The
practice of kata are very important in the Matayoshi Kobudo system.
Kata, as in any important traditional martial art, represent the core
and heart of the school. In the system of Matayoshi Kobudo, kata also
pay tribute to the long and hard work that Matayoshi Shinko Sensei
spent traveling to learn the diffrent weapons arts that are part of
the ryuha nowadays. It was in Okinawa, Hokkaido, and China that Matayoshi
Shinko Sensei received the majority of his exposure and training in
various weapons arts that he used to formulate his school. First Matayoshi
Sensei learned Bo-jutsu, Sai-jutsu, Kama-jutsu, and Ueku-jutsu in
Gushikawa Village in Okinawa. Later, also in Okinawa, in Chatan Town,
he learned the arts of Tunkua-jutsu and Nunchaku-jutsu. In Manchuria
he gained exposure in the arts of Ba-jutsu (bow and arrow while riding
a horse), Shuriken-jutsu, and Nagenawa-jutsu (rope throwing). In Shanghai
he learned the arts of Nunti-jutsu, Timbe-jutsu, and Suruchin-jutsu.
Down below, the official kata taught at the Matayoshi
Kobudo Kodokan International are listed in order for the first four
weapons as they are being taught also in Okinawa at the present.