Do you want to learn Okinawan Kobudo weapons? 🇯🇵 My online course teaches you BO (staff), SAI, TONFA, KAMA, NUNCHAKU, TEKKO, EIKU, TINBE & ROCHIN. 🥋 Link: www.kobudomastery.com 👍
...or maybe not. As an Asian it’s offensive more than funny, even though obviously it’s satire. I’m just done seeing white people use POC culture for gain and give no respect to the art or where it comes from. Thankfully, Jesse is one of the best westerners in regards to respect and knowledge. No anger or looking for trouble, but that intro brought up a currently ongoing issue.
Well, now this is quite interesting. I heard this story almost right from the beginning, and always believed it to be true. I even heard that the karate greeting "oss" (or "osu") meant "resist" and was supposed to be like a pledge to fight back and bring down the Japanese samurai regime. In any case, thanks, man. Really good video. And by they way, loved the cosplay.
1:13 I recognize that scream in the background, it's usually followed by "Snake? Snake?? Snaaaake!!!" 😂 Metal Gear Solid reference incase anyone wonders. 😁
@@singhmaster4 same, it's one of my favorite franchises in fact, although there are a few I haven't played yet (ones I have played are MGS, MGS 2: Sons of Liberty, MGS 3: Snake Eater, MGS 4: Guns of the Patriots, both MGS 5: Ground Zero and Phantom Pain). 😁
One of the interesting things i've noticed when comparing Okinawan kobudo, to Japanese kobudo, is the weapon distance. In my observation, if the Okinawans were practicing their arts, in order to fight samurai, they would've utilised weapons with a longer reach. Yet all of their weapons seem to be implemented much closer to the body in a defensive way. The bo is a good example of this as it was a weapon utilised by both the Japanese and Okinawans, albeit in different ways. Okinawan methods seem to favour holding the bo around the centre, deflecting and striking from either end. Japanese bo-jutsu, tends to slide the bo through the hands, moving from one end to the other enabling maximum reach. This allow the user to maintain distance from an opponent, particularly giving an advantage when facing a swordsman. There's a lot of romantasiation surrounding warrior history, but the reality was perhaps a lot more mundane. Okinawan fighting methods seem to be less about war and feudalism and more about everyday self defence, dealing with thugs and criminals. Japanese martial arts, seem to be about war and politics, at the base level was a low level samurai, whose skills can be employed in use as a professional soldier and on the top level, an aristocrat whose skills prevent assassination attempts.
Also, the Samurai class was quickly vanishing at the same time, with one of the reasons attributed was the introduction of modern weaponry from Europe. Politics was another reason for the decay of Samurai. It seems to me, that Karate and many, many other martial arts, came into being at a time when modern weaponry had taken over, therefore were not the art of the generals, police and fighting classes (as in war) of older times and conversely, never really were used against each other.
@@paulp1450 That's a highly likely assumption. It's worth noting that towards the end of the samurai, they weren't really warriors, more like politicians and were probably less concerned with fighting. That said, I doubt samurai were ever really bothered about people learning unarmed fighting arts. To them, weapon arts were their primary focus, with whichever form of jujutsu as an auxiliary, if practiced at all. The aristocrats however, seemed to practise and investigate unarmed techniques to a higher degree, probably due to, as I said before, them being more likely to need it in case of assassination attempts, but also because they perhaps had more time on their hands while living in their castles. Feudalism certainly breeds paranoia.
@@frankbrown4780 Feudalism ended in the 1800's. Japan was changing quickly politically, trade with the world. So this would have lined up with the fall of the Samurai class as well. I seem to recall that that swords were in fact banned in Japan, I suspect at around the same time. I did find it curious to do defense against the sword in Aikido - (which I only did for a short time anyways) - which I am very sure did not come from a real world, requirement - being younger than Karate even, but more a holdover of a romantic past.
@@paulp1450 I was talking more about how paranoia was rife during feudal times and how that influenced the development of jujutsu. Assassination was a worry of the ruling classes and so learning to defend against a sudden attack while unarmed, was likely very much on their minds. The sword bans, were more to do with peasants, gangsters and traders, not really the samurai. And it seems to be more about the katana, not the wakizashi and tanto. In fact, because wakizashi were permitted, a much greater number survived to this day, as more were manufactured and their quality varied. Aikido is really a modern art that was developed from several forms of classical jujutsu, the most influential being Daito ryu, which happens to be the art I study. The majority of defence against sword techniques, are actually performed against a wakizashi, or tanto and not a katana. The main reason being that when entering a building in a formal setting, the katana wasn't always carried, so those are the weapons you were more likely to face. However there are some techniques dealing with a katana strike,. One particular one is from the hanza handachi set, where an attacker is standing and you are kneeling. The problem is that when historical arts are watered down and not understood in their original context, they have a habit of devolving into something else. It's one of the reasons I make a distinction between "Traditional arts" and "Classical arts." One is done in a routine way, sometimes adding things, the other is done to preserve what was, in as close enough to the original context as possible. That's my way of viewing it anyway.
