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Gosoku Ryu
is a style of karate which was founded by Takayuki Kubota. Gosoku stands for ''hard and fast'', which suggests a combination of techniques both from the fast and dynamic Shōtōkan style as well as from the strength-focused Gōjū-ryū style. Background The International Karate Association (IKA) was formed in Tokyo, Japan in 1953 for the purpose of teaching and promoting the Gosoku style of karate. Gosoku-ryū, "the style of force with speed", incorporates the methods of Goju-ryū and Shotokan karate with aikido, jujitsu, and judo. It is applied so as to encompass any attacker from all angles. In 1964, Kubota came to the United States. He was able to gather several talented young men to create the nucleus of the U.S. branch. Under Kubota's tutelage, the IKA has achieved wide recognition in the martial arts world. Members of the organization have won championship titles, including California state, U.S. national, and world championships. The IKA reaches worldwide with headquar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north toward the East China Sea, Philippine Sea, and Taiwan in the south. Japan is a part of the Ring of Fire, and spans Japanese archipelago, an archipelago of List of islands of Japan, 6852 islands covering ; the five main islands are Hokkaido, Honshu (the "mainland"), Shikoku, Kyushu, and Okinawa Island, Okinawa. Tokyo is the Capital of Japan, nation's capital and largest city, followed by Yokohama, Osaka, Nagoya, Sapporo, Fukuoka, Kobe, and Kyoto. Japan is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eleventh most populous country in the world, as well as one of the List of countries and dependencies by population density, most densely populated and Urbanization by country, urbanized. About three-fourths of Geography of Japan, the c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shotokan
is a style of karate, developed from various martial arts by Gichin Funakoshi (1868–1957) and his son Gigo (Yoshitaka) Funakoshi (1906–1945). Gichin Funakoshi was born in Okinawa and is widely credited with popularizing "karate do" through a series of public demonstrations, and by promoting the development of university karate clubs, including those at Keio, Waseda, Hitotsubashi (Shodai), Takushoku, Chuo, Gakushuin, and Hosei. Funakoshi had many students at the university clubs and outside dojos, who continued to teach karate after his death in 1957. However, internal disagreements (in particular the notion that competition is contrary to the essence of karate) led to the creation of different organisations—including an initial split between the Japan Karate Association (headed by Masatoshi Nakayama) and the Shotokai (headed by Motonobu Hironishi and Shigeru Egami), followed by many others—so that today there is no single "Shotokan school", although they all b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Taira Shinken
was a Japanese martial artist, born as in 1897 on Kume island in the Ryūkyū archipelago. Early life He was the second son in a family of three boys and one girl. He was given up for adoption as a child (not an uncommon practice in old Japan). In his early life he took on his mother's maiden name of Taira. Taira worked in the sulfur mines in Minamijima. He suffered a badly broken leg when he was trapped in a mine shaft collapse, which caused permanent damage to his leg. Karate In 1922, after traveling to Tokyo to find work, he was introduced to Gichin Funakoshi, a fellow Okinawan and karate instructor. In 1929, Taira began his studies of Ryūkyū kobudo under Moden Yabiku. In 1932 after studying kobudo for three years and karate for 10 years, he received permission from his masters to open his own dojo. Taira began to teach karate and kobudo in the springs resort town of Ikaho, Gunma Prefecture. In 1934, Taira became a student (deshi) of Kenwa Mabuni. In 1940 Taira op ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Katana
A is a Japanese sword characterized by a curved, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip to accommodate two hands. Developed later than the ''tachi'', it was used by samurai in feudal Japan and worn with the edge facing upward. Since the Muromachi period, many old ''tachi'' were cut from the root and shortened, and the blade at the root was crushed and converted into ''katana''. The specific term for ''katana'' in Japan is ''uchigatana'' (打刀) and the term ''katana'' (刀) often refers to single-edged swords from around the world. Etymology and loanwords The word ''katana'' first appears in Japanese in the '' Nihon Shoki'' of 720. The term is a compound of ''kata'' ("one side, one-sided") + ''na'' ("blade"), in contrast to the double-sided '' tsurugi''. See more at the Wiktionary entry. The ''katana'' belongs to the ''nihontō'' family of swords, and is distinguished by a blade length (''nagasa'') of more than 2 ''shaku'', approximately . ' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shinai
A is a Japanese sword typically made of bamboo used for practice and competition in ''kendo''. ''Shinai'' are also used in other martial arts, but may be styled differently from ''kendo shinai'', and represented with different characters. The light, soft wood used in a ''shinai'' distinguishes it from other wooden swords such as a ''bokken'', which is generally made of heavier, sturdier wood. History The earliest use of a bamboo weapon to train with instead of a sword is credited to Kamiizumi Nobutsuna (1508-1572?) of the Shinkage-ryū. The modern ''shinai'', with four slats of bamboo, is generally credited to Nakanishi Chuzo Tsugutate (died 1801) of Nakanishi-ha Ittō-ryū. The ''shinai'' was developed in an effort to reduce the number of practitioners being seriously injured during practice, making a practice weapon that was less dangerous than , the hard wooden swords they were previously using. This is also the motivation behind the development of , the armour that pr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bokken
