The Kobudo Weapons

Saï Taken from Saï page Again, the saï was a simple farminstrument which the peasants turned to their advantage once they were forbidden to carry weapons. Usually, the saïs are used in pairs. A third saï was hidden in the obi (belt) and was used to replace one saï that was thrown at the charging enemy. If the throw was successful, the fight could be over all at once. If not, the distraction could be just enough to get close to stab with the saï or to counter an attack and win the battle. Originally, the saï was made out of 2 separate parts: the stem and the curved prongs. These 2 parts were then pounded together in a process similar to that used by swordsmiths. Around late 19th century, another method was used. A finished saï would serve to create a saï shaped cavity in the ground. Molten iron was poured into this shape, producing a perfect twin of the first saï when the iron had hardened. Rough edges were removed and afterwards the saï was polished. The stem of the saï should cover the complete forearm, to guarantee full protection when countering an attack. The butt of the handle can have various shapes ans can be used in the same way as a bullet. Another version of the saï, called jutte or jitte was a weapons used by the Japanese police. It is smaller than the saï and has only one prong. Some photos about using Saï

Nunchaku Taken from Nunchaku page As all other okinawan weaponry, the origin of this weapon is obscure. Some say it has a Chinese origin, others say it was developped from a horsebit, but it seems like it was used by peasant to beat the rice. It probably came into action somewhere in the 16th century, like saï, tonfa, etc. The nunchaku is made out of 2 sticks, usually some hard wood, and connected with a rope (it used to be a horsetailhair) or a chain. As the sticky vary in length, size and weight, so does the length of the connection between the two sticks. The nunchaku stick is normally as long as the forearm but it is up to your personnal favor to make it as long as you want. The nunchaku stick is divided into 3 parts: the upper part (jokon-bu), the middle part (chukon-bu) and the lower-part (kikon-bu). The top of the stick is called kontoh and the rope passes through the hole (ana). The bottom of the nunchaku is called kontei. There are a heap of variations of a normal nunchaku. It seems that the Chinese had a round stick nunchaku, or maru gata nunchaku. The Japanese made it a little more efficient by making the sticks octogonal (8 sides). This nunchaku is called hakabukei nunchaku. Then, there is a nunchaku with one long stick and a short stick, which is called so setsu kon nunchaku. It should prevent you from hitting your own hand when you miss a hit. The han kei nunchaku is made out of 2 halfs of a stick which fit nicely together and makes it easy to carry. The san setsu kon nunchaku is the 3 sectional staff. The sticks may vary in size. Sometimes, the middle one is a little shorter than the outer ones. Another variation of this nunchaku has one normal stick, and the other side is composed out of 2 shorter sticks. It makes it harder to block an attack and it is easier to loop another weapon or attacker with this nunchaku. Another variation, the yon setsu kon nunchaku is made out of 4 sticks: long piece/short piece/rope/short piece/ long piece. Some photos about using Nunchaku

Tonfa Taken from Tonfa page Like the other kobudo weapons, tonfa was used as a working tool, before being a weapon. The tonfa was an arm of a millstone for preparing grain, which could easily be removed. The main part of the tonfa, the shaft, consists of a large hardwood body, about 50 to 60 centimetres in length, and a smaller cylindrical grip secured at a 90 degrees angle to the shaft, about 15 centimetres from one end. Some photos about using Tonfa

Bo Taken from Bo page The bo, or stick is probably one of the first weapons that mankind used to defend or hunt. It could easily be found, was not to difficult to handle, and could be used for multiple purposes. In Okinawa, the bo probably originated from a farmtool called tenbin. It is a stick held across the shoulders, on which fish or waterbuckets could be hung. It could also be originated from walking sticks monks used to ease hiking and eventually defend themselves. The techniques executed with the bo, were probably developed very early in history, and were probably refined after the Heian Era (around 1127 AD). Some photos about using Bo

Kama Taken from Kama page The kama was a tool used to cut weeds and bring in the crop. It was a very simple but very sharp and potentially deadly weapon. Its structure however made it very weak when attacked with heavy blows directly to the blade. Therefore, there has been a redesign of the weapon, which is called natagama. It is stronger in its construction, because the blade runs through past the curve of the normal kama and all the way down into the handle. This makes the cutting edge bigger, and above all, the previous weak point where the sickle was attached to the stick has disappeared. Some photos about using Kama

Weapons of Kirijutsu Ninjutsu

Ashiko: The foot claws are made to walk on ice or slippery surfaces or to gain traction in mud. Most castle walls were made of stone and were therefore too hard of a surface to gain traction. Fingers and toes were all that was usually required to scale the cracks in the walls.

