Kobudo is the word used to refer to the ancient (classical) Japanese martial arts, that were used by the Samurai, hundreds of years back in the past. Kobudo means old martial ways. Literally translated, the Japanese word “kobudo” encompasses all kinds of martial traditions, with weapons or without the use of weapons in the ancient era of the Okinawa islands of Japan. Kobudo were used by professional Japanese warriors on the battlefield whereas Okinawan kobudo was used by civilians as a means of self-defence or civil-defence. In the modern context, kobudo describes the traditions and weapons of the Japanese Ryukyu Islands. Okinawan Kobudo literally translates to ‘the old martial way of okinawa’. The term was coined in the nineteenth century, and refers to the weapon systems of the Okinawan martial art forms.