Martial Arts Weapons - Gilbert & Mesa, Arizona

This morning, my thoughts are about karate and kobudo (for those who don't speak Japanese, 'kobudo' is the term for martial arts weapons). This is what I was born to do! Well, not entirely. I also like to write and chase after gold and gem deposits. But knowing karate is helpful when I find one of those gem deposits and forget to bring along my rock hammer.

Last, week, while we were walking through our local garden center, I was elated. My wife looked at me like I was nuts and placed her hand on my forehead to see if I had a fever. No fever, so she tried to ignore me.

Gardening the Okinawan way. Ryan uses kuwa (hoe) to defend attack by Adam at the Arizona Hombu Karate dojo in Mesa, Arizona.

"Let's see, I need a Bachi Gata Hoe, an asparagus sickle, two nobori gama sickles, two hand forks, maybe a copper nunki weeder, two ko gama hoes and two sod sickles, a short handle nejiri weeder, a long-handled scraper, a hammer - ah, make that two. Wow, I must have two of those hoe-cultivators. Hey, look at those - I'll take two of of those Lawn Aerator Sandals and a long handle fork, two vegetable harvesting knives, a brass-tipped tamper dibber, one hand pruner and - hey what is that?!"

The employee picks up the Bypass pruner and hands it to me.

"Yes, I can definitely use this! And let me have a look at one of those landscaper pole saws".

As we walk by the chain saws - I stopped and day-dreamed. My wife saw that look in my eyes and grabbed my earlobe and we were off to another part of the store.

During Samurai Arts training. Our students began to understand the diversity of old school martial arts weapons, and those of modern day samurai and how these weapons can be interchangeable.

We started with hanbo (半棒) and added techniques from the hoko tsue (歩行杖) (cane). We moved on to a technique using a kakucho kanona baton (拡張可能なバトン) (expandable police baton known as ASP), switched to a ropu (ロープ) (rope), a manrikigusari (weighted chain), a sansetsukon (3-section nunchaku), then to a nunchaku, a broom, a mop, nitan bo and then obi (belt). With all of these, we applied the same defensive techniques. I like to do this to show how the same technique can apply to many weapons as well as classical karate (empty hand) techniques. It places the students into a creative thinking mode and broadens their martial arts experience and education.



Martial Arts Weapons and Gardening in Arizona

As Ryan attacks with tanto (knife), Adam blocks with the ei (handle) of the
kuwa. We found that most hoe from Lowe's will work as long as the
blade is secured to the handle

Weeding a garden can get boring quickly. To stem boredom, I often take a break and shadow box the imaginary ninja climbing over my wall while invading my back yard with their chains (manrikigusari), sickles (gusarigama), swords (katana), star darts (suriken) and nunchuks (nunchaku). But the Gilbert ninjas are no match for my hoe (kuwa) or rake (ra-ke). 

The battle begins after I've removed a few weeds and my mind  wanders. Soon, there are ninjas climbing all over my back wall! Using my peasant hoe I purchased from the nearby hardware store, I take on the well-armed ninjas. 

I block the attack from a club (hanbo) from the ninja who strikes to the top of my head using my 'ei' (handle) and follow with a cut to his toes using the kuwaba (bladed end of the hoe). While the ninja is hopping around on his good foot, I finish him by hooking the back of his good knee with the kuwaba pulling him off balance and quickly chambered my weapon to finish him with tsuki (thrust strike) on the knee cap. You should of heard him yell. 



Amada blocks bo strike from Adam using the 'ei' of the kuwa.

I strike overhead in an attempt to hit the next ninja - but he blocks my hoe with his bo. So I quickly hook his bo pulling him off balance and swing the hoe striking with non-bladed end knocking him into my swimming pool. I strike the next ninja with the butt of the handle and the battle is over. I take a deep breath, observe the damage to my garden, and then continue removing weeds until the next wave of ninja invade my garden (and mind). It was a good day to be a peasant in Gilbert Arizona.

Neal attacks with knife but is stopped by thrust with blade
end of kuwa.

We teach peasants from Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, Phoenix, Tempe and Scottsdale. Kuwa is just one of the many garden tools that we teach our peasants. A form of shadow boxing, known as kata, helps all of us karate practitioners to become experts in martial arts. How else could we defend against so many ninja with just a hoe or rake?

KUWA - Giving Arizona Gardening a Real Punch!

Shihan Adam of Phoenix hooks Rich's
 (of Mesa) knee with kuwa in ippon kumite. 

Kobudo is a an important part of Shorin-ryu karate, so much so that the karate and kobudo should be taught as being inseparable. Few weapons epitomize kobudo more than kuwa (the common garden hoe) also known as a gawa or kue. This is because kobudo is considered a peasant art, and what could better define a peasant than a hoe, a tool of the peasant class.

Karate and Kata are essentially the same, and this includes kobudo. Kobudo is developed through the study and continual practice of both karate and kobudo kata and each and every technique or movement in a kata must be understood as bunkai or self-defense. The bunkai also needs to be pragmatic otherwise the value of the technique is next to useless.

