Kobudo Karate Weapon Arts of Okinawa Vol 1 (Tsunami)
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Product details
Actor: Paul Moser, Shinpo Matayoshi 10th DanEdition: VHS Tape
Format: Color, NTSC
Running Time: 50 minutes
Release Date: 1999-04-16
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Publisher: Tsunami Productions
Studio: Tsunami Productions
VHS Movie Reviews of Kobudo Karate Weapon Arts of Okinawa Vol 1 (Tsunami)
Movie Review: A Great Master in Action
Summary: 5 Stars
I've trained for some years in Matayoshi Sensei's kobudo system, mostly with Kimo Wall, one of his top students. So much of the following comes from personal experience.
Other reviewers have described the contents of this tape, so I won't repeat them. Suffice it to say that Matayoshi Sensei (he did not like the title "Master") was unquestionably one of the greatest martial artists of the 20th century. He was a living link to the ancient Okinwan tradition, a tradition that has been all but obliterated by rampant commercialization of karate and kobudo. Tsunami produced this tape near the end of Sensei's life, when he was on his last American tour. The production is top notch, a bit glossy but always tasteful.
Matayoshi Sensei viewed katas as living dynamic things, and as such they were subject to change. His interpretation of kata was always evolving. This is very unlike the "carved in granite" approach seen in other systems. So what one sees on this tape might not be exactly what is being taught today, but believe me, if the source is authentic it's all Matayoshi kobudo.
Sensei also believed for most of his life that kata needed to be taught in person. He steadfastly refused to record his art, except for a special show done for Japanese educational TV. That tape is vastly superior in content to anything done by Tsunami, but it is nearly impossible to find. Anyway, he recorded the Tsunami tape after he'd had a stroke. Whether he was concerned about his legacy or just not thinking clearly, we will never know.
Interestingly, the hatkutsuru kata contained on this tape is not authentic. I have it on very good authority that this kata is just a hodgepodge of techniques from various hakutsuru kata. After the tape was released a young American asked to demonstrate the taped kata for the Master. He did so, and Matayoshi Sensei just laughed at him and walked away. In the end Sensei stayed true to his principle of only teaching the real thing to those who had earned the right to learn it.
Buy this tape if you train in Matayoshi style kobudo, or if you'd just like to learn about the legacy of truly traditional Okinawan martial arts, a legacy that may soon disappear forever.
Movie Review: Matayoshi Kobudo-An Appreciation
Summary: 4 Stars
The Cassette is very informative for a kobudo enthusiast.It is indeed a great experience to watch the Grand Master matayoshi performing all the weapons.The picturisation is well taken,using 3 cameras in 3 different angles,and it is edited well.The weapons covered are Bo,Tonfa,Nunchaku and Eku.Bo session is well covered with details of basics,hand grips,stances and the kata,Choun no kun,sakugawa no kun,shushi no kun and bo kumite.But there is no basics shown in the case of Tonfa,Nunchaku,&Eku.The Katas are recorded in 2 speeds;slow motion and full speed.This is a wonderful cassette with a few glaring omissions.In the Bo Kata Choun no kun ,a few steps are missing.After the initial 4 steps,the fifth step is gedan harai uke and gedan nuki Bo.This is missing in the kata.Iam sure a sensei of the caliber of Hanshi Matayoshi would not be responsible for the omission.I trust you will make the necessary rectificatios,else this may mislead aspiring Kobudoka.
Movie Review: Excellent
Summary: 5 Stars
I recently purchased this and two other tapes of Matayoshi Shinpo and have been extremely satisfied with them. Shinpo was one of Okinawa's most revered Kobudo masters, and in these tapes he records much of that knowledge for perpetuity in these great videos. Notable in this particular tape is that, in addition to the demonstrations of the usual weapons--sai, nunchaku, tonfa, bo, and kama--he also shows a three-sectional staff form, and a nunti form, which is a normal bo but with an S-guard sai at the tip. The kata is also performed with two sais in your belt, which are removed and thrown at opponents during the kata.
The kama or sickle is interesting in that it is said to be the only edged weapon in the Kobudo canon, and is sometimes humorously referred to as the "Okinawan lawn-mower."
Shinpo's senior students demonstrate many of the forms and another great aspect of the video is their performance of a number of the two-man forms. These include curved broadsword with small shield against a bo staff, tonfa against bo, and bo against bo. And last but not least, Shinpo demonstrates the White Crane Hakutsuru kata that he learned from Chinese master Go Ken Ki.
The demonstrations occur both in Shinpo's studio and also on the beach with the Pacific ocean in the background, a nice little production touch.
On a personal note, I do most of these forms myself, and since I have moved recently and there is no Kobudo master where I currently reside, I've found these tapes to be a useful resource in my on-going training. Whether you're an actual student of Kobudo or a fellow martial artist interested in learning more about the Okinawan martial arts, you'll find this to be a fine tape.
All in all a very informative and well-produced video by an outstanding master.
Movie Review: Matayoshi Kobudo Video One
Summary: 3 Stars
This video contains some interesting dialogue with one of Okinawa's most revered Kobudo masters. It is most interesting.Movie Review: Historical Kobudo tape!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is an excellent video of Kobudo by a great master. This video focuses a little more on the Bo (staff) than the other wooden weapons, nevertheless is very good. A document to be treasured!
Summary of Kobudo Karate Weapon Arts of Okinawa Vol 1 (Tsunami)
This video includes exceptional demonstrations of Kubudo augmented by a series of lectures by the noted Okinawan master teacher, Shinpo Matayoshi. Includes formal "BO" exercises: Choun no Kun, Sakugawa no Kun, Suishi no Kun, the Matayoshi Tonfa and Nunchaku kata, Tsuken Akachu no Eku kata, as well as superb performances of the Hakutsuru kata the author learned from the noted Chinese master, Go Ken Ki.Weapons & Warfare Video
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