Ashuko: The hand claws were designed to add injury to your grapples.

Bokudo: The wooden samurai sword is a practice sword that has more of the weight and shape characteristics of a daito. A little more lethal than the shinai. Legend has it, that Minamoto Musashi only used a bokudo in his later years to give his adversary's a honorable chance in his sword contests.

Daito: The samurai sword has become legend for it's cutting ability and quality. Whole schools of thought have been dedicated to creating these works of art. These swords are approximately 40" in length today (traditionally length depended upon the era the sword was made and the person weilding it) and are traditionally made of folded steel, although today they can be found in 440 stainless. Examples are: Katana had less curvature than the tachi which was slung over the shoulder.

Fukid'zutsu: The blow gun was made to propel needle darts at both man and horse.

Han-Bo: The half staff is a weapon of common occurance. Whether someone developed the techniques after their staff broke or just adapted to what was at hand at the time is a moot point. Konigun Ninjutsu uses both single and double han-bo. Single is often used for grappling, while the double is often used for weapon defense.

Kaginawa: The grappling hook assists in climbing, however, it is also used for trap designs, dismounting horsemen, lowering self down, and long range grappling.

Kama: The hand held sickle was a rice harvesting implement used throughout the orient.

Mamba: The metal knife was a common implement that everyone carried on their person which was better adapted for throwing. It developed into a flat knife pointed on both ends with no handles for easy concealment.

Manji-sai: The double ended sai was made to climb castle walls by jabbing between the stones and stepping up on. Also it was thrown to cripple and injure horse or samurai as well as close quarter combat.

Manriki: The hawser chain was used to keep an animal from running, by reducing the play between the chest harness and the head harness. If the animal could not raise it's head up, then it could not run off. It was later adapted to tangle up the feet of horses and men or to throw off balance the sword or the arm holding the sword after it had been drawn.

Manriki-gusari: The weighted chain with handles that was used originally as two pins dropped into the yokes of an ox team, with the chain going between the two oxen in order to enable simultaneous turning. Now used primarily as a grappling weapon against blades and other weapons.

Met`subushi: The blinding powder was usually dispensed as a muscle relaxer or a poison attached to a salt through a drying process.  This would allow the salt to scratch the eye giving direct access to the blood stream. By poisoning or deadening the eye, the person would not be able to focus.

Mit`subushi: The caltrops were use to throw down to make noise to warn of an approaching attaker or to injure the bottom of his feet. They were also used to slow pursuit.

Ninja-to: The ninja sword was an older version of the samurai sword that had been discarded. The main characteristics of this sword made it for piercing armor rather than slicing.

Nun-chaku: The nun-chaku first had a twenty-inch handle on one side and about a sixty-inch handle on the other side. A twenty-four inch rope in the middle bound them together. The original nun-chaku was used to hull grain. The nun-chaku(s) were later converted to today's style for purposes of being a weapon.

Obi: The sash or belt was another common item that was adapted to protect one self when nothing else was at hand. One usually had one on as an item of every day apparel.

Ogi: The steel fan were used to defend against other weapons and grapple. They developed out of the fans used to circulate the air and cool one's person.

RokuShaku-Bo: The 6' staff is a weapon of common occurance. One just had to step into the nearest woods to fashion something which could be used to defend one self

Sai: The sai was a common rice harvesting implement found throughout the Orient. The main prong was used to cut grain/rice furs. The two small prongs were used to tote two bundles of grain/rice after it had been harvested.

San-Setsu-Kan: The three sectional staff is a Chinese weapon constructed from three pieces of wood which were connected by metal rings or rope. Introduced in the 21^stgeneration of Konigun Ninjutsu.

Shaken: The throwing star is one of many in the shuriken family. Started as a Tsubute.

Shinai: The bamboo sword was used to minimize damage during sword practice.

