Traditional Okinawan Kobudo
Training in Kobudo refers to the study of Traditional Okinawan Weaponry for self defence.
At Penshurst Martial Arts you may train in either or both, as Karate and Kobudo classes are conducted separately. We teach a style called Koburyu Kobudo lead by Kaicho Takashi Kinjo(Hanshi 10th dan) originating from Okinawa Japan.
Kōburyū was established in the year 2000 by Sōke Kaichō Kinjō Takashi. However, the techniques of Kōburyū did not burst into existence in 2000. Sōke Kaichō Kinjō Takashi spent much of his martial arts career studying and teaching in the Uechi Ryū family of Okinawan karate and Kobudo under Matayoshi Shimpo. After over 40 years of in-depth analysis, these movements and techniques had taken a path inherently different from that the styles in which he started. That difference became Kōburyū, a practical style of modern karate and Kobudo emphasizing efficient and powerful use of the human body.
Kōburyū Kobudō is a highly practical and powerful martial art that views traditional Okinawan weapons as natural extensions of the human body. Its strength lies not in brute force, but in the efficient use of whole-body mechanics, precise technical execution, and the preservation of Okinawan martial principles rooted in practical self-defense.
Why Kōburyū Is a Distinctive Kobudō Style
Whole-Body Power Generation
Kōburyū teaches that effective power begins from the legs and is transferred through the entire body, supported by correct breathing, posture, and coordinated movement. Rather than relying solely on the arms, practitioners learn to generate and direct power through integrated whole-body mechanics.
Practical Martial Application
Every movement within Kōburyū kata has a practical martial application. Techniques commonly emphasize the simultaneous use of defense and offense, allowing the practitioner to control an attack while creating an immediate opportunity to counter. The underlying objective is simple: resolve a confrontation efficiently and decisively.
An Extension of Karate
Founded by Sōke Kaichō Kinjō Takashi, Kōburyū is built around the philosophy that karate and kobudō are two halves of the same coin. The relationship between the two arts is reflected throughout the system, with open-hand karate techniques having corresponding applications with traditional Okinawan weapons.
Precision Over Brute Force
Kōburyū places strong emphasis on timing, precision, body positioning, and taisabaki—the movement and shifting of the body to evade and control an attack. By combining evasive movement with efficient technique and body mechanics, practitioners learn to apply their skills without depending solely on physical strength.
A Rich Traditional Weapon System
Kōburyū practitioners have the opportunity to study a broad range of traditional Okinawan weapons and implements. This diversity develops adaptability, coordination, distance management, and a deeper understanding of how Okinawan weapons function as extensions of the body's natural movement.
Ultimately, Kōburyū Kobudō is about efficiency: using correct movement, timing, structure, and technique to produce maximum effect with minimum wasted effort. Its combination of traditional Okinawan weapons, practical application, and whole-body mechanics makes it a distinctive and deeply functional martial art.
Traditional Kobudo Weaponry includes but is not limited to; Bo(Staff), Sai, Nunchaku, Tonfa(Handle batten), Tinaka, Kama, Ieku(Oar), Nunti. Some of which are shown below
The eight Fundamentals of kobudo Kobu-kai
Naraasun Dojo is the Australian authorised branch of Koburyu Kobukai
More about Kaicho Takashi Kinjo & Koburyu Kobudo
The below exerts were taken from an Okinawa times article from a few years ago, and are great descriptions of Koburyu philosophy from Takshi Kinjo Grand master and chairman of the Okinawan Kobu-ryu Karate-do Kobudo kobu-kai.
"If you do not continue to evolve, you will only wither away. ...The power of thinking, the pursuit of mind and technique."
"If you are too attached to tradition, you will not be able to delve deeply into your techniques"
and my favourite
"A thousands days of practice is forging, ten thousand days of practice is for refinement".
Takashi Kinjo uses these words from Miyamoto Muashi to emphasize the importance of continued training and practice over time.