Kobudo
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Karate & Kobudo: Two Wheels on an Axle
I started to learn Ryukyu Kobudo from my teachers Minowa sensei and Yoshimura sensei when I was 24 years old. At that time I was living on Amami Oshima and studying at their dojo in Naze-shi. Minowa sensei would often say to me that Kobudo and Karate-do were, “like two wheels on an axle.” At… Continue reading
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Thoughts on Okinawa Kobudo Systems
The other day I was chatting with one of my students after Kobudo practice and we got on the topic of Yamane (Yamani)-ryu. This of course got me thinking about not only Yamane-ryu, but also the other Kobudo systems (Taira, Matayoshi, Ryukonkai, Ufuchiku) practiced on Okinawa. Below are some random thoughts about Yamane-ryu and Kobudo… Continue reading
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Walking a Path
Canadian culture, and by extension US culture, suffers from a staggering lack of patience. I would go so far as to say that it borders on narcissistic. A few months ago I was standing in line to pay for my groceries when a women behind me asked if she could cut ahead of me because… Continue reading
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Dialogue in the Dojo
I enjoy practicing Kobudo and Karate in the morning by myself so I can polish and work through techniques. If I’m honest with myself, it’s probably not enough time, but I concentrate just on a few things, so I feel I can make a little progress or at the least not get any worse. The… Continue reading
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Training Day
Today I had a thoroughly enjoyable training session. Maybe because of the heavy snow and the early hour I went to the gym, to my surprise, I had it all to myself for two hours (貸切状態)! What a treat! If you’re curious what I was doing, then read on. Warm-up: Dumbbell swings x 10, Goblet… Continue reading
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Nakasone Seyu’s Tomarite
I just published a short biography of Tomarite master Nakasone Seyu on Youtube, and hope readers will find it interesting. Nakasone had a very interesting and diverse training history which included the following teachers: Tomari-te Matsumora Kosaku Iha Kodatsu Maeda Ginin (Yoshitō) Nakazato Bokuhitsu (Mutsuo) Goju-ryu Miyagi Chojun (unconfirmed) Higa Seko Kobudo Kamiya Jinsei Karate Shimabukuro… Continue reading
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Seiyo no Sai
As some readers may know, I have been intermittently translating the publication, “Karate Kenkyu” (Karate Studies) magazine, on and off for two years. I am pleased to announce that I have finally completed a working translation of the magazine. Translating this publication has been a labor of love for me, and I am excited to… Continue reading
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Kinjo Masakazu Sensei
I was saddened to hear of the passing of Kinjo Masakazu. He, along with Yonamine Kousuke (who also recently a passed away), were students of Minowa Katsuhiko sensei. Both were skilled and prolific Karate and Kobudo teachers. It seems Minowa sensei’s students are slowly passing away. I never had the opportunity to meet Yonamine sensei,… Continue reading
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Who Do you Practice for?
If you’ve been training for a number of years, your practice should be about refining what you know and learning some new material, and not necessarily about doing a workout. Yet, some students in the West equate practice with fitness, getting a good sweat going, and practicing the dojo curriculum. Of course this is true… Continue reading
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Tough Love (厳しい)
Sometimes I am dismayed at some Karate schools that are run as little more than fitness clubs. What ever happened to the ‘old skool dojo’ of the 1970s or 1980s? When I was a new to Karatedo in 1984, the first dojo that I joined was a local Shotokan dojo. I was poked, prodded and… Continue reading
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