Kuntao is a Hokkien term for the martial arts of the Chinese community of Southeast Asia, specifically the Malay Archipelago. Ron Kosakowski – Kuntao Martial art instructor, Filipino weapons dealer. Guro of the system Ron Kosakowski (USA).
Ron Kosakowski about traditional Filipino weapons
“All this is based on the knowledge I have acquired during my various Philippine trips over the years.
It is also based on my observations. At this point in my life, I have been there enough times to come to these conclusions”, – master Ron Kosakowski.
All cultures were once blade-oriented cultures. They had to be or you would not exist today. All our ancestors had to fight with the blade at one time or another for whatever reason to survive and carry on our DNA. Today, the blade cultures are pretty well dead. That is due to the modern existence of firearms. You pull out a blade, you get blown away. So to keep up with the rest of the world, everyone got a firearm. Especially the military that used to carry bladed weapons and shields. The reason the bladed weapons culture is still alive in the Philippines and other parts of SE Asia is because those people depend on them as tools for survival, much like we did in the ancient past. They use them for everything they make, including art, crafts, repairs, crops, etc. Many of them are poor people who cannot afford modern tools (or a gun for that matter), they were brought up with the blade as a tool so they are used to it. In turn, you will see an occasional hacking up of a body or two when a drunken argument is going on or someone wronged another and revenge takes place.
Bladed weapons will always give us a natural feeling of fascination. They have been weapons as well as tools in our ancestor’s life since the beginning of time and will continue to be part of us somehow or another in the future. They are also works of beautiful art. The artwork decorates the reason they exist. The fear we feel is knowing in our minds what these bladed weapons can do and have done in the past to other human beings.
Source for some text: The History and Culture behind Filipino Weapons – Traditional Filipino Weapons
