Older Bo terminology to consider

 

IMO a great deal may have been set aside on how bo technique originally was described, compared where today the bo kata are just named.

It may be worth your effort to consider this post found on Motobu Ryu’s blog, And then think on how this might affect your own bo practice. It offers a great deal to think about.

 

From https://ameblo.jp/motoburyu/entry-12735450138.html

Mura-bō and Palace Martial Arts 2

 

Written and translated by Motobu Naoki

 

 

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In the previous article, I noted that mura-bō actually includes spear, naginata, and sword, and that these weapon arts may have been transmitted from the various udun (palaces) in Shuri through "Udun Hōkō" (palace service). The existence of these weapon arts can be evidenced by the names of the various techniques in Nagahama Bō.

 

Older terms for a bo strike

 

·       Ūwāi (Ōwari (large crack): To between both eyebrows)

·       Ashi-jiri (To cut the leg)

·       Fusu-nuchi (To strike to the navel area)

·       Īmāsa (To chase around)

·       Kaji-chiri (To cut the neck)　[Kaji means nape in the Okinawan dialect.]

·       Ubi-chiri (To cut the hip) [Ubi (帯) means belt in the Okinawan dialect.]

·       Ura-uchi (To strike the neck from left to right) [Ura-uchi means reverse strike.]

·       Chichidī (Karate: To strike the solar plexus) [Chichidī (突き手) means striking hand in the Okinawan dialect.]

 

As for the name of the thrust, in addition to chichidī (突き手, thrusting hand), which seems to have come from karate, there is the word

husunuchi (へそ貫き, navel piercing). The difference between

"chichi" (to thrust) and

"nuchi" (to pierce) is also interesting. In modern karate terminology, jōdan (upper), chūdan (middle), and gedan (lower) are used to refer to the place of thrusting,

 while the above terms refer to the body and clothing, such as

neck (kaji),

navel (fusu),

belt (ubi),

and legs (ashi).

Connecting the word "tī" (meaning "art" in the Okinawan dialect) to the name of the weapon, Chōyū Sensei called them

 "Tachi nu Tī (sword hand),"

"Najinata nu Tī (halberd hand),"

"Yai nu Tī (spear hand)," etc.

 (Uehara Seikichi, Martial Dance, p. 108).

 

 Even fighting at night was addressed.

 Kurashin-bō (Dark stick)

It is a practical kobudō used in the dark. It is a stick art that fights by sensing the presence of the opponent, not by using kiai (yagui in the Okinawan dialect, shout)  

If you emit a kiai in the dark, your opponent will know where you are, so you do not use a kiai but quietly sense the presence of your opponent. 

 

In modern sport karate, there is generally no distinction between day and night. However, in the "Volume of Mastery of the Hundred Questions and Answers of Tendō-ryū" (1714) of Tendō-ryū (Ten-ryū), there are descriptions of

 

 "On Slashing in the Night" and "On the Dark Night" 

Ten-ryū was introduced to Ryukyu in the 17th century, and the techniques and ideas used in the dark night may have been transmitted from Shuri to the various rural areas through udun (palaces).