All in all you’re right, though I would say the whole myth is based off misunderstanding of history to were people started subbing in assumptions no thanks to instructors of questionable backgrounds or just being ignorant. Like the samurai part I can understand because in 1609 the Satsuma domain in Japan did invade the Ryukyu Kingdom, using the claim of not being supportive of the Korean invasions by Toyotomi as one of the reasons. Which lead to the Ryukyu Kingdom becoming weird middleman or go between for Japan & China. Especially considering the isolationism practiced by the then Tokugawa shogunate. But as you stated the upper classes would have been primarily the students of martial arts or Tode(ti de?) while in such a situation the lower classes such as the farmers would have defended themselves but they wouldn’t be able to compete with such forces. If you think about the forces in the Sengoku period were like this depending on the standing of each feudal lord & how developed their domain was for military capabilities. Now fast forward to 1879 Japan formally annexes the Kingdom . King Sho Tai was actually forced to abdicate & relocate to Tokyo, where he becomes apart of the peerage system, at the rank of what we in the West would call a Marquee/Marquis. Which makes sense because the royal family is a symbol to the citizens, so removing them from the nation helps secure control. Interesting enough the Chinese at the time objected to this annexation that one of their officials asked former President Ulysses Grant to mediate the situation when he was on his goodwill mission tour in the region. But like you said it’s a myth that Karate was developed against the samurai, when no it’s self defense for those who had the resources for the time consuming study of To de( karate) in a more civilian setting & for close quarters, especially close quarters. As cool as kicking a Samurai off a horse looks, they did use arrows & spears. Which would have lead to someone being Skewered. Thanks for another awesome video.
Thank you for researching martial arts history. 'The Way' is not just about technique, how hard you strike, how well we defend ourselves but how we got there and came to the forms and techniques that exist today.
1st : just love your historical opening ! 2nd : that explains so much... feels like the tale is the japanese version of the myth of shaolin temple burning and martial art spread in society afterward. Thanks Jesse !
Okinawa is a hodgepodge of cultures. It is to Japan what Sicily is to Italy. Like Sicilian society, Okinawan culture is mainly agrarian (historically). Uchinaa is Okinawa's name in Okinawan. Karate is really Sino-Japanese (large part Chinese roots) as opposed to being merely modern Japanese. A lot of the terminology in karate has Sino-Japanese origins. The Bo weapon, for example, has an alternate Sino-Japanese name Kun (Chinese Gun); one would see it in all the names of the various Bo kata i.e. Sakugawa No Kun.
Ive had similar thoughts about medieval times in europe. Only nobility had the time to practice sword fighting and such. Thats why these weak ass noblemen were such skilled swordsman. Everyone else was struggling just to survive. Aint nobody got time for that!
Not just swordsmen, but warriors in general since the sword was always a sidearm in almost all cultures with the possible exception of the ancient Romans. But even in the Roman legions the sword didn't come out until they threw a couple of pila first.
@@lakshen47 That may be but everyone forgets that before engaging with the gladius the Romans would generally throw their pila first. This, to me, means that the gladius was a secondary weapon to the pilum, granted a secondary weapon that was used on a regular basis but a secondary weapon regardless.
Noblemen were military, so they trained in martial arts. Who else would have enough resources to equip and train, for example, a knight. Farmers had to work like crazy when they sow and when they reaped. After, - they were mostly free
Depends slightly on the time and place. Often farmers could be potentially levied. They were expected to keep basic weapons and have a basic level of skill with them. Still a big difference when compared to full time professionals though.
Thank you once again for educating us on the history of karate through Okinawa! I have been on a personal journey of rediscovering and revision of history, since so much we've learned has been left out or misinterpret.
I often wondered where all this comes from. I had assumed that the 'grassroots' movement thing was an attempt to legitimize an art that started from the ground up but it seems it was the other way around. I knew about the Chinese influence and the troubles Gichin Funakoshi had getting his art accepted on the mainland and I assumed the stories were appealing to them for some reason. We do know the styles were altered to accommodate Japanese sensibilities, feeling it was too 'thuggish' but that brings up the question of why they didn't attribute them to the old ruling classes. Were they still out of favor? Puzzling. But please continue with the real histories! It is nice to actually know something and not be educated by folklore.
