Hohan Soken Sensei - Kobudo

[shoshinkan]

Dear All,

Please forgive my lack of knowledge/research/expeirience in this area, I have played with various weapons for a long time and only recently began to study 'formal' kobudo under my Sensei, namely Bo and Sai.

I havent researched this area very much in comparison to the empty hand side and would welcome any comments or information relating to the late Hohan Soken Sensei and kobudo, how did he fit into the Okinawan scene, his contributions to kobudo - was his 'style' different from the mainstream kobudo methods etc etc.

Anything at all would be most interesting and I thankyou in advance.

I have read the Mr Estrada Sensei interview and found that very useful.

[TimJurgens]

I trained with Alan Griffin, Tony Sandovol, Morimasu Arakaki, Fuse Kise, and Tom O'Brien Senseis from the Soken Lineage. The Kobudo done in the Arakaki dojo seemed to be secondary to the Karate training at best. Kise Sensei seemed to have composed his own Kata and may have been influenced by Nakamura Sensei. I have not seen what I would call a pure Soken Kobudo Lineage.

[Ed Gingras]

If you want to learn Soken Sensei's kobudo, I recomend that you visit Kosei Nishira Sensei, Yoshimatsu Akamine Sensei or one of their students. Their kobudo is a little different from that shown on base but is what I observed Sensei Soken teaching at his home.

v/r
Edward Gingras

[CEB]

Something I am curious about is that every picture you see of Hohan Soken holding kama he chokes up on the handles holding them close to the blades. He does not grip them down close to kontei like everyone one I have seen teach kama. This includes Kenshinkan and Matsumura Kempo teachers. Anyone know the purpose of the short grip?

Thanks

[shoshinkan]

Nice one Ed, thats the kind of thing I wanted to find out a little more about.

By the way - I have no idea????

[CEB]

FWIW, A helpful lurker contacted me off-line and told me how he is familiar with similar looking kama technique. This is not from Hohan Soken. It is from Kotaku Chuzo. I do not know if there is any connection between Kotaku and Soken. Evidently the high grip allows you to pummel with the ends of the handles. Sounds feasible to me.

Just because you are armed with deadly force doesn't mean you necessarily want to kill. Life is complicated sometime. Seems sort of like a Ryukyu pistol whippin' in a way.

[ryukyu2000]

Ed san:

I have been told that this was the way earlier masters trained in kama. I have tried the higher grip and found that the kama cutting speed is greatly enhanced grip which also causes a modification to your foot speed. Just my experience.

Andy Morris
Delmar, NY, USA

[tgall]

Hello,

i ve read the interview from Ernie Estrada with Hohan Soken. And now I m wondering about the kusarigama. Does anybody know from where he has learnd that kata?

Sincerly

Thomas Mayer-Gall

[Jock Armstrong]

I haven't seen the pic of Hohan Soken holding kama mentioned but I would imagine that it's pretty hard to conclude much from a still pic or pics. One tech where the user punches, using the blade point as the weapon requires the grip to be just below the blade. For swinging "penetrations" like an ice pick, the grip usually slides down the shaft to leave about 1/2 an inch to an inch of the handle protruding from the hand. Still, the manner in which Hohan Soken holds them may be particular to a style or his own way of doing it. Kusarigama from what I've seen [and my experience is by no means exhaustive] would seem to be a mainland Japanese thing, while "nichogama" seems to be an Okinawan development.

The dreaded two small coins....

[butane216]

in regards to choking up on the handle, I look at it in this manner


Comparitiviely speaking the filipino martial arts all hold their canes differently, and all for different reasons, but in knowing the white crane system in general, I'm only assuming the higher grip not only allows for more precise cutting, but also more of the punyo (or butt), as the filipino's call it, to be used for tuite


just my $.02

[tgall]

Hello,

I had mentioned the Kusarigama Kata before, does anybody now there name? Or is it just Kusarigama no Kata?

How many Kobudo Katas are teached in the System, and which Kama-Kata's are in there?

Sincerly

Thomas Mayer-Gall

[Duanew]

Something I am curious about is that every picture you see of Hohan Soken holding kama he chokes up on the handles holding them close to the blades. He does not grip them down close to kontei like everyone one I have seen teach kama. This includes Kenshinkan and Matsumura Kempo teachers. Anyone know the purpose of the short grip?

Thanks

In the videos I have seen of Soken (relying on my memory now) and what I have seen other master do the grip on the end is done to facilitate the flipping (open and close positions) which would be tough holding it in the middle.
I think that the opening and closing of the kama is a good practice in kata for coordination and grip strength but if I had to fight with it I would use the middle/high grip. Trying to coordinate that kind of movement in the middle of a fight looks like a good way to lose a kama if not something worse.

Duane Wolfe
Matsumura Kenpo

[Duanew]

I trained with Alan Griffin, Tony Sandovol, Morimasu Arakaki, Fuse Kise, and Tom O'Brien Senseis from the Soken Lineage. The Kobudo done in the Arakaki dojo seemed to be secondary to the Karate training at best. Kise Sensei seemed to have composed his own Kata and may have been influenced by Nakamura Sensei. I have not seen what I would call a pure Soken Kobudo Lineage.

My understanding is that Kuda Sensei created the first two bo kata from his family bo tradition and that Soken adopted them into his system. As for the others I don't have a clue (like so many other things).

Duane Wolfe
Matsumura Kenpo