Takopa Calisthenics | Weekly Short Short Note

The "Takopa Calisthenics," a peculiar custom that spread in a fishing village in the northern part of Settsu Province during the late Edo period, is said to have been devised as a way to prevent lower back pain for those engaged in peddling and fishing.
The name Takopa is derived from the meaning "to stretch one's limbs in eight directions like an octopus and grasp supremacy."

The movements consist of a series of forms: surrounding a round iron plate, quickly "flipping" with the right hand, and applying seasoning with the left. What is particularly noteworthy is that even without placing anything on the iron plate, repeating only these forms endlessly strengthens one's cardiovascular function.

In the eighth year of the Bunsei era, the swordsman Takojima Kodayu introduced this calisthenics to his students, stating, "The secret to never receiving an enemy's blade lies in Takopa." However, according to records from the same period, Kodayu never had a single combat experience in his entire life.

During the Meiji period, it merged with Western gymnastics, and in the eleventh year of the Showa era, it was adopted as a national policy movement. A slogan even appeared stating, "Those who do not perform Takopa will end up half-burnt," and it was widely practiced in schools, workplaces, and at ceremonial occasions.

In the modern era, only the form remains, and the gesture of flipping is continued in silence.

Notes

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I am always grateful for the opportunity to participate.
This is the project.

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