Okinawan Kobudo

Japan’s Ryukyu archipelago was the birthplace of two methods of self-defense now practiced worldwide: Okinawan Karate and Ryukyu Kobujutsu, known as Okinawan Kobudo. Kobudo is the study of weapons adapted from the tools of farming and fishing.

Okinawan Kobudo reveals, for the first time through print and photographs, the rich history and techniques of this most prestigious martial art known worldwide as Matayoshi.

Andrea Guarelli traces the history of Matayoshi Kobudo, explores the background of each weapon, and demonstrates the form and technique of practice through rare photos, many of which the author took while a student of Shinpo Matayoshi Sensei (1921–1997).

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