There are few kuwa kata: such as Matayoshi No Kuwa Nu De (Kue no de), which is the kata of Seiyo No Shorin-Ryu Karate Kobudo Kai and its variations. The kata has all of the strikes, blocks, digs, and cuts needed for self-defense.

                                  

O'Sensei Bill defends strike by Sensei Paula at the
Arizona Hombu dojo in the East Valley of Phoenix.

Kuwa-jutsu can be done with modern garden hoe although one must be careful with these as the majority are not well made and tend to fly apart as some of my students witnessed during teaching kuwa years ago at the University of Wyoming. One of my first strikes during kihon practice sent the blade (egashira) flying like a missile into our tatami (mat) against the back dojo wall in the Education Building gym. It surprised everyone including me. Luckily, I was in the front of the class of 50+ students with no one in front of me. 

So if you purchase a common hoe from a local hardware store it is best to reinforce the weapon by drilling a hole in the metal sleeve of the egashira that fits over the handle and add and anchor screw to secure the blade to the handle. For those who want to remain traditional, search the Internet for a Japanese style grub hoe. I recommend a 4" grub hoe (we found a 6" grub hoe at the Mekong Plaza in Mesa). The kuwa has a butt end (ejiri), handle (eii), head of the hoe (egashira) and blade edge (kuwaba).

Kuwa is used similar to a bo, but it has the advantage of a blade at one end. The egashira is used to hook weapons to redirect them, hook an opponents knee, back of neck, foot, etc and is also used for tsuki (thrust strikes). The kuwaba is used to cut an opponent as well as remove toes, ears, and fingers. The butt of the kuwa (ejiri) is used for thrust strikes, while the bo handle (eii) has many uses including blocks and strikes. So the next time you are working in your tomato garden in Gilbert, Chandler, Mesa, Tempe, Scottsdale, Phoenix or even in California, Colorado, Utah or Wyoming, etc., remember, you have a weapon in your hands - learn how to use this fabulous weapon! After all, you never know when another thieving politician is going to try to steal your tomatoes!

Training with hanbo (3-foot stick) in Mesa, Arizona at the Arizona Hombu Dojo, 60 W. Baseline.
Dr. Bergkamp works with Adam to trap his hand.

Members of the University of Wyoming Campus Shorin-Ryu Karate and Kobudo Club in Laramie
learn to be Okinawan farmers at Kobudo Clinic taught by Soke Hausel from Gilbert, Arizona.

Blocking with kuwa at the Arizona Hombu in Mesa, Arizona

Dr. Adam defends against attack by Rich at the Mesa Arizona Hombu.

TONFA - A Marvelous Hand Tool and Okinawa Peasant Weapon

Rich from Mesa uses bo during kobudo training at the Arizona Hombu dojo
 in Mesa, while Dr. Adam uses tonfa.

Tonfa is one of the favorite Okinawan weapons taught by Soke Hausel in Gilbert Arizona. Newbies find it challenging at first, but once a student realizse it's nothing more than an extension of their karate, they quickly get the hang of the weapon. Historically, on Okinawa, the tonfa originally was a mill handle, harness support, or some other tool that was quickly converted to a weapon on a moments notice. 

Some members of Seiyo Shorin-Ryu learned how to use tonfa in our 2016 classes in Mesa, Arizona and received certification documents. Today (2021 and 2022) more students are learning this tool for self-protection while others learn nunchaku, bo, tekko, tanto, katana, sai, kama, or other tools. The tonfa is such an effective weapon that it was once employed by nearly every law enforcement agency in the world, until the law enforcement officers realized that it required dedication to properly learn how to use this tool. In law enforcement, one tonfa (baton) was used - in Okinawa karate, two are typically used. 

Members (deshi) discovered that these weapons are very similar to their empty hand (kara-te) techniques with all of the typical blocks and strikes. In the forthcoming weeks, they will learn to use these weapons with different grips as well as learn three Tonfa kata (forms) and all of the bunkai (applications).

Dr. Adam follows up block with strike using
tonfa against Ryan's attack with bo.

The origin of the tonfa cannot be established beyond question, but some researchers assume the tonfa were originally rice mill handles that were removed from a rice grinder in Okinawa at time of need for self-defense against marauding Japanese samurai. The weapon was so effective that after karate was introduced to Japan in the 1900s, many police departments adapted the weapon for use as a night stick worldwide. But unlike law enforcement, our students learn to use two tonfa rather than one and learn to use them effectively for blocking, striking, hooking, choking, and even some throws.

The Arizona Hombu dojo accepts adults into its program with or without formal training in martial arts and offers diverse training in Okinawa karate, kobudo and samurai arts.

Members look forward to an education in karate, kobudo, self-defense, samurai arts, martial arts history, and philosophy. And, we are all good friends. 

Along with kobudo classes, we also provide some acting classes (not really). 
Here Neal  from Phoenix trains with Rich from East Mesa.

Sensei Borea (with kama) defends against Charles (with bo).

Dr. Teule from France trains with tonfa at the Hombu. Here she demonstrates a reverse grip