Tag Archives: Saijutsu

The creation of sai choreographies – Hints on example of Yāka no Sai

I have previously noted about Yakā no Sai, explaining the meaning of the word yāka and so forth. In the meantime, I stumbled upon the oldest reference I could find so far explaining the meaning of yāka (guardian) as a … Continue reading

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Control the opponent without causing injury. Kyan Shinei (1912-97). Sai. Bringing attention to Okinawa’s platonic ideal of peace.

Sai, which are used as weapons in ancient martial arts (kobudō), has been studied by warriors (bujin) since the Ryukyu Kingdom era. Originally used by the Buddhist monks of the Shaolin Temple in China, it is said that the tip … Continue reading

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Sai, Tinbe and the “Expedition to the Southern Islands” 1893

As previously mentioned, in 2021, a list of “100 Footprints of Modern Karate” was published in the Okinawa Times. I have already written about Footprint No. 1 and Footprint No. 2 and today will turn to Footprint No. 3. Footprint … Continue reading

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Kinjō Ufuchiku, whose name is left behind in Sai

This short article is a translation of: Nakamura A.: Sai de mei nokosu Kinjō Ufuchiku. Tikubushi no keifu, Dai Nanakai. Kindai karate-shi o tadoru. Bugi no denshō keiro ②. Okinawa Times, June 21, 2020. Last time, after confirming the modern … Continue reading

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Jigen no Sai

I would like to let you guys know about Jesse’s latest project, the Kobudo tutorial website at www.kobudomastery.com​ Since I am a passionate Kobudo practitioner myself, I was thrilled when I learned from a friend that Jesse has started this … Continue reading

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The Issue of Varying Combinations in Taira-lineage Saijutsu

In the Saijutsu kata of Taira-lineage are often found longer combinations which are almost the same, but which almost always slightly vary. This is a real issue for practitioners, particularly during the first years. I have been asked how to … Continue reading

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Yaka no Sai

As Nagamine Shōshin has pointed out, it is important to study the history of Ryūkyū to understand Okinawan martial arts. During Ryukyu kingdom times existed private tutors called “Yaka.” It was not an official government position and therefore there are … Continue reading

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Fujian Southern Boxing (2)

There were some questions online regarding the previous short article “Fujian Southern Boxing (1).” So I’d like to add some more info by Wen Xinhui (Associate Professor, Graduate School of Physical Education, Jimei University, China), translated below. The historical source … Continue reading

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Roundtable discussion to talk about the karate (Part 3). – Weapons representing the spirit of defense – 1955

This is the translation of a 1955 interview with the Matsubayashi-ryū Kōdōkan headquarter dōjō. It deals with the kobujutsu practiced in this school. Participants from the Kōdōkan were :

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Classical Saijutsu on the “Bozooka”

Here I’d like to introduce the practice of classical saijutsu on my “Bozooka”. But first, a few words on the sai itself. During the latter part of the Ryūkyū kingdom, sai were carried by medium to higher level police commissioner called … Continue reading

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