Okinawa Gardening is a Hoe lot better with Kuwa

Kuwa - a gardening tool that packs a serious punch. 

The Kuwa (gawa or kue) is one of many traditional Okinawan kobudo weapons practiced by members of Seiyo no Shorin-Ryu Karate Kobudo Kai. Better known in the West as a garden hoe; in the East it is not only a garden tool, but also a common peasant weapon of self-defense, or one of the many so-called classical karate weapons. When training with this tool in a dojo, you can use a common, everyday, hoe from your local hardware store such as Lowes, or search for a traditional kuwa on the internet. You will not find them at martial arts supply houses because few instructors teach this weapon. But when you purchase kuwa; before you take it to the dojo, be sure that the blade (igashira) is securely attached to the handle (iii)!

Years ago, Soke Hausel purchased a common hoe from a hardware store in Laramie, and took it to the University of Wyoming dojo and started teaching kihon (basic techniques). On the very first strike, using a down cut (top-of-head strike) - the kuwaba (blade) shot off the iie (handle) like it had been shot out of a cannon. Soke is know for his fast, focused strikes 

A kuwa from our local hardware store works well in training,
but the blade must be securely attached, and also the handle
is often breakable.

At the shomen (front) of the University dojo, we had a large tatami (mat) hanging on the front wall used for jujutsu. The blade hit the mat with considerable force and echoed throughout the Educational Building Gym and halls. We had no idea that garden hoes were so poorly constructed. Luckily, Soke was facing to the front of the dojo with no one was in-between; otherwise he would have had a tough time explaining to the ER physician as to how the blade of a hoe got embedded into one of the students. So now, when people visit their local hardware stores to purchase a hoe, it is requested that they drill a hole through the metal blade jacket and wooden handle to secure the blade with a nut and bolt.

The kuwa can be used in many ways for self defense. Using the kuwaba (blade) for cutting is pretty obvious, but it can also hook an arm, leg, or your attacker’s weapon. This can also be used to thrust, particularly after hooking the attacker. The opposite end of the blade known as the igashira, is for striking and is devastating when swung like a bat. 

Kuwa kata, at Arizona Hombu dojo, Mesa, AZ

As with some weapons containing a wooden handle, the kuwa has a handle that is typically the length of a jo (4-foot long bo) that can be used for horizontal thrusts and blocks. However, blocking a katana (sword) with the iie is not recommended except as a last resort. The iie can also be used for outward, inward, high and low blocks with the ijiri (pommel) used for thrusts.

Basically, only one kuwa kata has survived over the years known as kuwa no te with variations. If you are interested in a traditional kuwa, you might check the internet. Our recommendation is to buy a small hoe because Japanese kuwa are slow and cumbersome.

There is a two-person kata on the internet which uses kuwa and eku (Okinawan oar).

Okinawa Karate & Kobudo, East Valley of Phoenix, Arizona

Gavin and Dennis train in kobudo with sansetsukon (3-sectional staff) and bo (6-foot staff) at the Arizona Hombu

At the Arizona Hombu in Mesa, Arizona, a variety of Japanese-Okinawan martial arts are taught to  adults and families. We are an active member of Juko Kai International, Zen Kokusai Soke Budo Bugei Renmei, Seiyo no Shorin-Ryu Karate Kobudo Kai and Soke Council. So, we have credentials and copies of our credentials are available to examine in our Hall-of-Fame dojo at the 60 W. Baseline Center in Mesa - right across the street from Chandler and Gilbert.

At our martial arts school, traditional karate is taught rather than sport. There are many reasons for this. One is that karate was thought to be a weapon for 4 to 5 centuries, and only certain factions of the art became sport in the 1950s removing many of the effective self-defense applications deemed unsafe for competition - so the sport was watered down. Another reason is in sport karate, the student is taught to "win" and to "lose"; whereas in traditional karate, the original goal is still the most important aspect of karate. As stated by Okinawan Shorin-Ryu master and father of modern karate, Gichin Funakoshi, "The Purpose of Karate lies not in victory or defeat, but in the perfection of its participants". In sport karate, the focus is victory, in traditional karate, the focus is "perfection of the participants".

Karate and Kobudo go hand in hand. Many of the same blocking, striking, grappling and throwing techniques are used in both, thus one are should be bended and taught with the other art. This was the way it was taught on Okinawa for centuries and when introduced to Japan after 1922, Japanese karate systems began to either eliminated kobudo, or slowly removed it from the curriculum. By doing so, a very large segment of karate was abandoned by the Japanese and later European and American karate instructors and schools.

But at the Arizona Hombu in Mesa, Arizona, the traditions of karate and kobudo are retained and taught to all who become students. So, compare any martial arts school in Arizona with what is taught at the Arizona Hombu, and decide if you are learning enough about martial arts. Here are some of the many karate & kobudo arts taught at the Hombu:

Karate

• Shorin-Ryu Karate
• Shorin-Ryu Kobudo
• Kokushinkai Shitai Kori (body hardening). 

