BUDO FOR BUDOKA

WORLD BUDO DEVELOPMENT SOCIETY  世界武道開発協会 Basic Kendo Terms . Kendo (剣道): The Way of the Sword (Lit. Ken: Sword, Do: Path) Kenshi or Kendoka (剣士・剣道家): A Kendo Practitioner Dojo (道場): Training Hall - Specifically for Martial Arts Sensei (先生): Teacher or Instructor Shihan (師範): Head Instructor or Master Rei (礼): Etiquette or Respect (Also referred to as Reiho or Rei) Ashi Sabaki (足捌き): Footwork Do (胴): A Strike to the Torso Ippon (一本):  A Point in Kendo (Lit. One Point) Kamae (構え): Ready Position Keiko (稽古): Practice  Kiai (気合): Spirit shouting Kihon (基本): Basics Kote (小手): A Strike to the Wrist Men (面): A Strike to the Head Shiai (試合): Tournament Suburi (素振り): Swinging or Striking Practice Suriashi (摺り足): "Sliding" Footwork Used in Kendo Tsuki (突): A Strike to the Throat Bogu (防具):　Armour Men (面): Helmet Kote (小手): Gloves Do (胴): Torso Armor Tare (垂): Apron Covering the Upper Legs Bokken or Bokuto (木剣・木刀): Wooden Sword Hakama (袴): Traditional Japanese Trousers Kendogi or Ke...

    Chow Gar by Neil Horton   Chow Gar is a Chinese martial art system that belongs to the Mantis Kung Fu category and holds many aspects of it. A Chinese monk named Chow Ah Naam in the 1800's, who took residence in the Southern Shaolin monastery, created Chow Gar.  The system favours close range fighting techniques with the hands and short fast kicking applications at low levels and targets vulnerable areas of the opponent's body. Rapid linear strikes are paramount and key to being effective at short range. Internal power and energy is favoured in order to deliver powerful and fast punching techniques. The internal body training is known as ‘chi'. Here, students are given the education in how to inhale and exhale correctly when performing an application.  Power training and flexibility are important features of this Chinese form. Strong stance and posture is created to enable the exponent to switch from an attack or defence depending upon the situation. There a...

 Tai Chi Spear The story of the Yang family tai chi spear centers on the systems founding grandmaster, Yang Lu Chan (1799-1872), also known as Yang Fu-Kui. Yang was born in the town of Nan Guan of Yong Nian County, in the Hebei province of Northern China. Originally, Yang Lu Chan received his tai chi hand form and fighting training from the famous Chen family grandmaster, Chen Chang Xing. However, as extensive as the training was, the Chen grandmaster never taught Yang any weaponry, since Yang was already an expert with several different types of weapons, including the spear. Yang Lu-Chan only taught his spear techniques to his sons and a few close high-ranking students. He never called any of the techniques that he taught was tai chi, nor did he ever create a form or pattern to standardize his teachings. Often he would teach the spear movements using a staff, so that his students could safely practice the fighting applications on each other. For this reason, the Yang family spear ...

  Ikkaku Ryu by Neil Horton    The Ikkaku Ryu is a Japanese martial art that originated in the seventeenth century. The school concerns the defensive applications and attacking techniques of the ‘jutte' or ‘forked truncheon'. Matsuzaki Kinu'emon Tsunekatsu founded the Ikkaku Ryu and the objective was to defend successfully against a sword-wielding attacker.  Precision and a great knowledge were required to perform such a dangerous task, bearing in mind the average forked truncheon in this school was between 40 and 50cm in length.  The ‘jutte' can be used to capture a sword and in some instances snap the sword completely depending on the technique used. The basic design was of a hexagonal shape. The training package came in a series of ‘kata' or ‘pre-arranged sequences' that contained the ‘jutte' and sometimes with a ‘tessen' or ‘war fan'. Unarmed combat was taught to compliment the studies of the ‘jutte'.  The Ikkaku Ryu was a highly respected sc...

