RYUKONKAI KOBUDO
IHA KOTARO SENSEI
Iha Kotaro Sensei was born February 12, 1939. In 1958 he started his martial arts training under famed Shorinryu Karate teacher Chibana Choshin. In High School, Iha Sensei had an interest in the combative arts and joined a local Judo club. His success was limited because of his small stature. After graduation from High School, Iha Sensei decided to study Karate, feeling that this would give him the advantage in a fight. He soon found out that larger students also had an advantage over smaller practitioners in Karate. These events then led Iha Sensei to Kobudo, especially the Bo, where he knew that weapons, particularly the length of the Bo, would give him an advantage.
In 1974 Iha Sensei opened his first Kobudo Dojo at his own house in Gushikawa, Okinawa. In 1981, he founded the RyuKyu Kobudo RyuKonKai and was appointed it's President.
On his quest to master the art of Kobudo, he trained under various masters who each specialized in certain weapons
1. May 1958, started training Shorin-Ryu Karate under Chibana Chosin Sensei.
2. February 1961, he began training Shorin-Ryu Karate under Yochoku Higa.
3. May 1961, he began training Bo under Shigenobu Tamai.
4. May 1968, he began training Nunchaku, Sai, and Kama under Iloei Ishikawa.
5. January 1970, he began training Bo and Sai under Shiko Toma.
6. March 1971, he began training Bo under Kantoku Izumikawa.
7. March 1972, he began training Eku under Takasha Kinjo and in July
8. July 1972, Bo under Shinchin Tawata.
Iha Sensei's Motto (Creed, favorite saying):
"You should not love to fight, but not, even for a moment, forget to prepare for fighting."
- (Miyamoto Musashi, Go rin no Sho , The Book of Five Rings).