Kobudo

The bō is a six-foot-long staff, sometimes tapered at either end. It was perhaps developed from a farming tool called a tenbin: a stick placed across the shoulders with baskets or sacks hanging from either end.

The bo was also possibly used as the handle to a rake or a shovel. The bo, along with shorter variations such as the jo and hanbō could also have been developed from walking sticks used by travellers, especially monks.

The bo is considered the ‘king’ of the Okinawa weapons, as all others exploited it’s weaknesses in fighting it, whereas when fighting them it’s using it’s strengths against them.

The bo is the earliest of all Okinawan weapons (and effectively one of the earliest of all weapons in the form of a basic staff), and is traditionally made from red or white oak. Also most of the time they used dark oak for tournaments with the bō.

The Sai is a three-pronged truncheon sometimes mistakenly believed to be a variation on a tool used to create furrows in the ground. This is highly unlikely as metal in Okinawa was in short supply at this time and a stick would have served this purpose more satisfactorily for a poor commoner, or Heimin.

The sai appears similar to a short sword, but is not bladed and the end is traditionally blunt. The weapon is metal and of the truncheon class with its length dependent upon the forearm of the user.

The two shorter prongs on either side of the main shaft are used for trapping (and sometimes breaking) other weapons such as a sword or bo.

A form known as nunti sai, sometimes called manji sai (due to its appearance resembling the swastika kanji) has the two shorter prongs pointed in opposite directions.

The Tonfa may have originated as the handle of a millstone used for grinding grain. It is traditionally made from red oak, and can be gripped by the short perpendicular handle or by the longer main shaft.

As with all Okinawan weapons, many of the forms are reflective of “empty hand” techniques.

The tonfa is more readily recognized by its modern development in the form of the police Side handle baton, but many traditional tonfa techniques differ from side-handle baton techniques. For example, tonfa are often used in pairs, while side-handle batons generally are not.

A nunchaku is two sections of wood (or metal in modern incarnations) connected by a cord or chain. There is much controversy over its origins: some say it was originally a Chinese weapon, others say it evolved from a threshing flail, while one theory purports that it was developed from a horse’s bit.

Chinese nunchaku tends to be rounded, whereas Okinawan ones are octagonal, and they were originally linked by horsehair.

There are many variations on the nunchaku, ranging from the three sectional staff (san-setsu-kon), to smaller multi-section nunchaku. The nunchaku was popularized by Bruce Lee in a number of films, made in both Hollywood and Hong Kong.

This weapon is illegal in Canada, Australia (unless a permit is held) and parts of Europe.

The Kama is a traditional farming sickle, and considered one of the hardest to learn due to the inherent danger in practicing with such a weapon.

The point at which the blade and handle join in the “weapon” model normally has a nook with which a bo can be trapped, although this joint proved to be a weak point in the design, and modern-day examples tend to have a shorter handle with a blade that begins following the line of the handle and then bends, though to a lesser degree; this form of the kama is known as the natagama.

The edge of a traditional rice sickle, such as one would purchase from a Japanese hardware store, continues to the handle without a notch, as this is not needed for its intended use.

The Tekko or tecchu is a form of knuckleduster, and primarily takes its main form of usage from that of empty-hand technique, whilst also introducing slashing movements.

The tekko is usually made to the width of the hand with anything between one and three protruding points on the knuckle front with protruding points at the top and the bottom of the knuckle.

They can be made of any hard material but are predominantly found in aluminum, iron, steel, or wood.

Maezato (From Taira Shinken)

The Okinawan style of oar is called an Eku (this actually refers to the local wood most commonly used for oars), eiku, iyeku, or ieku. Noteworthy hallmarks are the slight point at the tip, curve to one side of the paddle and a roof-like ridge along the other.

One of the basic moves for this weapon utilizes the fact that a fisherman fighting on the beach would be able to fling sand at an opponent.

While not having the length, and therefore reach, of the bō, the rather sharp edges can inflict more penetrating damage when wielded properly.

Tsuken Akachu No Eiku De (Also called as Chikin Akachu No Eiku De)