The knowledge you bring forward says a lot about your labours and endeavours as a martial arts practitioner, scholar, and perhaps historian. So much more than combat, but its journey, transitions, and variations over time. It generates a lot of appreciation. I'm sure it does for many others. Very best wishes. Ps. Loved the skits. I see you channelled Monty Python 'Holy Grail'. Outstanding.
More of this kind of videos please. I've always been disappointed by myths and stories whenever I asked anything about the history of this or that. Even a lot of books peddle absolute garbage. This is a breath of fresh air. Thanks.
It is an amazingly interesting video that debunked a myth that I believed in for so long! And it was accurately explained! Awesome work again, Jesse, thank you a lot!
You're surely a man of high culture. I really appreciate your videos and I love following you. Greetings from a Shotokai 2nd Dan black belt living in Italy.
I'm not a Karate person, but I love these videos. And the history is fascinating, especially the series in China. Brilliant. Great work Jesse and your 'team'.
Jesse, you're the greatest man! "I only kick like a horse, I don't ride them." hahahahaha. Very good stuff. I will definitely be sharing with my fellow Karate-ka
I read about the weapons were used as you told in this story and did not hear the story of the samurai vs karate but was also the story of the farmers learning karate though they wasn’t supposed to because it was only for royalty. Thanks for clearing the part of the weapons up on that story. Karate is still enjoyable to practice and teach as part of the self defense system and to vent frustrations of the day.
I was waiting for a video like this, great research work. Many martial arts have this kind of myth as history. Could you research about the infamous history of the crane and the serpent? So many different styles use the same bogus story! Thanks for sharing!
I don't put comments on all of your videos. In fact, this is my first (and probably would be the only one) comment after I have watched some videos on your channel. The point is I am fond of you and your inspiring channel. I love the way you tell us the things about Karate, especially the historical aspects. It is like I get really interesting lectures from a professor in Karate subject. Please maintain your excellent quality in your presentation and I will keep watching your videos. Thank you for expanding my horizons.
Once again. A great video. Great information. Was not aware of this. I knew Okinawa was the birth place of Karate. But was not aware of this history. Brilliant.
The myth of the jumping kicks to dismount riders came from korean Tae Kyon, the ancestor of Tae Kwon Do. In ancient Korea there were three kingdoms, and the weaker of these kingdoms was constantly being attacked by the other two. So they developed a martial art called tae kyon with a high degree of leg training in order to be able to kick off the enemy riders. This martial art was created to fight armoured enemies, and that ir why focuses a lot on kicking and almost nothing in punching, as tae kwon do does. In tae kyon almost all hand techniques seem to be open handed, what makes sense if we think they were designed to fight against armour.
That's interesting! I study TKD and come to think of it, there is really no practical use for a jumping flying side kick! Looks cool for movies, but I never considered the use for dismounting riders from their horses! It's nice to know more about the practical roots. Taekkyeon kicking styles are very long distant, circular and deceptive. Legend says the art was more for show among the aristocrats, but those kicks could really take you off guard!
Thank you! Indeed it makes no sense to think that full time farmers developed a complex fighting system based on extensive training and conditioning. Also most Kobudo weapons were indeed that, weapons, and not farming or household items. Bo, Sai, Tinbe and Rochin, Sansetsukon, etc. However, some other weapons were indeed farming and everyday tools which were re-purposed by Martial Arts Experts (not farmers) to be used as weapons, such as: Kama (sickle), Eku (oar) and Kuwa (hoe). But this I believe is a more recent development.
One thing to also learn about Asian history in general is really that Chinese culture was always hegemonic in the East Asian region and very much shaped the surrounding civilizations, including Japan. The idea of wanting to shun away foreign influence was really only a thing in Japan during the isolationist Sakoku period (at this point, Ryukyu was still a separate kingdom from Japan) and after that developed into the nationalistic militarism that later led to the Sino-Japanese war and WWII. This is to say that the narrative of the Okinawan farmer developing Karate and Kobudo purely from farm life was very much also politically convenient to the Japanese in the de-sinicization of the Ryukyu kingdom.
The historical reenactment has been both educational and entertaining! The invading samurai had learned to ride regular-size horses as opposed to tiny, skinny horses.🤓 The local elite had to defend themselves with what they had learned, as a class, and whatever tools they had around them.
Hi my brother is right in to his karate I was going on about the upload but he is so stuck in his way well we can't win them allover good luck to that guy 😂😂 thank you for the upload 👍.
