dimanche 18 juin 2017

TENSHO DAI


Tensho Dai, a tonfa kata, was created by Master Yuki Koda (1944- 1997) the late head of US Yoshukai Karate.

Tonfa were originally handles used to turn the top stone of a traditional Okinawan rice grinder.



Okinawan kobudo weapons Tonfa were originally handles to stone rice grinders
Okinawan Rice grinder with its Tonfa wooden handle


Here the kata is demonstrated by Shihan Mike Lilley at the World Yoshukai Karate &  Kobudo organization summer camp in Eufaula, Alabama, USA on June 17, 2017.





 Enjoy and practice...


mardi 6 juin 2017

Witty !


I had been looking for a while for Tsubadome, the rubbery ring that prevents a Tsuba from sliding off the Bokken. 


rubber tsubadome used to prevent the tsuba to slide off the bokken.
2 tsuba dome

You can easily purchase a set of Tsuba and Tsubadome, at a price of about $4.50, but I had no intention to buy all these tsuba when what I really needed is a bunch of Tsubadome.


Tsubadome holding the tsuba on a bokken.


DIY department stores – where I spend several hours every week -  carry a wide assortment of vinyl and rubber hoses and I thought I probably could find a hose that would slide over a Bokken blade and do the work at a fraction of the cost.

braided vinyl hose to make tsubadome
Braided vinyl hose


So one evening of May, on my way home from the dojo I decided to stop by Lowes. I took the tsuba off my bokken so it would look more like a stick than a sword. You never know...


Hickory bokken used for Kenjutsu Japanese Swordsmandhip practice
Amazing Hickory Bokken from Hickory Arms


I got in the plumbing department and having found a salesman asked him if he could cut a piece of 1” ID hose to see if it would slide on my stick.

The guy looks at me and says :
“Oh, a wooden katana !”
So much for being incognito...

As the hose was too small I asked him to cut  a piece of the 1 1/4” ID hose. 


clear vinyl hose to make tsubadome
1 1/4" OD clear vinyl hose

That one was slightly too big.

  • So I ask : “ Would you by any chance carry 1 1/8” ID ? ”
  • “No Man, I’m sorry, but... Huh... I know what your problem is !”
  • “Really, and what is it ?”
  • “You’ve got a metric katana !”




Et oui....