The Banning of Weapons by Morio Higaonna

 The Banning of Weapons by Morio Higaonna

"In order to understand why bare handed combat developed into such a highly sophisticated art in Okinawa, we must look back at the history of that island kingdom.

Around 1470, the collapse of the Sho dynasty gave rise to a period off political turmoil. Subsequently, a new Sho dynasty was established in 1477. The very first pronouncement of the new king Sho Shin, was to ban the carrying of swords by everyone, noble or peasant. He then ordered the confiscation of all weapons which were to be locked up at his castle in Shuri. King Sho Shin most significant act was to require all members of the nobility, who were then disarmed, and their families, come and live in the royal capital. This enabled him to keep an eye on potentially rebellious warlords. 

After King Sho Shin disarmed his people, two schools of combat were born as a consequence. One, known as art of ‘te’ was developed and practiced by members of the nobility. The other was known Ryukyu kobudo. This latter school which was developed and practiced by the farmers and fishermen incorporated the use of simple fishing and agricultural tools as effective weapons of hand  to hand combat. Training in both armed and unarmed fighting techniques was done in utmost secrecy in remote places after dark....."

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