I really enjoy the fisrt part, it was really funny, you guys are awsome ha ha ha. The second part was very ilustrative and show the use of the human reason to uncover the myths, you have a special way to honor karate in all its branches (sport, art, study, etc), in a simple form researching history and analyzing facts, context and culture. My respect and admiration four you and your hole family that support this proyect. Blessings for you all. Oss
i first thought it's the voice actor of snake from metal gear solid.. because he had snake's dying sounds in the video at some point tooo AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHGR! xd but idk maybe not
It was my understanding that before the Meiji restoration the Ryu Kyu Islands were conquered, and ruled by the Satsuma Clan of southern Kyushu, and that it was they who oppressed the Ryukyu islanders forcing them to produced cane sugar for export to mainland Japan. The Satsuma Clan had a monopoly on sugar which helped them become wealthy. Are you saying that before the Meiji era the nobles of Okinawa were allowed to continue their lifestyle under Satsuma rule? If there is any accurate historical information on the subject in English that you can recommend I would greatly appreciate it. The Meiji Imperial rule abolished the samurai, as well is all others castes, so had a big impact not just in Okinawa, but the whole of Japan.
I’m going to start a martial art based on modern farming equipment. Like tractors, chainsaws, and combines.
Haha I’m in! 😆
Chainsaw? Finally a weapon I’m more likely to injury myself with than nunchaku.
Agri-jutsu!!!
To late, Cuba did it in 60s and stop 2 invations of usa.
Tractors. Can´t be done with a John Deere!
Do you want to learn Okinawan Kobudo weapons? 🇯🇵 My online course teaches you BO (staff), SAI, TONFA, KAMA, NUNCHAKU, TEKKO, EIKU, TINBE & ROCHIN. 🥋 Link: www.kobudomastery.com 👍
Yes please
Yes it would be good and quite entertaining
Its interesting.
Dew it
Yes! Of course!🤪👌
Akira Kurosawa would be proud of such magnificent filmmaking
Nobody noticed the detaill of the pijamas?
That samurai couldn’t even afford coconuts. He never stood a chance, smh.
WHAHAHAHAHA 😂😂😂 good one 👌🥇
Perhaps there were no swallows around to bring them...?
@Skyttyl I think it depends on the speed velocity of these nonexistent swallows.
Not only you'll learn the history of karate, you'll also learn the history of Okinawa japan.
They are inseparable! 👍
I always tell people I practice Okinawan Karate.
Lol. You and Oliver should do more “historical” re-enactments :)
Well, I got a horse and a wig now... might as well use them! 😂
Jesse Enkamp yeah. You should do this as a full length movie.
@@XrayBluesman They did. It is named "Monty Python and the Holy Grail".
Very close to this... :-)
@@trommeltom175 That is what I thought!
...or maybe not. As an Asian it’s offensive more than funny, even though obviously it’s satire. I’m just done seeing white people use POC culture for gain and give no respect to the art or where it comes from. Thankfully, Jesse is one of the best westerners in regards to respect and knowledge. No anger or looking for trouble, but that intro brought up a currently ongoing issue.
By far one of your most creative and comical creations. You and Oliver have a future in Hollywood😂😂😂😂😂
Well, now this is quite interesting. I heard this story almost right from the beginning, and always believed it to be true. I even heard that the karate greeting "oss" (or "osu") meant "resist" and was supposed to be like a pledge to fight back and bring down the Japanese samurai regime. In any case, thanks, man. Really good video. And by they way, loved the cosplay.
So all that makiwara training isn't so I can punch through Samurai armour?
Well THAT's disappointing... 😏
You can if they let you get close enough. Which they won't. 😉
@@insalubriousdithyramb1742 Yeah a samurai from the 18th century era would probably shoot at you from a safe distance anyway
1:13 I recognize that scream in the background, it's usually followed by "Snake? Snake?? Snaaaake!!!" 😂
Metal Gear Solid reference incase anyone wonders. 😁
Ah, Man of culture
Ya I got kinda hyped when I heard it. Love metal gear
I love that game
@@singhmaster4 same, it's one of my favorite franchises in fact, although there are a few I haven't played yet (ones I have played are MGS, MGS 2: Sons of Liberty, MGS 3: Snake Eater, MGS 4: Guns of the Patriots, both MGS 5: Ground Zero and Phantom Pain). 😁
One of the interesting things i've noticed when comparing Okinawan kobudo, to Japanese kobudo, is the weapon distance. In my observation, if the Okinawans were practicing their arts, in order to fight samurai, they would've utilised weapons with a longer reach. Yet all of their weapons seem to be implemented much closer to the body in a defensive way.
The bo is a good example of this as it was a weapon utilised by both the Japanese and Okinawans, albeit in different ways. Okinawan methods seem to favour holding the bo around the centre, deflecting and striking from either end. Japanese bo-jutsu, tends to slide the bo through the hands, moving from one end to the other enabling maximum reach. This allow the user to maintain distance from an opponent, particularly giving an advantage when facing a swordsman.
