What does Kobudo mean - Part 1

[deerfish3000]

I like the fact that Mr. Nishiuchi is a purist when it comes to Kobudo. There are SO MANY videos here on youtube of people twirling around a pair of nunchucks, showing off for the camera, etc. Mr. Nishiuchi shows the practical application for each weapon in a very easy to understand way. I thank you hempev for posting these videos and Mr. Nishiuchi for "keeping it real!"

[supermonkeylee]

Please forward our profound sense of appreciations to Nishiuchi Sensei. I have benefited from his Iaido teachings and Tonfa techniques. Many many Thanks from a few Taiwanese living in England.

[hempev]

@supermonkeylee Thank you - I will do that!

[billybones69420]

I am reminded of an Old West Marshall who calls his pistol the Peacekeeper. Sure, it's an instrument of death, but it is intended to do good.

[laoninja123]

I like how he explains this while pointing with a sai. Sort of passive aggressive lol

[hempev]

@laoninja123 Nothing passive about it, but then, being a kobudoka means he uses whatever is available...

[HouzanSuzuki]

Dear Mr.Nishiuchi, 西内幹夫様（もしもお名前の文字が違っていたら大変に失礼いたし­ます。） 大変に正しい日本の古武道についての概略説明を、象形文字による­解説を交えて、海外の方々に御説明いただきまして、ありがとうご­ざいます。 ３年ほど前から、時折、貴動画を拝見させて戴いておりましたが、 コメントを書くのは今回が初めてです。 私の別のアカウントにおいてですが、古い双節棍の本を紹介させて­戴きました。 watch?v=GeQY20KkkDk ＿＿＿＿ ヌンチャクについては、 ずいぶんと誤解されている外人さんが多いようだったものですから­。 敬具 鈴木崩残（HouzanSuzuki）

[hempev]

@HouzanSuzuki Sorry, but Shihan would not read this - I am one of his students, and just posting from his series of DVDs.

[HouzanSuzuki]

@hempev

I see.

If you are his students, please inform him thanks from me.

"Thank you for explaining meaning of our Japanese martial arts"Kobudo" rightly.

[Koryuhoka]

I'm glad he shows the true meaning of "Bu", now I don't have to explain it anymore, I can just refer them to this video. If they see it comes from someone like Master Nishiuchi, they'll believe it. I hope people with just stop using the western explanation of "martial = mars - god of war". I hate to see this. I guess I'm just anal.

REI to the Master.

[hempev]

@Koryuhoka Not anal, just a desire for correct use - the Japanese language can be so inexact and yet so precise that when Westerners want it to be more like their own language and make it more "literal", they confuse the meaning.

[pavXX]

Great explanation. Thanks!

[KingOkami]

He is a true master....as a Goju practitioner, i would love to learn Kobudo! Thank you very much for these clips!

[hempev]

@KingOkami Japanese is such a hard language in romaji - goju could mean any number of things, but you probably don't mean "15"! What is your martial arts?

[KingOkami]

@hempev  Goju Ryu is actually a Okinawan Art from Naha, It means Hard/ Soft style.

[hempev]

@KingOkami I also train in Pwang Gai Noon Ryu, "half hard soft style" in Okinawan-accented Chinese [Han Ko Nan Ryu in Japanese] (or "Pangai-noon" in Wikipedia). Both styles have similar roots (founded by Okinawans who went to live in China in the late 19th Century to learn the traditional roots of their styles) but this also shows the difficulty of romaji (but I can't read kanji). We don't use weapons in the karate class - kobudo is taught separately by our sensei, Shihan Bolz.

[KingOkami]

@hempev Yes i have heard of Pwang Gai Noon, i believe Uechi ryu descents from your system. Both styles are similar to Goju but yet very different (ie-Same ideas to combat and several kata) but has there own distinct differences. Good to see traditional Okinawan arts spreading. Your teachers are very good, train hard with them! Ouss!!

[mukatsukuyoo]

This is very interesting! Thank you for posting it! In the gakkenkan (kanji research study book), it says that the "bu" kanji originates from 止 which used to mean feet, and 戈　which means spear. And all of it togeher, it means "the one who looks boldly to find something he does not have". I ve also come across more interpretations and I keep wondering, what the Chinese actually had in mind when they created this one tricky kanji!

[hempev]

That sounds like as good a definition as any other!

[vinniecorbit]

Thanks for the explanation. Yes, that was my personal interpretation of it. It might not be entirely correct, but it works for me. If that makes me ignorant, then so be it. Regardless, I've enjoyed Mr. Nishiuchi's videos and thanks for posting them. Does he have a video tutorial for the 3 section staff?

[hempev]

No, but he does have videos for iaido that I have not gotten from him yet.

[vinniecorbit]

Ancient defense strategy

[hempev]

Again, a generalization and a matter of personal interpretation - the kanji can be translated in several ways: 古 is old or ancient, 武 is martial, but is composed of kanji for 'stop' and 'fighting', so we use both words (it is not defense 衛), and 道 is way, road, or path (but not strategy 略).

[TiffnayT]

kobudo means 'Old Military Way'

[hempev]

Never make a blanket statement for the interpretation of Japanese, it is too flexible for that - in this usage, ko means old or ancient, budo is the way of fighting, but can be literally translated to way of *stop fighting* due to the individual kanji in the word.

[SithV1]

I've been told that Kobudo was translated as Weaponry or Way of Weaponry. Now I think that the translation makes more sense to me after I watched this video.

[BlackGatchaman]

Kobudo explained like this is a very beautiful philosophy as well as a peaceful martial art. Very inspirational! Thanks for posting this lesson. 5/5

[hempev]

thanks - from this you can see why Shihan Bolz, my sensei, has a reading list that includes books on Zen!

[devilsanvil]

This guy is so awesome!He is a fantastic instructor!

[Kakarot21591]

He writes in cursive naturally like me!

[jestoro240]

i aleady new what it meant but i enjoyed watching him explain it none the less. thanks for posting

[truebutton]

thank you for uploading I realy like Shihan Mikio Nishiuchi I got the 4 Advanced Iaido DVDs from him

[sicktkdchick]

that did not look like a tree lol

[ShaShaZane88]

is it just me - or does anyone find it funny when he whips out the sai to point? LOL..."here I have my Sai" ..and when he says "Not try to KILL people" - I can't stop laughing lol

[hempev]

...but the tip on a sai is blunt, so you aren't using it to try and kill people!

[rexenne]

I loved learning the symbols, what they mean, and how they came about! Very educational. Thank you for taking the time to teach this on Youtube!

[hempev]

This tape was produced by Shihan Nishiuchi more than a decade ago - I just converted and posted it, but thank you!

[LeTinctoire]

I guess most of this also applies to gendai budo ('modern' budo) to some extent.

[SignorFOX]

very good

[NunchakuFreak]

Before watching the video I only knew the meaning of "Do". Now I have the full explanation with lots of details.

Thank you again for sharing this stuff!

[drolet12]

that's very interresting... its the first time who i look other video for learn new tricks ... xox

[fadykrsh3]

very good more plz

[hempev]

The only "more" I can offer is Part 2! After that, I'm out of kobudo material - may film some things in the future at my dojo, but don't have a vid camera yet (donations accepted).

[kruzenby]

Thanks hempev for upload & to Shihan Nishiuchi for instruction.

I offer use of cam +operation in exchange for advanced instruction with Head Instructors & Shihan.

[ferretimp]

interesting stuff

[Codi1]

good information

[leogan]

thanks for sharing this, very educational.