 TSUKAHARA BOKUDEN   Tsukahara Bokuden (1490 – 1571) was the said to be the most deadly Japanese samurai of his day and that he gained a  reputation by fighting and beating the best martial arts experts the country had to offer.  He lived during the Muromachi Period and was said to be the perfect warrior who never lost a fight, whether in battle for his Daimyo (warlord) or an individual duel. He held the 'samurai code' of being brave and hugely loyal to his peers and chiefs.  Tsukahara Bokuden was incredibly unusual that in later life he developed the philosophy that there was more merit in avoiding conflict than there was in fighting and killing an opponent. One should take note that the philosophy he had come to adopt was opposite to the vast majority of other warriors in that era.  Tsukahara Bokuden was the son of a Shinto priest, however he was able to join the ranks of the samurai warriors as the turbulent times meant that those born from outside the s...

Interview with Shihan Jacques Payet by Neil Horton. I was delighted when Shihan Jacques Payet agreed to be interviewed by me for the WBDS Newsletter. He has a great deal of history and experience which is evident in the ensuing interview. He left his native France to train directly under the Aikido legend, Gozo Shioda, and resides there even today. I must point out that I have only amended a small amount of Shihan Payet’s original words, because I want the work to be interpreted as if speaking to him direct. How did you first get involved in the martial arts and Yoshinkan Aikido? Since high school I was influenced by Bruce Lee`s movies and attracted by the martial arts. At University in Lyon France, I practiced Kung-Fu and traditional Ju-Jitsu and one day during a Ju-Jitsu seminar I saw for the first time an old 8mm movie of Shioda Gozo Sensei the founder of Yoshinkan Aikido. There were many videos of famous Japanese and Chinese masters but I was very impressed by this old man of small...

 Chinese Axe Methods by Neil Horton  The axe has enjoyed a long and storied history as an effective weapon in Chinese martial arts. Horse soldiers used a single axe with a long handle. The most popular weapon is the double axe, which is a pair of axes with short handles. Since both single and double axes are heavy weapons, they are perfect for kung-fu students who want to develop arm strength and forearm power. During the Tang dynasty, a famous general named Cheng Yao Jin (593-665), a native Shandong province, was known for his prowess in the single long handle broad axe. Cheng Yao Jin was famous for three axe techniques. When he was using the broad axe, his power was incredibly strong. He was not to be a good martial artist, but he was a fortunate soldier. All the enemies he defeated were not very good in fighting either so the legend goes. He was only good at three powerful techniques. The first was a vertical chop downward; the second a horizontal sideway chop across; and t...

  World Budo Development Society Saiko Komon  (Special Advisers)...Updated. The following highly respected masters have agreed to be a Saiko Komon to the World Budo Development Society. They have been specifically selected for their immense knowledge base and for their positive promotion of Budo. Each Saiko Komon have agreed to assist on a voluntary basis and receive no financial gain. Malcolm Dorfman...9th Dan. ..South Africa Yasuhisa Shioda...9th Dan. ..Japan Jose Miguel Martinez Barrera...9th Dan...Spain Jeff Ader...8th Dan...USA John Hanratty...8th Dan...Canada John Moreton...8th Dan...UK Jose Witik...8th Dan...Venezuela Gordon Lawson...8th Dan...UK Peter Rosendahl...7th Dan...Sweden Glenn Stockwell...7th Dan...Japan Pavel Antonsson...7th Dan...Sweden Kenji Shodai...6th Dan...Japan Daniel Avinon Antunez...5th Dan...Spain The following nations have a verified black belt holder of at least 5th Dan that have been approved by the World Budo Development Society YUDANSHAKAI. Sou...

A portrait of Oda Nobunaga, by Jesuit painter Giovanni Niccolò, 1583–1590. Oda Clan Mon In 1549 a teenage Oda Nobunaga outfitted 500 soldiers with matchlock muskets. Although the Portuguese had introduced firearms to Japan in 1543, Nobunaga revolutionized Japanese warfare by being the first to use them during war. He proved his genius in 1575 at Nagashino Castle, where he rotated lines of musketeers to produce continuous volleys. ODA NOBUNAGA Nobunaga was head of the powerful Oda clan of Owari Province and launched a war against other samurai to unify Japan in the 1560s. Nobunaga emerged as the most powerful daimyō in Japan, overthrowing the nominally ruling shōgun Ashikaga Yoshiaki and dissolved the Ashikaga Shogunate in 1573, conquering most of Honshu and defeating the Ikkō-ikki rebels by the 1580s.  Nobunaga's rule was noted for innovative military tactics, fostering free trade, reform of Japan's civil government, and encouraging the start of the Momoyama historical art peri...