There's a lot of romantasiation surrounding warrior history, but the reality was perhaps a lot more mundane. Okinawan fighting methods seem to be less about war and feudalism and more about everyday self defence, dealing with thugs and criminals.
Japanese martial arts, seem to be about war and politics, at the base level was a low level samurai, whose skills can be employed in use as a professional soldier and on the top level, an aristocrat whose skills prevent assassination attempts.
Correct! 👍
Also, the Samurai class was quickly vanishing at the same time, with one of the reasons attributed was the introduction of modern weaponry from Europe. Politics was another reason for the decay of Samurai.
It seems to me, that Karate and many, many other martial arts, came into being at a time when modern weaponry had taken over, therefore were not the art of the generals, police and fighting classes (as in war) of older times and conversely, never really were used against each other.
@@paulp1450 That's a highly likely assumption. It's worth noting that towards the end of the samurai, they weren't really warriors, more like politicians and were probably less concerned with fighting.
That said, I doubt samurai were ever really bothered about people learning unarmed fighting arts. To them, weapon arts were their primary focus, with whichever form of jujutsu as an auxiliary, if practiced at all. The aristocrats however, seemed to practise and investigate unarmed techniques to a higher degree, probably due to, as I said before, them being more likely to need it in case of assassination attempts, but also because they perhaps had more time on their hands while living in their castles. Feudalism certainly breeds paranoia.
@@frankbrown4780 Feudalism ended in the 1800's. Japan was changing quickly politically, trade with the world. So this would have lined up with the fall of the Samurai class as well. I seem to recall that that swords were in fact banned in Japan, I suspect at around the same time.
I did find it curious to do defense against the sword in Aikido - (which I only did for a short time anyways) - which I am very sure did not come from a real world, requirement - being younger than Karate even, but more a holdover of a romantic past.
@@paulp1450 I was talking more about how paranoia was rife during feudal times and how that influenced the development of jujutsu. Assassination was a worry of the ruling classes and so learning to defend against a sudden attack while unarmed, was likely very much on their minds.
The sword bans, were more to do with peasants, gangsters and traders, not really the samurai. And it seems to be more about the katana, not the wakizashi and tanto. In fact, because wakizashi were permitted, a much greater number survived to this day, as more were manufactured and their quality varied.
Aikido is really a modern art that was developed from several forms of classical jujutsu, the most influential being Daito ryu, which happens to be the art I study.
The majority of defence against sword techniques, are actually performed against a wakizashi, or tanto and not a katana. The main reason being that when entering a building in a formal setting, the katana wasn't always carried, so those are the weapons you were more likely to face.
However there are some techniques dealing with a katana strike,. One particular one is from the hanza handachi set, where an attacker is standing and you are kneeling.
The problem is that when historical arts are watered down and not understood in their original context, they have a habit of devolving into something else. It's one of the reasons I make a distinction between "Traditional arts" and "Classical arts." One is done in a routine way, sometimes adding things, the other is done to preserve what was, in as close enough to the original context as possible. That's my way of viewing it anyway.
Yes young man,you should debunk more myths, sharing your knowledges about martial arts and its history are hugely welcomed...Thanks
This is so cool and so cringe in the same time
I like it
I agree! 😂😂😂
All in all you’re right, though I would say the whole myth is based off misunderstanding of history to were people started subbing in assumptions no thanks to instructors of questionable backgrounds or just being ignorant.
Like the samurai part I can understand because in 1609 the Satsuma domain in Japan did invade the Ryukyu Kingdom, using the claim of not being supportive of the Korean invasions by Toyotomi as one of the reasons. Which lead to the Ryukyu Kingdom becoming weird middleman or go between for Japan & China. Especially considering the isolationism practiced by the then Tokugawa shogunate. But as you stated the upper classes would have been primarily the students of martial arts or Tode(ti de?) while in such a situation the lower classes such as the farmers would have defended themselves but they wouldn’t be able to compete with such forces. If you think about the forces in the Sengoku period were like this depending on the standing of each feudal lord & how developed their domain was for military capabilities.
Now fast forward to 1879 Japan formally annexes the Kingdom . King Sho Tai was actually forced to abdicate & relocate to Tokyo, where he becomes apart of the peerage system, at the rank of what we in the West would call a Marquee/Marquis. Which makes sense because the royal family is a symbol to the citizens, so removing them from the nation helps secure control.
Interesting enough the Chinese at the time objected to this annexation that one of their officials asked former President Ulysses Grant to mediate the situation when he was on his goodwill mission tour in the region.
