Kobudo Weapons Training

KOBUDO (Okinawa Weapons)
 Instruction in Bo Staff, Sai and Kama for advance students only.
We provide instruction in Okinawa weapons (Kobudo) to students that have the desire to learn weapons and have achieved the rank of Green    Belt, Kyu 5.    VISIT THE YOUTUBE  UFUCHIKU PLAYLIST

                                                                              KOBUDO  

History & Development 

 The art of Kobu-Jutsu is that of fighting with the aid of adapted farming implements of the far east. Tradition credits Okinawa as the source country for these arts due to the 15th century suppression of that country by the Japanese. Like all conquerors, the Japanese forbade the local inhabitants to possess any weapons. As a result farming implements were adapted and used as a means of self defense. This story is very likely to be basically true but it seems highly probably that the use of farming tools for fighting was an ancient art throughout the Far east long before the Japanese set foot on the Isle of Okinawa. In ancient times wars were a frequent occurrence. These were fought between petty rulers in the vast majority of cases and were often little more than glorified cattle raids. The armies lived off the country they passed through and any village near the line of march was usually pillaged to the bone. If the villagers had sufficient warning of the army's approach they may have been able to hide grain and livestock to enable them to survive the coming winter and start again. If not then the survivors of the army's passing were reduced to banditry in order to live. The old, the weak and the very young soon perished and rival factions would soon reduce any large group to a number of small, highly mobile bands. Other villages throughout the country soon learned to fear these outlaw bands. Forbidden by their local lords to arm themselves they looked to their everyday farming tools for means of defending themselves. The edged tools such as the Kama (sickles) had obvious value but other tools soon showed themselves to have surprising possibilities. Among these were the Tonfa, Nunchaku, Bo and Sai. Kobudo like Karate developed into an Art of many different styles, Ufuchiku Kobudo is but one of the many weapons fighting styles of Okinawa. Sensei Hernandez has dedicated his life to Martial arts training and his Journey of Kenpo Karate and Kobudo. His Karate experience ranges 45 years and he has trained and studied with many great Masters in the United States and aboard in the orient.

Sensei Jose D. Hernandez has practiced and study Kobudo & Iaido from a variety of illustrious instructors. 

                                                                           Kenji Tonosake, Sensei —  Japan         

        Masanobu Kina, Sensei — Okinawa

        Isao Wada, Sensei — United States

        T. Oshiro, Sensei — United States

 Sensei Jose D. Hernandez studied Ufuchiku Kobudo for a brief prior of time with Master Masanobu Kina in 1979, prior to his untimely and unfortunate passing in a drowning accident. Master Masanobu Kina, is a 7th Dan of the Rengeikan and nephew of Kina Shosei, with a direct lineage of Kinjo Ufuchiku (Kanakushiku Sanda). Master Kina was his first true Okinawan Kobudo instructor. Prior to traveling to Okinawa and meeting Kina Sensei, all of his Kobudo instruction was from American instructors throughout the United States. He practice and study with Master Oshiro in Califorina after his return from Okinawa.

Meeting & Introduction: Sensei Hernandez met Master Kina shortly (within the first 2 weeks) after arriving at Kadena Air Base, in the summer of 1979. He was stationed there on temporary duty assignment.He spent just under six months learning Ufuchiku Kobudo one of the indigenous arts of the Ryukyu Islands from Kina Sensei. My formal introduction to Master Kina was via other serviceman. Sifu Wright introduced Sensei Hernandez to Kyoshi Anthony Marquez, who in turn introduced him to Kina Sensei.

Memories: Sensei Hernandez, describes Kina Sensei as a very quiet, modest and humble person. It was a meeting of souls, because for having known each other for such a short prior of time Sensei Hernandez felt there was a connection that transcended the usual student teacher relationship, perhaps because Master Kina and Sensei Hernandez where both Christian. Sensei Hernandez is uninformed as to the religious status of the other class members. Another possibility of their affability could have been from Sensei Hernandez’s willingness to accompany Kina Sensei on his Saturday morning swim, after workouts on the beach. Kina Sensei was an abbot swimmer. He loved swimming! Don’t really know much about Kina Sensei’s normal/routine teaching schedule and/or classes. Sensei Hernandez recounts training with Kina Sensei two to three times a week with what Hernandez called the American Kobudo class. During the week classes where held in what seem to be a cafeteria at a senior’s home and/or a hospice, in town not to far from the base. However, on Saturday’s they would all travel to the beach and workout in the sand and ocean. After workout Kina Sensei would go swimming  in the ocean for long priors of time. Sensei Hernandez recalls his very first Saturday workout and Kina Sensei going out to swim, he was gone so long that the group all left and returned to base without biting a farewell to Kina Sensei. Sensei Hernandez was concerned and questioned the decision to leave Kina Sensei, however Kyoshi Anthony Marquez re-assured him it was ok and that it happened often times. Master Masanobu Kina never granted Sensei Hernandez any rank, their time together was very brief, but you can tell that Kina Sensei made a huge impact and life altering impression on Sensei Hernandez. He (Kina  Sensei) allowed him the pleasure and privilege of filming him perform the Bo Kata Shi Shi No Kun, Tui Sashi Ume No Kun and a Sai Kata Kina No Sai. Sensei Hernandez still has this very rare 8mm footage of Kina Sensei and values it as a treasure!Sensei Hernandez still practices and teaches these kata to his students, along with other Kobudo kata. 

                                                                                                                                                                        Masanobu Kina, Sensei working the Bo Staff

We at Dragon Cloud Dojo practice Kobudo arts for a variety of  reasons. Make the weapons an extension of our bodies. Improve our skill and use of the weapons, as well as to acquaint ourselves with the ranges of attack & defense on a different subconscious plane which is a different level than with empty hand techniques. Too, to improve our empty hand  art’s and understanding of weapon disarmament such as in techniques learned in Jutte and other tradional kata. And of course to preserve the history of Kobudo and it’s kata. 

This is a photo of some of Master Kina's American students. Back row, left to rigth: Sifu Wright, unknown, Master Kina, Sifu Jackson and Sensei Hernandez. Front row, left to right: Sensei Ron Nix, Black Belt Magazine writer & contributor Sensei Robert Teller and Sensei  Anthony Marquez.  

A young-looking pair of future instructors Sensei Ron Nix and                 Sensei Jose D. Hernandez in their early to mid-twenties                           during a seminar at the USO on Kadena Air Base, Okinawa.

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