Seikichi Odo (born July 26, 1927 in
Okinawa
is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi).
Naha is the capital and largest city ...
– died March 24, 2002), whose name means "world walker" in
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
, was a
karateka
(; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the ...
. He combined ''
kobudō
is a collective term for Japanese traditional techniques for the use of armour, blades, firearms, and techniques related to combat and horse riding. The ''kanji'' 古流武術 (old-school martial arts) and 古武術 (old martial arts) are othe ...
'' and
karate
(; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the ...
techniques to found the
Ryūkyū Hon Kenpo Kobujutsu Federation.
Education
Of
pechin , or , historically ''Opoyakomoi'', was a rank among the Yukatchu class of the former Ryukyu Kingdom (modern-day Okinawa, Japan), above the rank of Satunushi and below the rank of Ueekata. As scholar-officials, they often served in administrative p ...
descent, he was small in stature and introverted as a youth. At age 9 Odo began his martial arts training in
judo
is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponi ...
. At age 13 Odo met Koho Kuba of Kawasaki, Okinawa. Kuba taught Odo the art of ''Okinawa-te''. At the age of 20, Odo began to study
Okinawan ''kobudō''. He studied weapons arts diligently to ensure the preservation of the old ways. Odo's ''kobudō'' instructors included many of the leading practitioners of Okinawa, such as Mitsuo Kakazu, Kenko Nakaima, Shinpo Matayoshi and Seiki Toma. At 23 Odo began to study karate under
Shigeru Nakamura.
Odo studied both ''kobudō'' (with Mitsuo Kakazu) as well as karate and ''kobudō'' with Seiki Toma, who was a student of Zenpo Shimabukuro who was taught by
Chōtoku Kyan (1870–1945). Odo considered Nakamura as his primary instructor as well as mentor.
Shigeru Nakamura
Nakamura was born on January 20, 1894. His karate training started whilst in attendance of Icchu Middle School in
Shuri. It was here that both
Kanryo Higashionna (1845–1915) and
Chomo Hanashiro Chomo may refer to:
*Prison slang for "child molester"
*The name of several mountains in the Himalayas, including Chomo Lhari, Chomo Yummo, and Chomo Lonzo
*the Chumbi Valley
The Chumbi Valley, called Dromo or Tromo in Tibetan,
is a valle ...
(1869–1945) were the karate instructors.
Itosu Ankō (1830–1915) as well as Kentsu Yabu (1863–1937) also made visits to the school. After middle school, Nakamura returned to
Nago
''Nagu'', Kunigami: ''Naguu'' is a city located in the northern part of Okinawa Island, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. As of December 2012, the city has an estimated population of 61,659 and a population density of 288 persons per km2. Its tota ...
city where he trained under Shinkichi Kuniyoshi. In 1953, Nakamura opened his own dojo in Nago city and called his form of karate "Okinawa kenpo".
Seikichi Odo took over teaching in the dojo as Nakamura aged. Odo asked Nakamura if he would allow incorporating ''kobudō'' with karate teachings. Nakamura was hesitant to allow this, but in the end did. Odo incorporated Kobudo in the mid 1970s. In July 1983, Odo restructured the Okinawa Kenpo Karate-Kobudō Association, renaming it the Okinawa Kenpo Karate Kobudō Federation. In 1998 to ease derisiveness, Odo changed the federation name to the Ryūkyū Hon Kenpo Kobujutsu Federation. Odo's Ryūkyū Hon Kenpo Kobujutsu Federation teaches a total of 50 ''kata''; 20 open hand forms and 30 weapons ''kata''.
As Odo said, "You keep, keep my
kata
''Kata'' is a Japanese word ( 型 or 形) meaning "form". It refers to a detailed choreographed pattern of martial arts movements made to be practised alone. It can also be reviewed within groups and in unison when training. It is practised ...
straight".
Bogu Kumite
Bogu Kumite (防具組手) is a form of armored training used in some
Okinawa
is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi).
Naha is the capital and largest city ...
n
kempo styles of
karate
(; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the ...
. The origin of this unique training approach is credited to
Shigeru Nakamura.
Shorin-ryu,
Chito-ryu,
Isshin-ryu,
Shorinji-ryu and
Nippon Kempo
Nippon Kempo (日本拳法) is a Japanese martial art, practised wearing protective gear (face, body, crotch, etc.) and gloves and allows full use of stand-up striking, throwing, and ground fighting.
It was founded and created by Muneomi Sawaya ...
also employ this training method.
Bogu Kumite is a rough, full contact training method in which the participants are discouraged from using feints and jabs and are expected to throw full-power blows. Rules vary between practitioners, but a generally accepted norm is to only count strikes that would incapacitate the opponent, had they not been wearing the gear. Hits must land on the gear and on the steel cage of the mask.
Equipment
Bogu gear is made of pieces analogous to those of
kendo
is a modern Japanese martial art, descended from kenjutsu (one of the old Japanese martial arts, swordsmanship), that uses bamboo swords (shinai) as well as protective armor (bōgu). Today, it is widely practiced within Japan and has spread ...
bōgu
, properly called , is training armour used primarily in the Japanese martial art of kendo,Uchida, M. (2005)Kendo Bogu (Protective Equipment)(October 2005). Retrieved on 12 May 2010. .
Men- steel cage mask (or heavy clear plastic) that covers the anterior and lateral head, with an opening in back. It extends to the neck to provide a degree of control during heavy impacts. Kumite men usually have shorter neck pieces since they do not usually need to stop the heavy blows to the
clavicle
The clavicle, or collarbone, is a slender, S-shaped long bone approximately 6 inches (15 cm) long that serves as a strut between the shoulder blade and the sternum (breastbone). There are two clavicles, one on the left and one on the rig ...
as with kendo armor.
Kote- padded gloves, often of the
Kempo variety with finger articulations.
Do- semi-rigid chest protector made with several padded plates of various materials such as heavy plastic or light metals sewn into it.
Participants also usually wear a groin protector, elbow pads and shin protectors as with other karate training methods.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Odo, Seikichi
Okinawan male karateka
1927 births
2002 deaths
People from Okinawa Island