But like you said it’s a myth that Karate was developed against the samurai, when no it’s self defense for those who had the resources for the time consuming study of To de( karate) in a more civilian setting & for close quarters, especially close quarters.
As cool as kicking a Samurai off a horse looks, they did use arrows & spears. Which would have lead to someone being Skewered.
Thanks for another awesome video.
Thank you for researching martial arts history. 'The Way' is not just about technique, how hard you strike, how well we defend ourselves but how we got there and came to the forms and techniques that exist today.
1st : just love your historical opening !
2nd : that explains so much... feels like the tale is the japanese version of the myth of shaolin temple burning and martial art spread in society afterward.
Thanks Jesse !
Okinawa is a hodgepodge of cultures. It is to Japan what Sicily is to Italy. Like Sicilian society, Okinawan culture is mainly agrarian (historically). Uchinaa is Okinawa's name in Okinawan. Karate is really Sino-Japanese (large part Chinese roots) as opposed to being merely modern Japanese.
A lot of the terminology in karate has Sino-Japanese origins. The Bo weapon, for example, has an alternate Sino-Japanese name Kun (Chinese Gun); one would see it in all the names of the various Bo kata i.e. Sakugawa No Kun.
Well, all societies were mainly agrarian
Ive had similar thoughts about medieval times in europe. Only nobility had the time to practice sword fighting and such. Thats why these weak ass noblemen were such skilled swordsman. Everyone else was struggling just to survive. Aint nobody got time for that!
Right? 🤪
Not just swordsmen, but warriors in general since the sword was always a sidearm in almost all cultures with the possible exception of the ancient Romans. But even in the Roman legions the sword didn't come out until they threw a couple of pila first.
@@lakshen47 That may be but everyone forgets that before engaging with the gladius the Romans would generally throw their pila first. This, to me, means that the gladius was a secondary weapon to the pilum, granted a secondary weapon that was used on a regular basis but a secondary weapon regardless.
Noblemen were military, so they trained in martial arts. Who else would have enough resources to equip and train, for example, a knight.
Farmers had to work like crazy when they sow and when they reaped. After, - they were mostly free
Depends slightly on the time and place. Often farmers could be potentially levied. They were expected to keep basic weapons and have a basic level of skill with them.
Still a big difference when compared to full time professionals though.
Thank you once again for educating us on the history of karate through Okinawa! I have been on a personal journey of rediscovering and revision of history, since so much we've learned has been left out or misinterpret.
As is usual with history, As the saying goes 'History is written by the victor' so it will have the victor's bias.
I often wondered where all this comes from. I had assumed that the 'grassroots' movement thing was an attempt to legitimize an art that started from the ground up but it seems it was the other way around. I knew about the Chinese influence and the troubles Gichin Funakoshi had getting his art accepted on the mainland and I assumed the stories were appealing to them for some reason. We do know the styles were altered to accommodate Japanese sensibilities, feeling it was too 'thuggish' but that brings up the question of why they didn't attribute them to the old ruling classes. Were they still out of favor? Puzzling. But please continue with the real histories! It is nice to actually know something and not be educated by folklore.
The knowledge you bring forward says a lot about your labours and endeavours as a martial arts practitioner, scholar, and perhaps historian. So much more than combat, but its journey, transitions, and variations over time. It generates a lot of appreciation. I'm sure it does for many others. Very best wishes.
Ps. Loved the skits. I see you channelled Monty Python 'Holy Grail'. Outstanding.
More of this kind of videos please. I've always been disappointed by myths and stories whenever I asked anything about the history of this or that. Even a lot of books peddle absolute garbage. This is a breath of fresh air. Thanks.
Thank you Jessie. I've been practicing Matsubayashi Ryu for almost 40years and have read and heard this story about the farmers and martial arts.
It is an amazingly interesting video that debunked a myth that I believed in for so long! And it was accurately explained! Awesome work again, Jesse, thank you a lot!
You're surely a man of high culture. I really appreciate your videos and I love following you. Greetings from a Shotokai 2nd Dan black belt living in Italy.
Thank you for the valuable history lesson. The re-enactments were the best part!
I am crying. You break my heart because I loved this history. Now I have to study the roots of karate, jajajaja.
Jesse, you are the best 👏👏👏👏👏
I'm not a Karate person, but I love these videos. And the history is fascinating, especially the series in China. Brilliant. Great work Jesse and your 'team'.
Domo arigato!! 🙏
Jesse, you're the greatest man! "I only kick like a horse, I don't ride them." hahahahaha. Very good stuff. I will definitely be sharing with my fellow Karate-ka
Your clips are very educational for all disciplines. Thank you for posting
A most helpful and righteous correction. Much respect.
