About

What is Ryukyu kobudo? Ryukyu refers to the old Ryukyu Kingdom, a string of islands, once a separate nation from Japan, that was the birthplace of what would later be called karate. Okinawa is the largest island in the Ryukyu Islands, which are now a prefecture of Japan. Kobudo literally means ancient or traditional martial ways, so Ryukyu kobudo refers to the ancient fighting arts indigenous to the Ryukyu Islands. While karate became very popular in the modern era, the weapons training that was once considered an integral part of martial arts in Okinawa was often neglected or forgotten altogether. Ryukyu kobudo preserves these fighting traditions. Weapons taught are bo (staff), sai (iron club with guard), tekko (metal knuckles), nunchaku (flail), tonfa (club with perpendicular handle), timbei/rochin (shield and short spear), kama (sickle), ekku (boat oar), and suruchin (weighted rope or chain).

Our system of Ryukyu kobudo involves not only weapons training, but ancient karate methods that have been largely lost, as well. These skills are preserved in what is called Ti, which is a precursor to modern karate that literally means "hand" in Okinawan. Ti teaches gamanku (generating power using the hips and legs), tenshin (movement in all directions without stepping), and theories of combat that make Okinawan martial arts unique. 

The Ryukyu Kobudo Hozon Shinko Kai can be translated as the Society for the Preservation and Promotion of the Traditional Fighting Ways of the Ryukyu Islands. It was founded by Taira Shinken, originally under a different name, around 1945. The Beikoku So Honbu (American Sole Headquarters) was started in 1977 under Taira Shinken's successor Akamine Eisuke, who appointed Devorah Yoshiko Dometrich as its president.  Before her passing in 2024, she appointed Steve Kabboord as prresident to carry on our legacy. The honbu dojo is located in Satellite Beach, Florida, with member dojos across the U.S. and Canada. The Indianapolis Dokokai is a local club lead by Ken Jack, a former student of Sensei Dometrich, who now reports directly to Sensei Kabboord.. 

Just as our founder Taira Shinken spread Ryukyu kobudo among many different styles and masters of karate, we continue to work with a wide variety of organizations in order to preserve these fighting methods. Members of our society train in many different styles of karate and tae kwon do. Martial arts schools that wish to expand the courses they offer join the RKHS in order to develop a program of authentic traditional Okinawan weapons training.