Shinbo/Shabo: The shinbo/shabo is a 10"-12" metal rod with a ring to stick your index finger through in order to release and let hang on the back of the hand to allow the hand to hold another weapon; only to flip it into the palm of the hand and grasp to attack joints of armor. While holding the sword it would be on the back of the hand protecting it from a strike to that area from another sword.

Shoge: The hooked knife with chain and ring was an invention to combine several weapons. The straight blade of the shoge was made to pierce armor, while the curved blade was used for grappling. The chain was made to entangle other weapons, while the ring was made to entangle the legs of horse and humans alike. Other advantages were that the hook could be used like a grappling hook in trees to swing down from limbs. This would allow the Ninja to quickly and singlely whip the chain or rope and the hook fall from the limb allowing for quick exit.

Shoto: The short samurai sword whose length depended upon the era it was created and the person weilding it.

Shurikens: The throwing blades are a category of weapons. This category encompasses all the throwing weapons listed below including the shaken and the mamba.

   A) Tsubute: The sharp metal disk or flat stone that was sharpened. The fat stone was sharpened by heating and droping cold water on it's edges. The metal disk was a large coin of currency that was sharpened in order to carry with other currency into a establishment without detection. The stones would often be deployed by throwing on the ground in a high potential area of combat in order to be picked up and used later. Most places the stones were employed a head of time was the front and back door area of a ninja's home or on the path a ninaj would retreat down.

   B) Kugi/Kuwai-ken: The spike/dirk started off as wood sticks with weights on one end and a string on the other to drag air to keep it turned in the right direction.

   C) Kozuka: The throwing knife was invented as an alternative to the fast draw, one could just push the knife throught the hole in the tsuba and flick it at the enemy.

   D) Aikuchi: The 9"bladed dirk was devloped for longer range throwing and often had a string attached to the dull end to control it's flight.

Tanto: The short ninja sword was the secondary fighting blade of the ninja.

Tonfa: The tonfa was a handle off of a manually opperated mill stone used to grind rice, wheat or corn. This weapon is traditionally of Okinawan origin, but was taught by Shidoshi Saija of the 36^th generation and we are not sure who introduced it to him, however he saw the need to adapt it to the style.

Uwagi: The cloak changed the shape or silhouette of the person wearing it while protecting against projectiles. It also was used for wind resistance, to slow the fall when jumping off of high objects.

Yari: The Japanese spear is of traditional significance. There are several types of Japanese spears, differing in their construction by their use, geographical location or era. Examples are: Kama-Yari (spear with a sickle shaped head), Naginata ( spear with a 3ft long blade), Nakae (the spear shaft), Nakamaki (a slightly curved blade), Magari-Yari(Similar in appearance of a trident with the side blades set at right angles to the center blade).

History of Kempo

(This History of Kempo is compiled from an excerpt of a piece written by Carl Faulkner for his Karazenpo-Go-Shinjutsu site. Please visit our links page for the address to his site.)

I am often asked why it is important to know the history of our art. I respond with something my instructor once told me, "If we forget where we came from, how do we know where we are going." It also brings to mind a passage I read, "If we cannot remember the past, then we must forever repeat our mistakes. If we forget what we were, and what we have done, then we go blind into the future." With these concepts in mind, my Sifu tells us "If we close our minds to new ideas, we become stagnant" So in keeping with the traditions of our lineage we pass on our history and teach to keep our minds receptive, so that we can grow as martial artists.

After researching the subject, I've come to the conclusion there is no accurate written account on the history of our art. Word of mouth was the method to pass on history, thus many variations as to the origins of martial arts have been developed. I have taken information from different sources and attempted to tie in the similarities and note the differences.

With all this in mind, and with all the different variants, it is commonly agreed that martial arts as we know it, took its roots from the teachings of a man named Bodhidharma. Also known as Daruma and Ta-Mo.

Bodhidharma was a Buddhist monk from India known for his intense practice of Zen. He is said to have migrated to China about 520 AD, some believe he went overland, others say he took a ship. When he arrived at the Shaolin temple in China, he found the Buddhist monks to be both spiritually and physically in need of help. He was saddened by what he saw and it is said he went to a cave outside the temple and meditated for, some say, as long as nine years. During this time of meditation he pondered the problems of these Chinese monks, then he returned to the temple and revealed to the monks that the practice of Zen (the Buddhist practice of meditation and attainment of enlightenment through direct intuitive insight) without physical training, led to poor health and weakness.