When the samurai lifted his horse it looks like he's brandishing his junk and say "mine is this big"
Haha nice one Bro.
I read about the weapons were used as you told in this story and did not hear the story of the samurai vs karate but was also the story of the farmers learning karate though they wasn’t supposed to because it was only for royalty. Thanks for clearing the part of the weapons up on that story. Karate is still enjoyable to practice and teach as part of the self defense system and to vent frustrations of the day.
I was waiting for a video like this, great research work. Many martial arts have this kind of myth as history. Could you research about the infamous history of the crane and the serpent? So many different styles use the same bogus story! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much for being honest and sharing this information.
Them Right🙏🏾
And the video is awesome...👍🏾
"The peacefull Farmer Vs the angry Samouraï..."
Great video as always, absolutely love it.
Thank you!
Great Video! I especially appreciate the vintage historical footage of an Okinawan peasant karate master whooping an arrogant, fully armed samurai!
This channel is a gem!!! Thank you for you hard work.
I am loving your content, and enjoying the History. Have alkways enjoyed studying the history of Karate
Awesome! I definitely will be sharing this one.
Probably 30yrs on and off in Korean, Okinawan, and Japanese martial arts and I didn't know this. Thank you! Well done!
You’re awesome, Jesse. Thank you for spreading this knowledge and for researching it so thoroughly!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Your energy is boundless! Thank you for your efforts to bring light to history and educate those who are desirous of knowledge .
I don't put comments on all of your videos. In fact, this is my first (and probably would be the only one) comment after I have watched some videos on your channel. The point is I am fond of you and your inspiring channel. I love the way you tell us the things about Karate, especially the historical aspects. It is like I get really interesting lectures from a professor in Karate subject. Please maintain your excellent quality in your presentation and I will keep watching your videos. Thank you for expanding my horizons.
Thanks Hans!
Oh my, love this video. Thank you for sharing!!!
Thank you for clearing up a lot of myths, some of which I had believed up until I saw this video.
Just doing what I love! 😄
Once again. A great video. Great information. Was not aware of this. I knew Okinawa was the birth place of Karate. But was not aware of this history. Brilliant.
The myth of the jumping kicks to dismount riders came from korean Tae Kyon, the ancestor of Tae Kwon Do. In ancient Korea there were three kingdoms, and the weaker of these kingdoms was constantly being attacked by the other two. So they developed a martial art called tae kyon with a high degree of leg training in order to be able to kick off the enemy riders. This martial art was created to fight armoured enemies, and that ir why focuses a lot on kicking and almost nothing in punching, as tae kwon do does. In tae kyon almost all hand techniques seem to be open handed, what makes sense if we think they were designed to fight against armour.
That's interesting! I study TKD and come to think of it, there is really no practical use for a jumping flying side kick! Looks cool for movies, but I never considered the use for dismounting riders from their horses! It's nice to know more about the practical roots. Taekkyeon kicking styles are very long distant, circular and deceptive. Legend says the art was more for show among the aristocrats, but those kicks could really take you off guard!
@@alanmodimages still a myth. Much more practical to poke them down with a pole.
Thank you! Indeed it makes no sense to think that full time farmers developed a complex fighting system based on extensive training and conditioning. Also most Kobudo weapons were indeed that, weapons, and not farming or household items. Bo, Sai, Tinbe and Rochin, Sansetsukon, etc. However, some other weapons were indeed farming and everyday tools which were re-purposed by Martial Arts Experts (not farmers) to be used as weapons, such as: Kama (sickle), Eku (oar) and Kuwa (hoe). But this I believe is a more recent development.
Yes! However, I found these ”Okinawan” weapons in China as well 😉
I absolutely love this video! Thank you Karate Nerd!!
Dear Sensei Jesse: Thank you so much for clarifying this misconception about Okinawa Karatre. I did not knew about this historical fact. Thank you.
Enlightening and informative.
Awesome vídeo! More vídeos like that, explaining myths
the Snake death shout got me 😂😂
This was excellent video. Entertaining and educational
Fantastic historic context! Thank you!
Love ur videos Thanks for giving the real history of karate It is truley informative
Great. I hope You will make more videos about history and culture surrounding karate origins. Thank you for your work.
JAJA that fight scene was just great! Love your videos! :)
Maybe a trailer for the most bad ass samurai movie in history 🤔😆
Haha right? 😉
Seven Samurai was better
Had a Monty Python vibe going.
Awesome! Well told, young Sensei!! Keep it up!!
Always love your videos. Educational and extremely entertaining. Great combination and balance.
