Product Details

• Format: Color, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Dragon Associates, I
• VHS Release Date: April 16, 1999
• Run Time: 50 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6305434883
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #275,302 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

About the Actor

The late Matayoshi Shinpo, 10th Dan, Hanshi was decorated by his government for services to the martial arts, and considered a living cultral treasure during his lifetime.

Product Description

This video includes exceptional demonstrations of Kubudo augmented by a series of lectures by the noted Okinawan master teacher, Shinpo Matayoshi. Includes formal "BO" exercises: Choun no Kun, Sakugawa no Kun, Suishi no Kun, the Matayoshi Tonfa and Nunchaku kata, Tsuken Akachu no Eku kata, as well as superb performances of the Hakutsuru kata the author learned from the noted Chinese master, Go Ken Ki.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Matayoshi Kobudo-An Appreciation, August 9, 2002

By 

g.s.gopakumaran (Trivandrum, kerala India) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kobudo Karate Weapon Arts of Okinawa Vol 1 (Tsunami) [VHS] (VHS Tape)

The Cassette is very informative for a kobudo enthusiast.It is indeed a great experience to watch the Grand Master matayoshi performing all the weapons.The picturisation is well taken,using 3 cameras in 3 different angles,and it is edited well.The weapons covered are Bo,Tonfa,Nunchaku and Eku.Bo session is well covered with details of basics,hand grips,stances and the kata,Choun no kun,sakugawa no kun,shushi no kun and bo kumite.But there is no basics shown in the case of Tonfa,Nunchaku,&Eku.The Katas are recorded in 2 speeds;slow motion and full speed.
This is a wonderful cassette with a few glaring omissions.In the Bo Kata Choun no kun ,a few steps are missing.After the initial 4 steps,the fifth step is gedan harai uke and gedan nuki Bo.This is missing in the kata.Iam sure a sensei of the caliber of Hanshi Matayoshi would not be responsible for the omission.I trust you will make the necessary rectificatios,else this may mislead aspiring Kobudoka.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Historical Kobudo tape!, February 3, 2000

By 

Gonzalo Velasco C. (Uruguay) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kobudo Karate Weapon Arts of Okinawa Vol 1 (Tsunami) [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This is an excellent video of Kobudo by a great master. This video focuses a little more on the Bo (staff) than the other wooden weapons, nevertheless is very good. A document to be treasured!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, May 26, 2002

By 

magellan (Santa Clara, CA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Kobudo Karate Weapon Arts of Okinawa Vol 1 (Tsunami) [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I recently purchased this and two other tapes of Matayoshi Shinpo and have been extremely satisfied with them. Shinpo was one of Okinawa's most revered Kobudo masters, and in these tapes he records much of that knowledge for perpetuity in these great videos.

Notable in this particular tape is that, in addition to the demonstrations of the usual weapons--sai, nunchaku, tonfa, bo, and kama--he also shows a three-sectional staff form, and a nunti form, which is a normal bo but with an S-guard sai at the tip. The kata is also performed with two sais in your belt, which are removed and thrown at opponents during the kata.

The kama or sickle is interesting in that it is said to be the only edged weapon in the Kobudo canon, and is sometimes humorously referred to as the "Okinawan lawn-mower."

Shinpo's senior students demonstrate many of the forms and another great aspect of the video is their performance of a number of the two-man forms. These include curved broadsword with small shield against a bo staff, tonfa against bo, and bo against bo. And last but not least, Shinpo demonstrates the White Crane Hakutsuru kata that he learned from Chinese master Go Ken Ki.

The demonstrations occur both in Shinpo's studio and also on the beach with the Pacific ocean in the background, a nice little production touch.

On a personal note, I do most of these forms myself, and since I have moved recently and there is no Kobudo master where I currently reside, I've found these tapes to be a useful resource in my on-going training. Whether you're an actual student of Kobudo or a fellow martial artist interested in learning more about the Okinawan martial arts, you'll find this to be a fine tape.

All in all a very informative and well-produced video by an outstanding master.