Hakuda Ryu Kempo Jutsu Essex

Tankon: This is a cudgel, short club or a truncheon .The Tankon is used mainly for striking. The use of the Tankon involves Ti based footwork from the Bugeikan Tankon No Jutsu Kata. In the top of the photo is shown the authors own Tankon  which is made from local wood, naturally ribbed because of the angle of the grain down its length. This particular Tankon is also weighted with lead throughout the centre down its length.   In the picture to the left above, the weapon in the top of that picture shows a Tankon, but one which is slightly shorter than 2 feet. Beneath this are two Te Bo sticks for comparison (See below for Te Bo) . The Tankon is first encountered in our system at 4th Kyu Purple Belt when empty hand defences are performed against overhead club attacks. At 3rd Kyu Brown Belt the Tankon No Jutsu Kata is practised.

The second weapon to be taught at 3rd Kyu Brown Belt along with Tankon Kata is the Tonfa basic Kihon for Tonfa and at 2nd Kyu Brown Belt a Tonfa Kata is practised. The Tonfa which is commonly known to many as rice mill handles or side handled batton used by some Police Forces in the USA and the UK. Alternative spellings for Tonfa are Tuifa or Tunfa. The Tonfa are generally in martial arts are used in pairs and can be used solo to practise basic Karate stepping movements, blocking and striking techniques. The police forces that use side handled battons use them singularly. It is not until 3rd Kyu Brown belt that the use of Tonfa will be applied to blocking and trapping a weapon and practising striking an opponent with its various parts. In Hakuda Ryu Kempo Jutsu Kobudo the handle as well as the shaft are used for trapping and striking. We also practise a set of Matayoshi Kobudo Kihon that was taught by Franco Sanguinetti at the Kokusai Matayoshi Kobudo Gasshuku in 2007 some Kihon from a Seidokan Tonfa kata that was taught to Jim Neeter and myself in February 2008 and we are currently working on Sokon no Tonfa kata from Matsumura Shorin Ryu taught to us by Roger Sheldon in 2009.  Some examples of Mataysohi Kobudo Kihon can be found here Tonfa Kihon mail.wmv & part of a Seidokan Tonfa Kata can be found here: Tonfa kata.wmv

The Nunchaku after the Tankon and the Tonfa is the third weapons to be taught formally. This is for  2nd Kyu Brown belt. The Nunchaku consists of two pieces of wood joined together by a cord and are commonly known as Rice Flails, but it is more likely to have originally been part of a horses bridle. Initially basic exercises, blocking and striking techniques are taught in Kihon form, they may also be used in pairs with an advancing spinning movement. There use is later applied to trapping, locking and throwing techniques.

Yawara Te is the fourth weapon to be learnt and is practised at 2nd Kyu Brown Belt. The Yawara Te is a short stick that can be held in the hand. What can be done also with a Yawara Te stick is the same as that of hairpin (Kanzashi) used to fasten the top knot. The Yawara Te is used to strike Kyusho (Vulnerable) points and to apply locks to the smaller joints. What can be done with a Yawara Te can also be done with a pen, a Kubotan or even a chop stick.

The images shown above, on the left is a Yawara Te Stick developed by the Len Gill for training in Kodai Ryu Kobudo in the early to mid 1990's, the Yawara stick is hexagonal thus employing flat surfaces and sharp edges for purposes of joint locking. The image to the left shows a concealed dagger where the Yawara is used as a sheath, compare this with the images below. 

Kanzashi (Hair Pins) used in the Far East. Notice the similarity between the Kanzashi shown here and the image next to it where the hair pin doubles as a dagger and its sheath a Yawara Te stick.

The weapon shown below known as the Kubotan created by the Shorin Ryu Karateka Fumio Demura can also be classified as a form of Yawara.

The Rokusahkubo is the sixth weapon to be learnt and its Kihon for Chinese based Kobudo and Okinawan Ti is taught and practised from 3rd Kyu to 1st Kyu Brown Belt. The Bo is a long staff, this can vary from 6ft in Length called the Rokushakubo to a five foot staff. Basic exercises (3rd Kyu) are taught first and the a basic Bo Kata with Bo v Bo (2nd Kyu)after which a variety of other techniques including defence with a Bo against a variety of other weapons and sweeping, tripping, locking and throwing techniques (1st Kyu)

 This picture taken in the early to mid 1980's shows Plum Blossom sticks and Long Staff (Rokushakubo)

Plum Blossom sticks are the seventh weapon to be learnt at 2nd Kyu to 1st Kyu Brown Belt. Initially basic techniques are taught and then at 1st Kyu application are shown and practised. This weapon provides the basis for eighth weapon of the system double swords at 1st Kyu Brown Belt.

Plum Blossom Sticks are like the sticks that are used in Escrima, Kali and Arnis. These sticks are slightly shorter than the Tanjo (3ft) but longer than the Te Bo (2ft). Whilst in Arnis, Escrima and Kali the sticks are used singularly and occassionally in pairs, plum blossom sticks are always used in pairs. These twin battons are used swiftly for striking and sweeping techniques.

When a Plum Blossom stick is used singularly it can be used as a Tankon for striking. When the Plum Blossom Stick is used as like Te Bo for trappling and grappling it is may be used in the same way as a Tanjo and may be regarded as such. We practise the Bugeikan Tankon No Justu Kata with both the Single and double Plum Blossom (Escrima) sticks.  Another name for the Plum Blossom Sticks used in Okinawan Kobudo is the Niten-Bo. Nitan-Bo techniques and Kata have been passed down into Okinawan Kobudo by Yuichi Kuda who originally trained in Okinawan Kenpo under Shigeru Nakamura along with Seiyu Oyata and Fusei Kise, he later trained in Matsumura Seito Shorin Ryu under Hohan Sokon and named his own style .Matsumura Kempo. After Hohan Sokon died Yuichi Kuda began training in Shorin Ryu and Kobudo under Seitoku Higa of the Bugeikan . Some information about Yuichi Kuda and the Niten-Bo can be found here:  http://www.worldbudokan.com/NitanBo.html