Osu,
Your friend from 🇺🇸,
Ryan
That final collaboration hahaha great!!
It is always refreshing to learn more accurate accounts of history. Thank you for sharing.
My absolute pleasure!
Another great informative video. Thank you sensei. OSU!
Always love watching your videos jesse I enjoy hearing the origins of different styles or weapons
You are 100% right. Great video, and fun too.
I love learning about new cultures especially stuff like this!
4:00 I thought you were taking out a lizard from your pocket😂 I’m still having goosebumps from imagining that
Thanks Jessie san informative as usual
I'm 62 and you have opened my eyes thanks I've always believed those stories and now I have been enlighten
0:17 Damn that horse looks tough 💪💪 where did you get that from sensei 😂
A horse that can be a wielded as a melee weapon. Done well enough it might survive a fight vs a sword.
Another great history lesson. Love it....
Great video !!!! Definetly needed!
Thanks!
You guys should start doing some martial arts films. Very nice historical overview. Enjoyed it very much.
A treasure trove of information. Thanks, Master, 🙇♂️
I love this channel so much keep the good content up
Truth is stranger than fiction but its not nearly as glamorous. Great Video!!
One thing to also learn about Asian history in general is really that Chinese culture was always hegemonic in the East Asian region and very much shaped the surrounding civilizations, including Japan. The idea of wanting to shun away foreign influence was really only a thing in Japan during the isolationist Sakoku period (at this point, Ryukyu was still a separate kingdom from Japan) and after that developed into the nationalistic militarism that later led to the Sino-Japanese war and WWII. This is to say that the narrative of the Okinawan farmer developing Karate and Kobudo purely from farm life was very much also politically convenient to the Japanese in the de-sinicization of the Ryukyu kingdom.
great video, thanks a lot for this piece of info.
Well this video educated me. I too had heard the "Nunchaku was a farming tool" myth. Thanks and entertaining as always
This just destroyed years of martial arts lore I had always heard repeated lol. Great video!
Thanks for the history lesson.
I always believed the stories about Okinawan formers. Thanks for enlightening me.
Jesse, Amazing Production !
The intro is one of the best things, that I've seen in my life
The historical reenactment has been both educational and entertaining! The invading samurai had learned to ride regular-size horses as opposed to tiny, skinny horses.🤓 The local elite had to defend themselves with what they had learned, as a class, and whatever tools they had around them.
Hi my brother is right in to his karate I was going on about the upload but he is so stuck in his way well we can't win them allover good luck to that guy 😂😂 thank you for the upload 👍.
Excellent video. Thanks.👊
Thank you for sharing and imparting knowledge Sensei, much respect! OSU!
That was great infotainment! Keep up the good work, your UA-cam vids are always a good watch.
I will, thanks for chiming in 😁
Thank you Jesse for another great video 👌🏿
Mr. Miyagi, Karate Kid Part II: "Tell uncle I am farmer, not fighter." 😂
I really enjoy the fisrt part, it was really funny, you guys are awsome ha ha ha. The second part was very ilustrative and show the use of the human reason to uncover the myths, you have a special way to honor karate in all its branches (sport, art, study, etc), in a simple form researching history and analyzing facts, context and culture. My respect and admiration four you and your hole family that support this proyect. Blessings for you all. Oss
Thanks for your kinds words! Just doing what I love :)
Wait! 😂 Is this smooth and deep voice of the narrator actually Ramsey Dewey's? 😄 It fits so perfectly to this already perfect scene. 😄
Haha unfortunately not 😂 He would probably have been cheaper
It sounded like Peter Cullen (aka Optimus Prime).
i first thought it's the voice actor of snake from metal gear solid.. because he had snake's dying sounds in the video at some point tooo AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHGR! xd but idk maybe not
Gracias me ayuda mucho que enseñes la historia del karate....thanks ,your lessons of karate history are very helpful 😀
It was my understanding that before the Meiji restoration the Ryu Kyu Islands were conquered, and ruled by the Satsuma Clan of southern Kyushu, and that it was they who oppressed the Ryukyu islanders forcing them to produced cane sugar for export to mainland Japan. The Satsuma Clan had a monopoly on sugar which helped them become wealthy. Are you saying that before the Meiji era the nobles of Okinawa were allowed to continue their lifestyle under Satsuma rule? If there is any accurate historical information on the subject in English that you can recommend I would greatly appreciate it. The Meiji Imperial rule abolished the samurai, as well is all others castes, so had a big impact not just in Okinawa, but the whole of Japan.
Jesse sure sounds like Solid Snake at 1:12
Interesting infos and facts. Thank You
That narration was like a nature documentary narration. Cool video