A ''bokken'' (, , "wood", and ''ken'', "sword") (or a ''bokutō'' ) is a Japanese wooden sword used for training in kenjutsu. It is usually the size and shape of a ''katana'', but is sometimes shaped like other swords, such as the ''wakizashi'' and ''tantō''. Some ornamental ''bokken'' are decorated with mother-of-pearl work and elaborate carvings. Sometimes it is spelled "boken" in English. ''Bokken'' are traditionally composed of red oak or white oak, although any hardwood can be used. In comparison, practice swords made of flexible, soft wood such as bamboo are referred to as ''shinai''. History It is hard to determine precisely when the first ''bokken'' appeared due to secrecy in ancient martial arts training and loose record-keeping. While various mock weapons were surely used during the earlier periods of Japanese history, usage of ''bokken'' in their modern form first emerged during the Muromachi Period (1336–1600) for the training of samurai warriors in the var ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bokuto
A ''bokken'' (, , "wood", and ''ken'', "sword") (or a ''bokutō'' ) is a Japanese wooden sword used for training in kenjutsu. It is usually the size and shape of a ''katana'', but is sometimes shaped like other swords, such as the ''wakizashi'' and ''tantō''. Some ornamental ''bokken'' are decorated with mother-of-pearl work and elaborate carvings. Sometimes it is spelled "boken" in English. ''Bokken'' are traditionally composed of red oak or white oak, although any hardwood can be used. In comparison, practice swords made of flexible, soft wood such as bamboo are referred to as ''shinai''. History It is hard to determine precisely when the first ''bokken'' appeared due to secrecy in ancient martial arts training and loose record-keeping. While various mock weapons were surely used during the earlier periods of Japanese history, usage of ''bokken'' in their modern form first emerged during the Muromachi Period (1336–1600) for the training of samurai warriors in the var ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kama (weapon)
The is a traditional Japanese farming implement similar to a sickle or billhook used for reaping crops and also employed as a weapon. It is often included in weapon training segments of martial arts. Sometimes referred to as ''kai'' or "double kai," kama made with intentionally dull blades for kata demonstration purposes are referred to as ''kata kai''. History Before being improvised as a weapon, the kama was widely used throughout Asia to cut crops, mostly rice. It is found in many shapes and forms in Southeast Asia and is particularly common in martial arts from Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. From one or both of these areas, the kama was brought to Okinawa and incorporated into the martial art of te (hand) and later karate (empty hand). It also spawned the use of the kusarigama and the Kyoketsu Shoge. Ellis Amdur criticizes in his book ''Old School: Essays on Japanese Martial Traditions'' the theory that the kama was derived from a farmer's sickle. Sickle-like we ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tonfa
The ''tonfa'' ( Okinawan: , lit. ''old man's staff'' / ''"crutch"''), also spelled as ''tongfa'' or ''tuifa'', also known as T-baton is a melee weapon with its origins in the armed component of Okinawan martial arts. It consists of a stick with a perpendicular handle attached a third of the way down the length of the stick, and is about long. It was traditionally made from red or white oak, and wielded in pairs. The tonfa is believed to have originated in either China, Okinawa or Southeast Asia, where it is used in the respective fighting styles. History Traditional origin story The tonfa belongs to a group of ancient weapons called kobudo weapons. 400 years ago, the Ryukyu islanders used the tonfa against the Japanese samurai. The Japanese took all the weapons of the Ryukyuans. The Ryukyu islanders developed clever ways to defend themselves using everyday objects. The millstone handle evolved into the tonfa. The tonfa along with the other kobudo weapons were working too ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kubotan
Kubotan is a genericized trademark for a self-defense keychain weapon developed by Sōke Takayuki Kubota in the late 1960s. It is typically no more than 5.5 inches (14 centimeters) long and about half an inch (1.25 centimeters) in diameter, slightly thicker or the same size as a marker pen. The material is usually a hard high-impact plastic such as Lexan. The body of the Kubotan is lined with six round grooves with a screw eye or swivel and split ring attachment at one end for keys. History The Kubotan keychain was originally based on a small bamboo weapon called a "hashi stick", an invention by Kubota's father, Denjiro. Its popularity grew from 1969 to the 1970s when Kubota, at the request of California State Senator Edward M. Davis then former Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department, created the weapon and began training female officers in its application. It is often touted as extremely effective in breaking the will of unruly suspects with painful locks and pressure poi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dojo
A is a hall or place for immersive learning or meditation. This is traditionally in the field of martial arts, but has been seen increasingly in other fields, such as meditation and software development. The term literally means "place of the Way" in Japanese. History The word ''dōjō'' originates from Buddhism. Initially, ''dōjō'' were adjunct to temples and were formal training places for any of the Japanese arts ending in "''-dō''", from the Chinese ''Tao'' (or ''Dao''), meaning "way" or "path". Sometimes meditation halls where Zen Buddhists practice ''zazen'' meditation were called ''dōjō''. The alternative term '' zen-do'' is more specific, and more widely used. European ''Sōtō Zen'' groups affiliated with the International Zen Association prefer to use ''dōjō'' instead of ''zendo'' to describe their meditation halls as did their founding master, Taisen Deshimaru. In Japan, any facility for physical training, including professional wrestling, may be called ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
_(2334494617).jpg "Click for more on -> Tonfa")
