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.



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