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by-4 with their hand or took a few
lessons of tae kwon do. But playing
with weapons? What kinds of people
do that? Is it legal?
Thenunchaku,forexample,isille-
gal in several nations, including Can-
ada, Germany, Spain and the United
Kingdom. In the United States, it's
illegal in some states, including New
York, California and Massachusetts
but not Michigan.
Carbone said that learning a kata
with a weapon teaches a person to
focus. He said people are naturally
more aware of their actions with a
weapon in their hands. Training with
a weapon teaches people to defend
themselves empty-handedly, he said.
Quoting Jethro from the Beverly
Hillbillies, Carbone said weaponry
"helps you to cipher."
Carbone was born and raised in
Detroit. Since he was a boy, he par-
ticipated in martial arts, but he didn't
get heavily involved in weaponry
until he was a young adult.
He dropped out of high school
three months before graduation
(though he went on to earn his GED

S1 yeara later). At that time, he called
himself "almost a rebel."
Supporting his rebel fagade was
his long hair and his rock band, "The
Family Dog." He traveled around
the United States with his band
after leaving high school for several
years.
Carbone attests to the relation-
ship between music and martial arts.
When the Okinawans were defend-
ing themselves against the Japanese,
he said, the Okinawans concealed
their fighting techniques in dance
routines. The Okinawans even per-
formed these routines for the Japa-
nese, he said, but the Japanese never
caught on.
Although the Okinawans had
to defend themselves much more
often than the average student at
the University, the goal is the same:
to master an art form. Carbone said
martial-arts training prepares a per-
son for the one or two dangerous
circumstances that may never arise.
As such, he said weaponry is more
about development of the individual
than anything else.
I may or may not have developed
as a person during that day of weap-
onry - but at least I can count to
four in Japanese.

Grand Master Kiichi Nakamoto of
Okinawa
WHERE HE LIVES: inside his dojo, which is paint-
ed red.
WHAT'S INSIDE: the kamiza (a shrine-like area)
- photographs of his teachers, posters with
names of katas and a stepping chart are hung
on the walls. There are several large punch-
ing and kicking bags. A makiwara is a 5-foot
tall piece of wood that rises from the floor,
wrapped with rice rope. By striking the maki-
wara repetitively, the forearm is strengthened.
WHAT THE MASTER EATS: mostly rice and miso
soup.
THREE WORDS THAT CHARACTERIZE HIM: humble,
respectful, quiet.
TITLES:
10th Degree Grand Master of Weaponry
10th Degree Black Belt Grand Master,
Gojuryu Karate
10th Degree Karate-Do, All Japan Dojo Fed-
eration
laido Grand Master (Samurai Sword Master)
Source: Mary Carbone

Peter Carbone's studio hosts the Weapons
Connection Society Summer Weapons camp.


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M University Unions
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