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Matayoshi Kobudo Okinawan Kobudo (ancient weapon arts) is the study of so called "karate weapons". This system of Kobudo has been handed down from the late Sensei Shinpo Matayoshi who was considered the highest authority of Okinawan weapons in the world. The Okinawan people developed a sysem of self defense using farm and fishing implements. This rare practice has developed into the beautiful art form known as Kobudo. One of the most important aspects of these arts is that their history shows them to be developed for the protection of and livelihood by a people who do not usually carry weapons. Practitoners of Okinawa’s empty hand methods developed their bodies as weapons. They also used things from their environment such as farming and fishing implements, tools, stones, trees, and plants. The use of these improvised weapons is connected to martial techniques transmitted from far back as the Stone Age. Many of these weapons are still in existence in today’s kobudo and kobujutsu. The Matayoshi Kobudo system was formed by the work of Matayoshi Shinko Sensei and his son, Matayoshi Shinpo Sensei. Their system inluenced many other Kobudo schools which are practiced today. The Matayoshi Logo and Gi The Matayoshi Kobudo patch is very distinctive, characterized by the gold color. The logo is based on the flower of Kiku or chrysanthemum, which represents the Japanese Imperial Crest. Matayoshi Sensei is the only Okinawan martial artist honored by the Emperor of Japan to use the Imperial Flower as a symbol of his organization. The inside of the logo contains the symbol Mitsu Domoe that represents the Imperial Okinawan Sho dynasty crest. With this, the Matayoshi Kobudo logo represents the blend of the Japanese and Okinawan cultures.
 The gi worn for Kobudo training at the Matayoshi Kobudo Kodokan USA is the characteristic kuro-shiro gi or black jacket with white pants. This combination of black & white gi is the official uniform worn at Honbu Dojo in Okinawa, the Kodokan. It represents the balance in nature illustrated in the eastern cultures as the Ying and Yang; the opposed forces in life.
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