Okinawan kobudo:

Kobudo Weapons

Kobudo (Also known as Ryukyu Kobujutsu, Koryu, or just as Kobudo) is a Japanese term that can be translated as "old martial way of Okinawa". It generally refers to the classical weapon traditions of Okinawan martial arts, most notably the rokushakubo (six foot staff, known as the "bo"), sai (short unsharpened dagger), tonfa (handled club), kama (sickle), and nunchaku (nunchucks),   History: It is a popular story and common belief that Okinawan farming tools evolved into weapons due to restrictions placed upon the peasants that meant they could not carry arms. As a result, it is said, they were defenseless and developed a fighting system around their traditional farming implements. However, modern martial arts scholars have been unable to find historical backing for this story, and the evidence uncovered by various martial historians points to the Pechin Warrior caste in Okinawa as being those who practiced and studied martial arts, rather than the Heimin, or commoner. It is true that Okinawans, under the rule of foreign powers, were prohibited from carrying weapons or practicing with them in public. But the weapons-based fighting that they secretly practiced (and the types of weapons they practiced with) had strong Chinese roots, and examples of similar weapons have been found in China, pre-dating the Okinawa adaptations.   Kobudo and Karate: Kobudo arts are thought by some to be the forerunner of karate, and several styles of that art include some degree of kobudō training as part of their curriculum. Similarly, it is not uncommon to see an occasional kick or other empty-hand technique in a kobudō kata. The techniques of the two arts are closely related in some styles, evidenced by the empty-hand and weapon variants of certain kata: for example, Kanku-dai and Kanku-sai, and Gojushiho and Gojushiho-no-sai, although these are examples of Kobudo Kata which have been developed from Karate Kata and are not traditional Kobudo forms. Other more authentic kobudo kata demonstrate elements of empty hand techniques as is shown in older forms such as Soeishi No Dai, a Bo form which is one of the few authentic Kobudo kata to make use of a kick as the penultimate technique. Kobudo and Kobujutsu are older and have undergone less "modern development" than Karate and still retain much more of the original elements, reflections of which can be seen in more modern karate kata. The connection between empty hand and weapon methods can be directly related in systems such as that formulated in order to preserve both arts such as Inoue/Taira's Ryūkyu Kobujutsu Hozon Shinko Kai and Motokatsu Inoue's Yuishinkai Karate Jutsu. M.Inoue draws direct comparisons between the use of certain weapons and various elements of empty hand technique such as sai mirroring haito/shuto waza, tonfa reflecting that of urkaken and hijiate, and kama of kurite and kakete, as examples. The footwork in both methods is interchangeable  

"The pre war shotokan dojo did contain kobudo weapons at one time, and certainly, we have seen pictures of Gichin Funakoshi doing Bo, sai and tonfa kata during that period. In post war Japan, however, the army of occupation banned all martial arts. In order to re-open karate classes, Masatoshi Nakayama told the authorities that karate was a harmless form of Chinese boxing, like tai chi chuan on steroids. The authorities demanded to know if karate students used swords or other banned weapons. Nakayama apparently assured them that shotokan students never play with weapons. From that moment on, shotokan students did not touch weapons. This is a unique example of the official story becoming transformed into official policy. Shinken Taira was one of Funakoshi's early students at the shotokan, long before the war. Taira studied for seven intense years (1922 to 1929) under Funakoshi's direct supervision. Apparently, Funakoshi's kobudo kata intrigued Taira, because he subsequently devoted his life to collecting and codifying the disappearing knowledge of Okinawan kobudo. Taira became known as "the father of modern kobudo". Without his effort, many rare forms might easily have died out. Taira was one of the teachers of Fumio Demura, the well-known shito-ryu and kobudo master. It is only an accident of history that removed kobudo from shotokan. A strong case could be made that traditional shotokan is incomplete without it."

(Book) Shotokan's Secret By Bruce D.Clayton, Ph.D.

New England Shotokan Karate-do teaches kobudo but not so much in a traditional way. Each weapon does have a traditional kata but transformed in the shotokan way. The main reason we teach weapons is to improve coordination (body and mind) and kime (focus)