It’s funny how it seems sustained discussion on Kobudo rarely happens, I’m sure because there is often little perceived common ground between the many different kobudo practices. I’m going to try and go a bit further, beginning by talking about my own studies and various aspects of kobudo as I practice it. I am an Isshinryu stylist who trained with several other instructors over the years.
When I started my study of Isshinryu in Salisbury, Md. At Tom Lewis IKA (the Karate Barn) I just wanted to study karate. Having read Black Belt magazine for years at that time I knew what Kobudo was in general, but had no interest in studying weapons.
I did see some of my seniors study weapons kata, but it wasn’t a regular feature of class.
Several years later when I began my study with Charles Murray, before long he started teaching me Chantan Yara No Sai, and I made a trip from Scranton down to Philadelphia to Asian World (Back when they were in North Phila on North Broad Street) in an old WWII home front store location to buy a set of steel sai and a bo (for future studies).
Still have both, the Sai have been constant training companions for over 33 years now, and the Bo is ‘Bertha’, weighs a ton and feels almost like a steel rod. A good power bo training companion.
I don’t recall ever hearing Isshinryu weapons described as kobudo. They were just the kata Charles pushed into me.
Chantan Yara No Sai
Tokumine No Kon
Kusanku Sai
Chia Fa (a long story about that one)
Urashie No Bo
And finally taught outside during thunderstorms Shi Shi No Kon No Dai Bo the day he was packing to leave his church and return to the USAF. When it started raining and thundering he’d go inside to pack and I stayed outside and practice till the rain stopped and he’d come back outside to teach me some more.
Charles also taught me the Bando Staff Set – The Horseman’s Footsoldier’s Form which he studied from Reese Rigby.
When he returned to the USAF for his career I was on my own for my Isshinryu studies over the next 30+ years.
Charles did make one important point towards the end of our time together. He told me “Vic, the first 20 years you’re art is the reflection of your instructor, after 20 years your art is the reflection of you.”
Not having anyone to train with, and never having made weapon study a part of the youth program for the most part, to push myself more than just walking through kata, the next 6 or so years I used open tournament competition as a focus of my training.
Nothing uses more energy than competing before a crowd, and I used it to compete against myself. I mostly used Shi Shi No Kon No Dai, Chantan Yara no Sai and occasionally the Horseman’s form. Eventually whatever I was seeking in competition was completed and I stopped.
During those years from 1979 to 1985 I also traveled to train with other instructors I had met. Additional weapons study was never my goal, but with several of them it happened.
After starting my study of Yang Tai Chi Chaun, the moment came where I had to begin learning Yang Tai Chi Sword from Ernest Rothrock, before I could enter the rest of my Yang studies. It continues to be my most challenging study. I also studied 3 sectional staff with him, and when he moved to Pittsburgh still working out with his Eastern Penna Schools in Scranton and Wilkes-Barre on my tai chi and ‘kung fu forms’ studies, his students shared their beginning staff and short staff studies too.
Rothrock Laoshi’s studies in weapons are too vast to describe simply. I only would touch the surface in a minor way, but that allowed me to develop an appreciation behind the Chinese Arts.
During the same period I began to study with Tristan Sutrisno, a Shotokan instructor (and a bit more). He shared his students studied with me and shortly after I started training there he taught Chosen No Kama Sho, and Chosen No Kama Dai. Later would come O’Sensei No Kon, O’ Sensei No Kon Sho, O’ Sensei No Kon Dai. Towards the end of the time I was training with him I also received studies in Tanto Drills and a bit of a Tanto kata.
I only saw a small part of his weapons arts, but found them unique in that one kata built upon the other. In the Kama and Bo kata I trained with the following kata in a string built upon the previous kata. I’m not suggesting all of his weapons kata did the same, but there was also interesting synergy in how his kata developed the practitioner.
Attending a Bando Summer camp in 83 another instructor shared his Bando ‘Hidden Stick’ form. A study in stick as a back-up weapon. One of my seniors Reese Rigby also had studied that form, but the one I learnt is a differing variation on the stick theme.
The move to Derry, NH in 85 eventually forced me to make choices which parts of my studies would remain and which parts would be left behind. I had learnt more than could be really integrated into the training time I had available.
I started a small adult program and several years later I had developed students ready for weapons training. I had made the decision not to integrate weapons into kyu studies, feeling then and now there was enough empty hand technique to study and fill the student cup.
Some time in the late 80’s I also had the chance to study Kise Sensei’s basic Bo, Sai and Kama kata at a clinic which he attended.
I also had the smallest glimpse of the late Sherman Harrill’s knowledge, bo training drills and bo application studies.
Over the decades my understanding of weapons study grew, especially when I taught them. Very different from how I studied, mostly being shown the kata and left on my own. I came to understand a relationship between karate and kobudo, how weapons increased the advancing dan’s performance, and provided at tool for the instructor in the framework I use for all of our studies.
All of my instructors are much better than I’ve ever been, but their sharing and their inspiration continue to guide my goals for my students practice.
From this sparse background I will build a few future discussions on kobudo.
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