Thus began the education of these decrepit monks in the art of Shih Pa Lo Han Sho (the 18 hands of Lo Han). There was one source that called it Go-Shinjutsu Kempo (Fist's Law of Self-Defense) although the name Kempo didn't come about until centuries later. These techniques were not meant to be used as a method of fighting, but as a manner in which the monks could maintain physical health, while at the same time strive to attain enlightenment.

There is a version that tells of bandits attacking the priests when Bodhidharma arrived in China, and his period of meditation was to ponder how to remedy the situation. When he rose from his meditation he gathered the monks and priests and informed the people that fighting and killing are wrong, but one must be able to defend oneself. Thus Bodhidharma taught them a method of self-defense where the hands and feet become weapons.

About forty years after Bodhidharma's death, it is said brigands assaulted the monastery. This was the first of many attacks over the centuries. Since the monks were not trained in actual fighting, it appeared the temple would not be able to withstand the attacks. During one of these last attacks, a monk of the temple, referred to as the ABegging Monk, attacked several of the outlaws with a barrage of hand and foot techniques. He killed some and the others were driven off. The monks who witnessed this were inspired by what they saw and many petitioned him to teach this style to them so they may protect themselves. Later this was recorded as *Chuan Fa or Flowery Hands. (Also translated as Fist Method or Fist Way).

Note *Chuan Fa is a general term such as Kung Fu encompassing a wide variety of different styles.

Decades after the fight of the Begging Monk, a master of Chuan Fa known as Chuen Taun Shang-jen is said to have rediscovered the original Shih Pa Lo Han Sho which had been lost after the death of Bodhidharma. Over a period of time he combined the two, increasing the number of techniques to a total of seventy-two. His monk lifestyle had him traveling the countryside of China, during which he displayed this style in several grueling fighting matches. Sometime during this time of traveling he met up with a man named Li, also a master of Chuan Fa. They teamed up and formed a total of one-hundred-seventy techniques. They categorized them into five distinctive groups according to the type of animal these techniques most reflected.

Over the next several centuries' martial arts took on many names and variations, so much so that it is difficult to get accurate descriptions since each clan or family formed its own style. During this period the Shaolin monks had refined their training to be very intensive, both physically and mentally, while still keeping within the teachings of Buddha. Although a monk would never harm a living thing, when called upon to defend himself the outcome was often deadly to the offending individual. Soon the monks gained a reputation as the most fierce fighters, and because of the reputation, they often avoided conflict. During this time, the martial arts began to spread. Eventually, due to the migrating of monks, the arts reached to Okinawan islands and eventually into Japan. As you could imagine, during this time of rapid growth, many of the styles popular today were in their infancy. One such style was Kenpo.

Kenpo is translated in Japan as Law of the Fist. Kenpo was originated in Kyushu, Japan and was formed from Chinese Chuan Fa, in the early seventeenth century by two families, Kumamoto and Nagasaki. Over the years this art changed and grew to its current forms and became known as Kosho Ryu Kempo (Old Pine Tree School). This begins some of the most radical changes that will bring us to today.

In 1916 at the age of five, James Mitose was sent to Japan from his birthplace of Hawaii to learn his ancestors art of self-defense, Kosho Ryu Kempo. For the next fifteen years he studied under his Uncle Choki Motobu, learning his family's style, which came directly from original Chuan Fa forms. At the end of his education, James Mitose returned to Hawaii and in 1936 opened the Official Self-Defense club in the Beretania mission, Honolulu. One of the greatest contributions to the martial arts made by James Mitose was that he allowed other ethnic races to enroll as students, including haoles. It was here that he produced six black belts that would carry on when he retired from teaching to pursue his religious studies. They were Thomas Young, Edmund Howe, Arthur Keawe, Jiro Naramura, Paul Yamaguchi and William Chow. Although James Mitose left the dojo in the care of Thomas Young, it was William Chow who would be responsible for the next leap of Kenpo.

