Toshihiro oshiro Sensei

[Buddha]

Hi Alls:

Im Sensei Rogelio Ortega from Panama city, and I want to know where I can search something about tosihiro oshiro sensei and his organization because we want affiliated to him in kobudo, if you know something about him please send to me (something history,school,kobudo, family tradition) a lot of thanks...

from Panama, Sensei Rogelio Ortega
senseibuda@latinol.com

:karatekid

[John Bowden]

His website is www.oshirodojo.com.

(I'm not affiliated with Oshiro.)

John

[PingAnTu]

Hello Mr. Ortega,

I was at the traditional karate tournament in Panama City, Panama in 1994 (I think it was 1994). It was a great tournament and I enjoyed Panama very much.

At that tournament, Oshiro Sensei was demonstrating a Bo kata when his Bo broke in the air into four peices! Did you see that? I know it wasn't a trick because it was his best bo. Oshiro Sensei is an incredible martial artist.

[Buddha]

Hi alls:

Yes, I remember this tournament in 1993 december 3,4,5, Mr toshihiro oshiro broke his bo in the stage, i was in the organization who mmake this tournament, that demostration was very incredible....was great...from what delegation you coming????mr Pingaut?

From Panama,

Sensei Rogelio Ortega

[PingAnTu]

Mr. Ortega,

I was with my father Douglas Adamson. I won first place at the kobudo finals with a yamanni ryu bo kata. I was happy to see so many good martial artists from Central and South America. The fighting was very good.

Paul Adamson

[John Bowden]

Just one quick statement. Good bos don't break in kata. Best bos wont even break in kumibo.

This is regardless of the skill of the practitioner.

Beyond that, any bo the breaks into four pieces is a totally useless toothpick of crossgrained junk.

[PingAnTu]

Whoa there partner...

I know for a fact (because I was there and I spent almost the entire time with Oshiro Sensei) that there was no trickery. The bo he was using was made of purple heart wood (not exactly a toothpick).

What he DID do was make a simple mistake. He unintentionally directed the energy of the swing into the center section of the staff causing it to shatter with a side strike. That's why Yamanni Ryu is different from anything else out there.

BTW, I know he didn't intentionally TRY to break it because after he broke it he was having everybody look around for me because he wanted to finish his demonstration with my bo (he didn't have a backup bo). But me and one of my team mates had just finished the tournament finals and were in desperate need of cold refreshment at our hotel room so we were nowhere to be found :toast:

I've got it on tape somewhere though.

[Patrick McCarthy]

I too got one of the new purple heart bo during a visit to Walter Daily's dojo in PA couple of years ago when Bruce Heilman took me there to meet the carpenter who made them. The proud owner of a new purple heart bo, it broke on the first slash I made with it and sliced the palm of my right hand to ribbons!!! I later complained but never got a new bo, from the maker.

Robert....did you get my reply last week??

[John Bowden]

Originally posted by PingAnTu
Whoa there partner...

I know for a fact (because I was there and I spent almost the entire time with Oshiro Sensei) that there was no trickery. The bo he was using was made of purple heart wood (not exactly a toothpick).

What he DID do was make a simple mistake. He unintentionally directed the energy of the swing into the center section of the staff causing it to shatter with a side strike. That's why Yamanni Ryu is different from anything else out there.



I didn't accuse anyone of trickery. I just stated that exploding bos are either bad bos or trickery.

Since you've elaborated that it was a purpleheart bo, now I am sure it was simply a bad bo. Purpleheart is good for only one thing...being purple. :) It's very good at being purple and pretty and good for little else.

I still have my very first bo (a straight grain high impact hickory kumibo) from the same woodworker that made Mr. McCarthy's hand slashin' piece of purpleheart. It's scarred, ugly and slightly bent by a truck and still my best weapon.

Celebrating a broken stick is like celebrating a sword that failed to cut. At least that's my crazy idea! :D

Anyways, I mean no disrespect to you or to Mr. Oshiro. I'm actually expecting a copy of his tape from ebay and am looking forward to viewing it. I've heard from others who share my lineage that Yamanni Chinen ryu is in it. I'm interested to see if Mr. Oshiro's style shares the concepts that I consider more progressive in our practice.

Have a nice weekend.

John

[PingAnTu]

I was just trying to talk about something that Mr. Ortega and I have in common. I didn't realize it would turn into this!!!

Anyway, I don't know where you guys get your weapons but my purple heart is the best bo I own. It's dense but slightly flexable. I also have a hickory and ash bo. Of course, I suppose that if purple heart was lathed wrong or something it would be defective but that doesn't have anything to do with the quality of the wood of a properly made purple heart bo.

Robert, you're right. I was at the tournament but not at the moment of the bo break. My dad got it on tape though. I've watched it many times to study the transfer of energy. What good is the strike, you say? Well, you can't use a broken bo! That's pretty obvious. But I've met very few people who can generate power into the end of the bo like you are supposed to do. I've met fewer that can accidentally direct the power to someplace that will smash their well-made bo. With a flowing strike no less!

But you guys are right, I shouldn't celebrate a broken bo. Oshiro and Nishime Sensei never do. I just think it's cool.:smokin:

Paul Adamson

[Nyuck3X]

With all due respect to all involved in this thread.
Having been a student of Oshiro Sensei and being an
amature wood worker, maybe I can shed some light on the
Bo in suspect.
Purple heartwood is a highly dense and ridgid wood.
On the other hand Hickory is also a dense material,
but is also very flexible.
Using Purple heartwood for a Bo would be likened
to using High carbon steel for a sword. Great cutting ability
but would break in half.
A Bo made of Purple heartwood does the same thing.
It's just too brittle to use in this type of application.
I have first hand knowledge of Oshiro Sensei's abilities
and I know and have also seen what he is capable of.
I'm sure the Bo he was using was as fine as a Purple
heartwood Bo could be. Oshiro Sensei's technique is just too awsome.
Yes, he is an increadible Martial Artist. He totally
changed my way of thinking regarding the MA's.

I hope this shed a little light onto the subject.

With great respect,

Ray Baldonade

[CEB]

I have 2 purple heart bo from KEMCO. One is 6'0" and the other is 6'6". They feel heavy and durable but I never use them for Kumi Bo. They are to pretty to ding up. I use my old hickory and oak war clubs. Thanks for the tips regarding the weakness in the wood you guys may have prevented a future mishap.

By the way is KEMCO still in business I have misplaced my contact info for them and I coundn't find a web site for them when I was looking a few months ago.

Have a good day.

Ed Boyd

[John Bowden]

Originally posted by CEB

By the way is KEMCO still in business I have misplaced my contact info for them and I coundn't find a web site for them when I was looking a few months ago.

Have a good day.

Ed Boyd

I think they went out of business along with Bugeisha magazine.

John