Shuji Sogo-Kumite

周氏   綜合組手

Shuji Sogo-Kumite (or 周氏 綜合組手 in Japanese) consists of five comprehensive fighting sequences of Bo versus Bo that are derived from the Shuji kata of Ryukyu Kobujutsu. To begin with, Shuji (or 周氏 in Japanese; also transcribed as ‘Shūshi’) literaly means ‘Mr. Shū’. According to tradition, the Bojutsu Master Shū from Shanghai lived around the year 1831 at the rear of the Sōgenji in Okinawa, Naha, Asato. Within Ryukyu Kobujutsu, three versions of Shuji kata are preserved. Next, kumite (or 組手 in Japanese) means ‘sparring’. Thirdly, ‘sogo’ (or 綜合 in Japanese; sōgō) means ‘composite’, ‘synthesis’, ‘integration’, or ‘putting together’. It has become customed to translate these forms of Kumite as ‘comprehensive’. In the video embedded below (recorded on 1 July 2024), budoka Johan Oldenkamp, a former national champion from the Netherlands, performs the five comprehensive staff fighting sequences for the (three) Shuji kata.

© Ryukyu-Kobujutsu.org : This page was last updated on 2024/07/09.