William Chow

With James Mitose's permission, Chow set out on his own, taking with him some of the original schools students. Among these was a bright young Hawaiian/Filipino named Adriano Emperado. I will talk about him later. The style was known as Dian Hsuhe Go Shinjutsu. In 1946 Professor Chow would form the Dian Hsuhe Go Shinjutsu Kenpo Kai Karate Association. He taught out of local YMCA's, cultural halls and parks. William Chow never officially opened his own dojo and although Professor Chow was a great warrior, he was no general. He had an excellent memory for self-defense techniques and he spent most of his time practicing and perfecting them. This was one reason why his advanced students would reach a certain level of proficiency and leave him. Professor Chow did not have the educational background or mental ability to develop one of the most complex systems of self-defense in the world. He never even created a kata! In spite of this, he was important to the preservation and passage of the War Art aspect of Kenpo. Before his passing in 1987, he renamed his style Kara-Ho Kempo (notice the M in Kempo) to remind everyone that Kenpo is a Chinese art, not American. Kara meaning the Tan Chinese Dynasty, Ho meaning the whole spirit of the martial arts and Kempo (the M is the Chinese version) in which the spelling of Kenpo was changed as a casting off of the Japanese influence on Kenpo.

As mentioned earlier, Professor Chow brought with him from Mitose's school, Adrian Nonoy Emperado. While studying with Chow he befriended four practitioners of other diverse styles:

• Peter Choo of Tang Soo Do Karate
• Joseph Holck of Japanese Kodokan Judo
• Frank Ordonez of Japanese Jujitsu
• Clarence Chang of Chinese Boxing (Shaolin Chuan Fa)

The prejudices that existed back then did not look kindly upon the prejudices that existed then did not look kindly upon the sharing of cultural ideas with other races, much less other schools of martial arts. Adriano Emperado did not agree with this and during an unspecified period (possibly 1945-1947, Emperado was in his early 20's), they met in secret as they explored the strengths and weaknesses of their various arts. Emperado's contribution to the effort was in the Kenpo teachings of Professor Chow, which became the backbone for the new style, and from his diverse background the Filipino Martial Arts (FMA).

Adriano Emperado

Emperado's father, Te-Te Emperado, had instructed young Nonoy (Emperado) in FMA. This introduced to the other four the concepts of circles and angling, as well as the knife fighting techniques that had been developed in the war torn Philippines. But that is another history in itself.

After much discussion, they agreed on a name to identify this new system that was developing. Suggested by Joseph Holck, they would simply take from parts of each of their respective arts: KA from Tang Soo Do Karate, JU from Judo and Jujitsu, KEN from Kenpo and finally BO from Chinese Boxing. Thus KAJUKENBO was born. In 1949 these five men formed the infamous Black Belt Society which still exists today. In 1950 the Korean War broke out and as a result each of these men left because of jobs or their military obligations which left the school to Sijo (founder) Emperado. Also in 1950 he formed the KSDI (KAJUKENBO Self-Defense Institute). In 1960 KAJUKENBO became incorporated.

Although it is commonly known that Sijo Emperado was the perpetuator of KAJUKENBO, he did not directly teach many people. Rather he used the Chamber Method of training, whereby he gave personal instruction to his highest black belts and they in turn would run the classes, passing on the knowledge from Sijo Emperado.

The first KAJUKENBO School opened in 1950 at the Palama settlement on Oahu followed by a second at the Kaimuki YMCA. The art spread throughout the Hawaiian Islands and earned a reputation as the most effective practice of self-defense. The reason for this reputation comes directly from the way Sijo Emperado ran his classes. Since life in Hawaii was tough, learning self defense was a matter of survival, and the training reflected the brutality found on the streets. Sijo Emperado ran closed door sessions to keep people from interrupting, and it was not uncommon for students to leave the dojo bleeding and bruised.

One of the black belts that ran classes was his brother, Sifu Joe Emperado. Sifu Joe would be responsible for 90% of the training in both of the schools that opened. He taught until his untimely death in 1958. One night Sifu Joe went to the local watering hole to have a few drinks and relax. Some trouble started and a brawl broke out. Some time during the melee, Sifu Joe was stabbed in the back with an ice pick. At his funeral the traditional Death Dance was performed, and from that day forward the tradition of escorts was in effect. Pretty much it comes down to looking out for one another. The escorts would accompany a higher rank whenever he went out in public. Their job was to go everywhere with him, including the restroom, to take care of anything behind him because he can take care what is in front of him. This tradition is still practiced today.

