# What is the name of the ishn ryu weapons training



## Jim1174 (Jun 10, 2016)

What is the name of the weapons training used in ishn ryu?


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## Midnight-shadow (Jun 10, 2016)

Isshin-ryū - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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## Chris Parker (Jun 10, 2016)

Jim1174 said:


> What is the name of the weapons training used in ishn ryu?



You'll need to be a bit more specific… Isshin Ryu is not exactly an uncommon name for martial systems. The one linked by Midnight-shadow above is the Okinawan karate system (and there, the weapon system is referred to as "kobudo", as many Okinawan/Ryukyu weapon arts are)… however, there is also Isshin Ryu Kusarigamajutsu taught as part of the fuzoku ryu-ha (assimilated systems) associated with Shinto Muso Ryu Jodo/jojutsu. There is also an Isshin Ryu which focuses on Naginatajutsu and Bojutsu… and a number of other arts that use the name (often with the same kanji, sometimes different ones).


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## MI_martialist (Jun 10, 2016)

I wonder why it is called kobudo.  What does kobudo have to do with weapons?  Kobudo in old terms is bujutsu.  Now bujutsu has everything to do with weapons.


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## Bill Mattocks (Jun 10, 2016)

Jim1174 said:


> What is the name of the weapons training used in ishn ryu?



Isshinryu (or Isshin Ryu), the Okinawan karate system founded by Shimabuku Tatsuo Soke, has an integrated kobudo or weapons system.  It does not have a name, per se.  

As most karateka know, the word 'karate' by itself means 'empty hand' (it once meant 'China hand').  Therefore, technically no karate system would have a kobudo component to it.  But Isshin Ryu has one.

It consists of the bo, sai, and tuifa (tonfa).  There are several kata for each, except for tuifa, for which there is only one kata.

Now, having said that, one of Shimabuku Soke's students, Tokumora Kensho Sensei, has developed his own style of kobudo, known as Tokushinryu Kobudo.

Tokushinryu Kobudo -

This is an extensive system that uses a larger number of Okinawan weapons, and kata which were created by Tokumora Sensei himself (for the most part).

I am currently studying it, although I am not yet a member of the organization and I hold no rank in that system.  Our dojo has affiliated with Tokushinryu Kobudo and we will eventually be gaining rank in that system, I presume.

Since Tokumura Sensei was a first-generation student of Shimabuku Soke and is a very good friend of Isshin Ryu karateka around the world, it's not uncommon to see the two systems side-by-side.  However, not all Isshin Ryu karateka study a separate kobudo system, and of those that do, not all of them study Tokushinryu Kobudo.

I hope that answers your question.


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## Chris Parker (Jun 11, 2016)

MI_martialist said:


> I wonder why it is called kobudo.  What does kobudo have to do with weapons?  Kobudo in old terms is bujutsu.  Now bujutsu has everything to do with weapons.



It's called Kobudo because it's called Kobudo… it's the weaponry systems of Okinawa, many of which predate the formalisation of most of the karate systems… so it's a reference to the fact that, when it comes down to it, the weaponry methods are the "old" priorities, the karate is more recent.

However… Kobudo in old terms is not bujutsu… they are two differing terms. In Japanese arts, Kobudo, Kobujutsu, Koryu are all used fairly interchangeably… similarly, when talking about old systems, it's not uncommon to hear budo and bujutsu used without any real distinction. I also don't follow what you're meaning when you say "Now bujutsu has everything to do with weapons"… are you suggesting that bujutsu equals (Ryukyu) Kobudo? Er… no. The thing is, kobudo is a term that's applied differently in different contexts… when it's used in reference to Ryukyu (Okinawan) methods, it refers to weaponry systems, commonly based around sai, tonfa, kama, bo, and sometimes including tinbe, rochin, eku, and more. When used in reference to Nihon (Japanese) arts, it refers to old systems (Koryu, arts who predate the Meiji Restoration of 1868, in most cases… even that's not entirely clear cut). Confusing the two usages of the term is not realistic, accurate, or anything other than leading to confusion and misunderstandings.


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