Custom Kobudo
Founded by a karate black belt who is also a long time woodworker and cabinet maker. Volume discounts are available to recognized martial arts schools.
Weapons are made from fine domestic and exotic hardwoods, and are precisely fitted to the user.
02/10/2026
Another pair of custom tonfa, ready for their new owner. An example of beautiful Canadian Tiger Maple, paired with East Indian Rosewood. The rosewood undersides are bookmatched.
01/23/2026
Just resting my bones after moving our inventory into larger facilities. We're growing!
01/03/2026
A great start to the 2026 training year with the black belts of Northern Karate Willowdale. Lots of good sai practice!
12/24/2025
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all our customers and friends, near and far. Thank you for supporting our efforts to bring fine kobudo weapons to the martial artists community. Let us all hope that 2026 brings peace and prosperity to people everywhere.
12/19/2025
Just finished two pairs of traditional tonfa. The upper picture is Canadian white oak and curly purpleheart. The other pair, for presentation to a newly promoted Renshi, is Canadian tiger maple, paired with beautiful Indian rosewood.
11/22/2025
Finally all the pieces have fallen into place, and our new low-cost products are in stock. If you are a dojo owner looking for weapons for your students, we have a solution. Pricing is on our website, and volume discounts are available.
11/08/2025
My sincere thanks to Hanshi Jean Therien for the warm welcome extended to Custom Kobudo at Capital Conquest 2025 in Ottawa. An amazing gathering of martial artists from around the world, training and socializing together.
Just arrived in Ottawa for Capital Conquest!
11/01/2025
This coming Thursday we are off to Ottawa for Capital Conquest. Hope to see you there!
10/15/2025
Please note that our website has adopted the .CA suffix. So now you can find us at
Custom Kobudo David Rive is the owner of Custom Kobudo. He is a 2nd Dan Black Belt in karate and kobudo from Northern Karate Schools. He is also a graduate of the Humber College School of Industrial Woodworking.. Before retirement, David was the CEO of a software technology business and also was a senior of...
After working closely with our Canadian factory, I have concluded that red oak is not the best choice for our "economy" line of bo. The nature of the wood's structure and grain does not lend itself well to mass production. So effective immediately, we are switching over to Canadian Birch for our Senior and Junior Bo production. It is virtually identical to oak in all the various measurements of strength and hardness, but it's surface finish is much smoother, so it slides more easily through the user's hands.
10/06/2025
Exciting news! Custom Kobudo will be at Capital Conquest in Ottawa November 7 to 9. Kobudo training and demonstrations is a significant part of the amazing martial arts programme at Capital Conquest. Stop by and say hello. At 6' 5" I am not hard to find in a crowd. 🙂 David Rive
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What We Do ...
In my 13 years of training in karate and kobudo, I have observed there is a demand for better quality kobudo weapons, especially among experienced practitioners. Historically weapons shipped from Okinawa have set the standard, but when shipping costs are considered, they are expensive. Furthermore, weapons ordered online have fixed sizing options. Serious martial artists prefer to use quality gear that is sized for them.
So, to meet this demand, I have launched Custom Kobudo, where I can offer my woodworking skills to the martial arts community.
These weapons are sized to your personal requirements. I use only the finest grades of hardwood available. For bo, available woods are White Oak and Purpleheart. For eku, Red Oak is standard. For tonfa, white oak is standard, and may be round or rectangular in style. In the rectangular style, white oak or cherry wood may be combined with purpleheart. Other wood species may be available on request. All weapons are hand made in the traditional Okinawan style. Bo may be round or octagonal. Delivery is within 30 days – because these are personalised weapons, I do not maintain inventory. On request, weapons can be personalized with your initials at no charge.
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Address
1515 Steeles Ave East
Toronto, ON
M2M 3Y7