Kuwa
鍬 · kuwa
Literally: hoe
Okinawan weapon derived from the hoe; on Okinawa today it is trained only in Matayoshi kobudo, kata Kuwa nu ti.
Quick Facts
JapanAbout the weapon
The kuwa (鍬) is an Okinawan weapon derived from the farming tool of the same name, a hoe with a blade resembling an adze. Farmers worked their fields with it, and according to the Bushikan dojo, which teaches Matayoshi kobudo, fighting with it (kuwa-jutsu) developed in the same way as fighting with the kama: from a tool whose edge and handle served both defence and attack. According to the same source, kuwa-jutsu was further developed by martial artists under the influence of Chinese martial arts. On Okinawa it is practised today exclusively by the Matayoshi kobudo school; outside Okinawa, according to Bushikan, there are people in Fuzhou and Shanghai who can still use it. Bushikan regards kicking up mud from the ground at an attacker as a move unique to the kuwa. In Matayoshi kobudo the kata Kuwa nu ti is practised with the kuwa. The Japanese Classical Martial Arts Association (Nihon Kobudo Kyokai) also lists the hoe among the weapons of the Kingai-ryu karate Okinawa kobujutsu style, whose line runs through Matayoshi Shinko and Matayoshi Shinpo. We have not been able to find the dimensions or weight of the fighting kuwa in reliable sources.