Читать книгу Saijutsu - Katsumi Murakami - Страница 7

Saijutsu, the art of the sai, is one of the martial arts that make up Ryukyu Kobudo. Ryukyu Kobudo is the collective term for the ancient martial arts of Okinawa that make use of old-style weapons. The roots and time of origin of saijutsu are about the same as those of karatedo and the other martial arts among Ryukyu Kobudo, including bojutsu (the art of the staff), tonfajutsu (the art of utilizing the wooden handles of a rice-grinding tool), nichogamajutsu (the art of using two farming sickles), and so forth.

In brief, the civil measures of Okinawan King Sho Hashi, and later the policies of the Satsuma rulers included a hasty confiscation of swords and spears and other weapons. These actions caused Okinawan people to earnestly study and train in the various martial arts left to them.

Past and present, great masters of saijutsu included Bushi Matsumura, Tsuken Shitahaku, Hama Higa, Chatan Yara, Tawada, lshikawa-Guwa no Kekere-Ou, and Kaneko Ufuchiku, among others.

Saijutsu uses a weapon similar to the jitte used by the torigata of the Japanese mainland. The torigata were the equivalent of today’s police. In Ryukyu, however, it seems that the torigata used the sai. The jitte had a fork on one side and could be used to deal with a sword or staff by stopping it with a scissoring action of the fork. The sai was different in that each had two forks. Saijutsu uses a pair of sai which are handled with both hands. They can be handled with perfect freedom for both offense and defense.

At the present time, Ryukyu kobudo principally revolves around bojutsu (the art of the staff) and saijutsu. While karatedo is a martial art that uses the empty hands to defend against an enemy, the martial arts of Ryukyu kobudo defend against an enemy by using weapons. Among the core of martial artists from the Ryukyu islands, from early historical times, these two martial arts (karate and kobudo) have been prominent. Therefore, karate and kobudo are like two wheels of a cart. They are sister martial arts.

Recently, Ryukyu kobudo has experienced a revival under the students of Yabiku Moden Sensei. One of those followers, Taira Shinken Sensei, passed on the heart of Yabiku’s teachings to a figure who was to become the successor after Taira Sensei’s death. The figure who was to inherit this path through his diligent study and devotion was Inoue Motokatsu Sensei.

The early developers and later masters preserved various kata, or practice forms. These kata were designed to cultivate mastery through repetitive practice and training.