An aspect of KAJUKENBO that makes it stand out from other styles is the ability to utilize the different ranges of fighting: kicking, punching, clinching/trapping, grappling. This allows an individual to be able to effectively defend against street fighting situations. Other distinguishing factors are the follow-up and finishing techniques, which Sijo Emperado referred to as groundwork. A KAJUKENBO practitioner will not stop with just one technique but will continue an attack with as many multiple techniques as the situation requires. The idea is to get in and get out with as few techniques as possible, the longer the fight lasts the greater the possibility of getting hurt, plus your attacker may have some friends nearby.

One of the last wave of black belts to be made by Sijo Emperado was a young man named Victor (Sonny) Gascon. He studied the system from 1948-1952 and since he was a small individual, it was in his best interest to become a quick learner. He joined the Air Force, and after bootcamp at Lackland AFB in San Antonio, Texas he was stationed at Fort Belvoir, Virginia for advanced training. It was here he first gained a slight following of students. In 1953 he was stationed back in Hawaii where he resumed his studies in Kalihi with the local boys. He was discharged from the Air Force in 1965 and moved to Pasadena, California where he renewed his friendship with Edmund Parker, with whom he grew up in Hawaii. In 1957, John Leoning, a black belt of Sijo Emperado, asked Sonny to teach at a school he would be opening in Burbank, California. One night during a workout, three black belts from the Hawaii school visited with a message. They informed John Leoning and Sonny Gascon that they did not have permission to use the KAJUKENBO name or patch because they were not paying the required percentage to the main school in Hawaii. Sonny invited the three black belts in for a workout but they declined saying they were just passing along this message. Thus began Sonny's departure from KAJUKNEBO and martial arts politics. In 1960 he removed the patch and replaced it with the KARAZENPO-GO-SHINJUTSU logo. Sijo Gascon asked his brother-in-law Walter Godin to come out to help run the school.

This school contributed to this system more than most Kenpo stylists will ever know, because they don't know the history of their root. Among the first black belts were:

• Joe Blacquerra
• Frank Llacuna
• Jackie Chang
• Julian "Blue" Generalao
• George Pesare

The type of training conducted was much like the old school in Hawaii with some interesting twists. One such twist was once a week Sijo Sonny would have all the students' line up with their back against the walls around the dojo. He let them stand there for a while and observe one another from their vantage point. He would then have them sit and turn out the lights, and since the dojo was in a warehouse it became pitch black. Sijo would call out two names and they would kumite in the dark using the senses available and with no sparring equipment. Using bare fists and no protective gear they would spar till one of them went to the mat. This was very unique to this school.

Another training tool used by Sijo Sonny was every three months or so they would gather at Griffith Park in Los Angeles at 5 am. They would start by performing their kata's in unison, practicing until all moved as one. Sijo would break off four or five at a time to sit in full uniform under the falls and meditate for a while and would do that until all have had the opportunity to get wet. They would finish off the day with Sijo sending a number of students to hide in the forest along a specific trail. He would send students down the trail to see how they reacted in a total surprise situation. He would follow with a video camera so that later they could all get together and watch the videos to learn from their mistakes and reinforce the techniques that worked.

These were interesting times, but unfortunately not to last forever. The school closed in 1963 and Sijo Sonny returned to Hawaii in 1969 and became inactive, but not before creating a legacy of black belts still alive today.

George Pesare was known as the quiet one of the group. He may have been quiet but he learned and put that learning to work. In 1963 he opened his own school in Olneyville, Rhode Island. From this school would come black belts that would eventually open dojo's across the United States. Among these are:

• Professor Nick Cerio (Nick Cerio's Kenpo)
• Bruce Corrigan (KARAZENPO-GO-SHINJUTSU Norfolk, VA.)

From Professor Cerio came GrandMaster Fred Villari (Shaolin Kenpo), who was responsible for the opening of Villari's Self-Defense Centers.