Discovered by my colleague Thomas Feldmann
(from Düsseldorf, Germany), maker of the "Hoploblog", this is thought
to be a scene from an undated, prewar "school arts festival".
Of course, this is a demonstration of Mura-bo, or "village bojutsu".
Today Mura-bo is sometimes used as a pejorative term, even by Okinawans.
However, it appears that the Mura-bo is more Okinawan than the Bujutsu-st
yle Bojutsu of probably early 20th
century Japanese influence, i.e. what we see today.
For example, long before there were "cultural asset holders" in the field
of Okinawan Karate and Kobudo, there were first the "cultural assets"
of Mura-bo. For this reason alone, without further consideration, the term
"Mura-bo" should not be used in a pejorative sense.
BTW, the 1867 martial arts demonstration at the Uchaya-udun (royal tea
residence) of Kume villagers was the same kind of "school arts
festival".
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