  Itto Ryu ~ Japanese for ‘One Sword School' by Neil Horton   The Itto Ryu is a Japanese martial art that is based on the numerous applications of the sword. It was viewed as highly effective school and considered one of the best arts of the sword forms, or ‘kenjutsu' around at the time. The founder and development of this school is principally down to Ittosai Kagehisa, which legend states he never lost a duel, even when there was multiple attackers, and was one of the greatest swordsmen ever to live. The teachings were adopted by the Tokugawa Shogunate, which led to other important families, known as ‘daimyo', adopting the same instruction methods. The Itto Ryu became increasingly prominent and popular amongst important fiefdoms. With the blessing of the Shogunate came much praise and popularity. Exponents were taught the correct way to attack and defend with the sword using several key features, for example, balance, co-ordination and timing. Knowing where and how to mak...

Kenwa Mabuni Born in Shuri on Okinawa in 1889, Mabuni Sensei was a family descendant of the famous Onigusukini Samurai family. He was said to be a weak and frail child, so he commenced the instruction in his home town in the art of Shuri-Te at the age of 13. Mabuni was taken under the tutelage of the legendary Ankō Itosu (1813-1915). He trained diligently for several years, learning many kata from this great master.  Sensei Chōjun Miyagi (founder of Gōjū-ryū) was a close friend and introduced Mabuni to another great of that period, Sensei Higaonna Kanryō and it was here he began to learn Naha-Te under him as well. While both Itosu and Higashionna taught a 'hard-soft' style of Okinawan 'Te', their methods and stresses were quite distinct: the Itosu syllabus included straight and powerful techniques as exemplified in the Naifanchi and Bassai kata; the Higashionna syllabus, on the other hand, stressed circular motion and shorter fighting methods as seen in the popular Seip...

Tomari-te  ( 泊手 , Okinawan: Tumai-dii) The lineage of the Tomari-te The masters of the Tomari-te best known in the 19th century  was Kosaku Matsumora, Kokan Oyadomari and Gikei Yamazato or (Giei Yamada). From these three great masters from Tomarite, the following masters generation was formed: Nio Sueyoshi (1846-1920), Kinin Kinjo (1856-1897), Giki Yamazato (1866-1947, son of Gikei), Seikichi Nakaema (1866-1932), Koho Kuba (1870-1942), Kamado Higa (1871-1930) and Kotatsu Iha (1873-1928). Kosei Nakamoto (1890-1967) was the Koho Kuba successor. From Kotatsu Iha, were formed the following sucessors: Seiyu Nakasone (1893-1967), Gisei Maeda (1899-1983), Kosei Iha (1891-1967), Koko Oyadomari (1882-1908), Seijin “One-Eyed” Toguchi (1895-1937), Chojin Kuba (1904-1989), Shoshin Nagamine (1906-). Seikichi Nakaema sucessor was his brother and from this his son, Moritoshi Nakaema, l Nakaema family is from Nago, Okinawa. Oyadomari Kokan karate was preserved by his two sons, Kotsu and Konin...

World Budo Development Society Sekai Goshin Jutsu Renmei (World Goshin Jutsu Federation) Budo Kenshō. The World Budo Development Society and the Sekai Goshin Jutsu Renmei  (World Goshin Jutsu Federation) have produced the following Budo Kensho or Budo Charter to enhance the ideals of the organisation and that of its representatives. It is suggested that all instructors abide by the Charter and do so by sending their name, rank, country and name of organisation directly to Shihan Neil Horton. All names, ranks, countries and the names of organisations will be added to a public database and will be updated periodically. If you submit your details you are giving express permission to the World Budo Development Society and Sekai Goshin Jutsu Renmei to print your details in a public domain. Please note you do not need to be a member of the Sekai Goshin Jutsu Renmei to be an adherent to the Budo Kensho, just support the ideals. Any questions may be addressed directly to Shihan Neil Hor...