okinawa Kobudo systems may include knowledge on how to wield a different number of weapons - from one to a dozen. The most common weapons include the bō (long staff), sai (trident), tonfa (tunkwa), kama (sickle), and nunchaku. A less common weapon is eku (oar). The most famous Okinawa Kobudo systems include: Ryūkyū, Shōrin-ryū and Matayoshi.

It is worth knowing that the term Kobudō (古武道) in Japan refers to "old martial arts", i.e. systems of fighting with and without weapons that were created before the Meiji period, i.e. before 1868. The name ko-ryū (古流), meaning "old schools" is used interchangeably with kobudō. The term kobudō was used in Japan already in the Edo period (1603-1868).

The Matayoshi Kobudo system was created by Matayoshi Shinkō (又吉眞光, 1888–1947) and developed by his son, Matayoshi Shinpo (又吉眞豊, 1921–1997) in the early 20th century.

Matayoshi Shinkō came from a family associated with martial arts for generations. He was born in Naha-shi on Senburu. He was taught to wield bo, sai, eku and kama by the master Shokuho Agena. Later, under the supervision of Master Irei, he learned tonfa and nunchaku. In the years 1911-1915 he lived in Manchuria, where he learned Chinese martial arts.
From birth, Matayoshi Shinpo studied martial arts under his father's supervision for over 20 years. These included both Okinawa Karate and the weapon combat system. Later, he also trained under Go Ken Ki (Wu Xian Gui), a southern kung fu master from China. Many of the weapons taught in the Matayoshi Kobudo system are also found in Chinese martial arts, particularly in the Hung Gar tradition. These are: bō, sai, tonfa, nunchaku, sansetsukon, suruchin, kuwa, tinbei and seiryuto. In turn, weapons such as eku, kama and nunti-bo have their origins in Okinawa.

The following 15 weapons and katas using them are taught in the Matayoshi Kobudo system:

  • Bō (roku-shaku bo, 180 cm long stick) - Shushi no kun, Choun no kun, Sakugawa no kun, Tsuken (Chikin) no kun, Shishi no kun,
  • Sai (trident) - Matayoshi No Sai Dai Ichi (Nicho Sai), Matayoshi No Sai Dai Ni (Sancho Sai), Shinbaru no sai
  • Tunkuwa (also called Tonfa, stick with handle) - Matayoshi No Tunkuwa Dai Ichi, Matayoshi No Tunkuwa Dai Ni
  • Nunchaku (sticks connected with a rope) - Nunchaku No Kata
  • Sansetsukon (three-piece stick) - Sansetsukun No Kata Ichi and Ni
  • Eku (oar) - Chikin Akachu No Eku Di
  • Nunti-Bo (spear) - NuntiBo No Kata
  • Tinbei+Seiryuto (shield and short sword) - Timbei No Kata
  • Kama (sickle) - Kama Nu Ti
  • Suruchin (chain with weight) - Suruchin No Kata
  • Kuwa (digger) - Kuwa Nu Ti
  • Jo (stick 120 cm long) - Jojutsu no kata
  • Tekko (brass knuckles) - Tekko no kata
  • Tecchyu (iron spike) - Tecchyu no kata
  • KurumanBo (asymmetrical, two-piece stick) - KurumanBo no kata
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