Tokumine no Bo is a kata with an interesting history. Invented by by the bojutsu master Tokumine Pechin as a composite of his teaching and favourite techniques, it is commonly taught in schools that trace a lineage to Chotoku Kyan (1870-1945).

Tokumine Pechin is a colourful identity in the history of Okinawan budo. Highly regarded as an outstanding bujin, Tokumine was an official in the Okinawan government. However, he also had a more unruly side, and is said to have gotten into a fight with over 20 police officers after a night of drinking. Legend has it that Tokumine bested most of the officers with his Bo, but was ultimately captured and banished to the island of Yaeyama.

In around 1910, Chotoku Kyan determined that he would like to adopt the teachings of Tokumine as his system of bojutsu, and thus travelled to Yaeyama and learnt the kata Tokumine no Bo (aka Tokumine no Kun). It is at this point where the story varies a little. Some say that Kyan learnt the kata directly from Tokumine, while others state that Tokumine was already dead when Kyan arrived at Yaeyama. In the latter version, Kyan is said to have learnt the kata from Tokumine’s landlord, to whom Tokumine had passed on the kata.

However it transpired, two things are important. Firstly, that this kata was kept alive and then given life by Chotoku Kyan, making it representative of both Kyan and Tokumine. Secondly, the fact that another great bujin like Chotoku Kyan saw strength and validity in Tokumine’s bojutsu, and decided to adopt that as his own brand.

It does not appear that Kaiso Kori Hisataka ever emphasised this kata in Shorinjiryu. The reasons for this are unclear, but perhaps it is because he learnt his bojutsu from his family system (Shishiryu) and also that of Ufuchiku Sanda Kanagusuku. Kaiso Hisataka may never have learnt this form, or simply chose to emphasise the others.

However, many Shorinjiryu practitioners in recent times have been looking for additional bo kata to practice, above and beyond the single Shishiryu no Bo. To this end, Hanshi Masayuki Kukan Hisataka has created the Gorin no Bo, whilst others have adopted or created other kata. In my own mind, I felt that an additional kata should have validity as far as the styles main lineage, so I decided to learn the form favoured by Kyan, the main teacher of Kaiso Kori Hisataka.

The Tokumine no Bo form I practice is derived from that of the Isshin Ryu lineage of Master Tatsuo Shimabukuro, and the Shorinryu Rengokan of Master Eizo Shimabukuro, both students of Master Chotoku Kyan.

Tokumine no Bo is a good all round form, that is of an intermediate level, and thus sits nicely between Gorin no Bo and Shishiryu no Bo in terms of complexity and movement. Unlike the representative kata of Shishiryu, there are a number of reverse strikes, a technique not found in other Shorinjiryu bo forms.