Samurai

• Kempojutsu
• Iaido (fast draw sword)
• Sojutsu (Okinawan spear)
• Naginatajutsu (Japanese Naginata or pole arm).
• Jujutsu
• Kenjutsu
• Hanbo (3-foot staff)
• Tanto (knife)
• Hojojutsu (rope restraint)
• Kubotan (short stick)
• Bokken (wooden sword)
• Jo (4-foot staff)

Kobudo

• Bo (6-foot staff)
• Kuwa (hoe)
• Ra-ke (rake)
• Tsune (cane)
• Tekko (horse stirrups - knuckle dusters)
• Sai (forks)
• Tonfa (Side-handle batons)
• Kioga (expandable baton)
• Shurichin 
• Manrikigusari & short rope
• Nunchaku (two-sectional staff)
• Sansetsukon (3-sectional staff)
• Nitanbo (2-sticks)
• Kama (sickles)
• Gusarigama (chain & sickle)
• Hara (Fish Hooks)
• Eku (boat paddle)

In addition, the Seiyo Shorin-Ryu karate kobudo system contains about 70 kata compared to many arts that have only 8 to 20. These include short and long kata and each kata contains many bunkai (practical applications). 

Sansetsukon (3-sectional staff) at the Arizona Hombu, Mesa

Suzette blocks bo attack using sansetsukon during kobudo class at the Seiyo no Shorin-Ryu hombu in Mesa.

A few months ago, Ben, one of our more dedicated students at the hombu, arrived with ‘san-setsu-kon’ (translates as ‘three-segmented-bo’) in hand, asking about its use and if we would learn to use this weapon in class. Ben is into martial arts weapons and periodically shows up with uncommon weapons. Not too long ago, he came to our karate school (dojo) with an odachi in hand – a samurai sword that is as long as most people are tall.

You will find little information about sansetsukon on the Internet even though a few books have been written by Chinese martial artists on the subject. I have not seen these books so I have no idea if they are of value, but I warn people to be careful of purchasing martial arts books: most have little value and most are poorly written and not worth reading, but there are a handful of martial arts books that are good.

A sansetsukon is a Chinese martial arts weapon adapted by Okinawan karate practitioners for kobudo. In Chinese, sansetsukon is known as sanjiegum (三節棍) and referred to as a coiling dragon, probably because it gives the impression of a coiled dragon, and also because it bites its user like a coiled dragon until they can tame this beast with considerable training. The weapon consists of three  sectional sticks with a combined length typical for many bo. These are attached by rope, chain, or rings and originally used as a flail by Chinese farmers. In martial arts it is used similar to surujin, bo and nunchaku combined. And like the surujin, it causes problems even for the most adept kobudo practitioners. 

A coiling dragon, sketch copyright by Soke Hausel

In the past, staves were manufactured from bamboo, white oak, wax wood, red maple or metal. Today, most are made of aluminum, bamboo, rattan, foam rubber or a variety of hardwood.

The three-sectional staff is a brutal weapon particularly to those new to its use, whether you are on the receiving or attacking end. Even so, you will find it is an effective tool after you begin to feel comfortable with it. And just like the nunchaku, I recommend starting with foam padded sansetsukon. 

Some suggest that the sansetsukon was introduced to Okinawa from the Chinese Fuijian province by Soke Shinko Matayoshi (1888-1947) who also created two kata for the Matayoshi Shorin-Ryu Kobudo system. The two kata were referred to as sansetsukon dai ichi and sansetsukon dai ni. At the Arizona Hombu, we will learn basics, bunkai and sansetsukon no kata. 

The sansetsukon, or three staved nunchuku, is a
difficult weapon to master. 

Soke Shinko was succeeded by his son Shimpo Matayoshi (1921-1997). Following the death of Shimpo, Matayoshi Kobudo fragmented into different groups with one headed by Yasushi Matayoshi who operates the Matayoshi hombu dojo in Okinawa known as the Kodokan. Kodokan refers to a place where one can receive “Instruction in the Way”; and there is more than one Kodokan training center. The best known is that of the Judo Kodokan (35^o42’28”N; 139^o45’13”E) founded by Jigiro Kano in Tokyo, which is an incredible, 8-story dojo. If you use the above coordinates on Google Earth, you can visit the Judo Kodokan on aerial photography.

In 2003, the University of Wyoming Campus Shorin-Ryu Karate and Kobudo club brought the well-known Okinawan martial artist Tadashi Yamashita to the university to teach a clinic, which some of you reading this newsletter likely remember. Yamashita is one of the more famous students of Shimpo Matayoshi. 

If you are into martial arts movies, this weapon was used by Jackie Chan in the 2000 movie Shanghai Noon. It was also seen in the 1980 movie The Victim and the 2006 movie Fearless. 

"Optimism" - pencil sketch of a coiling dragon,
copyright by Soke Hausel