Grandmaster Seikichi Odo
Grandmaster Seikichi Odo was born in Okinawa in 1926 and
passed away on 24 March, 2002. His name meant
“world
walker”
in Japanese. Of samurai descent, he was small in stature and introverted as a
boy, making him the target of much teasing and practical jokes by older boys.
When he was 9 years old, Mr. Odo started training in Judo; but, was not
satisfied with it. At age 13, he met Koho Kuba of Kawasald, Okinawa; and,
started learning the art of Okinawa-te. By 20, Master Odo had begun the study of
Okinawan Kobudo; an endeavor that would continue throughout his life. He fell in
love with the weapons arts, and studied them tenaciously. As he grew older, he
realized the importance of preserving them; so, future generations could
appreciate them and the old ways. Over the years, Grandmaster Odo’s instructors
included many of the leading lights of Okinawan Kobujutsu. Names, to us, such
as, Mitsuo Kakazu, Kenko Nakaima, Shimpo Matayoshi, and, Seike Toma are, to
Master Odo, treasured Sensei. Mr. Odo began to study Okinawa Kenpo and Kobudo
under Grandmaster Shigero Nakamura when he was 23. While Mr. Odo studied kobudo,
with Mitsuo Kakazu, as well as, karate and kobudo with Seike Toma [senior
student of Chotoku Kyan (1880-1945)]; he still considers Master Nakamura as his
primary instructor and mentor.
There came a point during his long association with Master Nakamura, that,
Nakamura, Sensei, asked Master
Odo to incorporate the kobudo training with Mr. Nakamura’s
own karate teachings. During the last few years of Mr. Nakamura’s
life, Master Odo began to undertake the teaching responsibilities of the dojo.
After Master Nakamura’s
death in 1969, the
“Okinawa
Kenpo Renmei”,
appointed Master
Odo as Headmaster of Okinawa Kenpo Karate. As Master of Okinawa Kenpo, Mr. Odo
was also installed as President of the
“All
Okinawa Kenpo Karate-do League”.
Shortly afterwards, Master Odo officially added the weapons to the Okinawa Kenpo
system, with the result being what we now know as
“Okinawa
Kenpo Karate-Kobudo”.
In the mid-1970’s
Master Odo created the
“Okinawa
Kenpo Karate Kobudo Association”,
renamed in 1983 to, the
“Okinawa
Kenpo Karate Kobudo Federation”.
Grandmaster Odo was ranked as 9th Dan in both Karate and Kobujutsu, and was
considered one of the top weapons practitioners in the world. In 1998, Master
Odo renamed the
“Okinawa
Kenpo Karate Kobudo Federation”
the
“Ryukyu
Hon Kenpo Kobujutsu Federation”,
and changed the name of the arts taught by him to
“Ryukyu
Hon Kenpo Kobujutsu”.