{{Short description|Okinawan kobudō weapon}} {{Italic title|reason=:Category:Okinawan words and phrases}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
thumb|A pair of tonfa thumb|right|A pair of tonfa with a rounded body throughout. The '''''tonfa''''' (Okinawan: {{lang|ryu|トンファー}} {{transliteration|ryu|tonfā}}, Japanese: 旋棍; rōmaji: senkon {{zh|c=柺|p=guǎi}} lit. ''old man's staff'' / ''"crutch"'', also spelled as '''''tongfa''''' or '''''tuifa''''', also known as '''T-baton'''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://imperialcombatarts.com/specialty-weapons.html|title = Rare Kung Fu Weapons | Specialty Weapons}}</ref>) is a melee weapon with its origins in the armed component of Okinawan martial arts where it is known as the '''''tunkua'''''. It consists of a stick with a perpendicular handle attached a third of the way down the length of the stick, and is about {{convert|15|–|20|in}} long.<ref>{{cite web|title=Weapons – Tonfa|url=http://lyon-karate.com/articles/karate-terminology/traditional-okinawan-weapons/weapons-tonfa/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150910074613/http://www.lyon-karate.com/articles/karate-terminology/traditional-okinawan-weapons/weapons-tonfa/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=10 September 2015|website=Lyon Karate|access-date=29 May 2017}}</ref> It was traditionally made from red or white oak, and wielded in pairs.<ref name="History">{{cite web|url=http://www.tonfa.org/tonfa-history/|title=Tonfa history|website=Tonfa.org|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170614195315/http://www.tonfa.org/tonfa-history/|archive-date=14 June 2017|url-status=dead|access-date=29 May 2017}}</ref> The tonfa is believed to have originated in either China, Okinawa or Southeast Asia, where it is used in the respective fighting styles.
==History== ===Regional variants=== [[File:Scène de combat (bas-relief du Bayon) (2334494617).jpg|thumb|left|220px|Martial artists of the Khmer Empire wield arm shields at the forearm similar to tonfa in this bas-relief at Cambodia's 12th/13th century Bayon temple]] Although the tonfa is most commonly associated with the Okinawan martial arts, its origin is heavily debated. One of the most commonly cited origins is China, although origins from Indonesia to Okinawa are also possible.<ref name="jitsu">{{cite web|url=http://www.japanesejujitsu.org/a-brief-history-of-the-tonfa/|title=A Brief History of the Tonfa|author=David|date=11 February 2009|website=japanesejujitsu.org|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180115164634/http://www.japanesejujitsu.org/a-brief-history-of-the-tonfa/|archive-date=15 January 2018|url-status=dead|access-date=29 May 2017}}</ref><ref name="canisius">{{cite web|title=History|url=http://www-cs.canisius.edu/~cody2/Library/Database/Tonfa.htm|website=cs.canisius.edu|access-date=29 May 2017|archive-date=14 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160514215210/http://www-cs.canisius.edu/~cody2/Library/Database/Tonfa.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="rkagb">{{cite web|title=Tonfa|url=http://rkagb.com/weapons_tonfa|website=RKAGB|date=4 June 2016|access-date=29 May 2017}}</ref> Although modern martial artists often cite that the tonfa derives from a millstone handle used by peasants,<ref name="History" /> martial arts in Okinawa were historically practised by the upper classes who imported martial arts from China and elsewhere, and it is likely that the weapon was imported from outside Okinawa. The Chinese and Malay words for the weapon (''guai'' and ''topang'' respectively) literally mean "crutch", which may suggest the weapon originating from such device. In Cambodia and Thailand, a similar weapon is used consisting of a pair of short clubs tied onto the forearms, known in Thai as ''mai sok'' and in Khmer as ''staupe''. In Thailand and Malaysia, the mai sok often has a similar design to the tonfa, with a perpendicular handle rather than being tied on.<ref name="History" /><ref name="jitsu" /> In Vietnam, a similar weapon called the song xỉ is made of a pair of steel or aluminum bars. The song xỉ is used as a small shield to protect the forearms and has a sharp tip at the end to attack.<ref>Nghia, S. (2017, February 19). song xỉ - binh khí nhà Tây Sơn. Vietnam Pictorial. Retrieved January 17, 2022, from https://vietnam.vnanet.vn/vietnamese/song-xi---binh-khi-nha-tay-son/274089.html</ref> 100px|thumb|A pair of Cambodian "tonfa" or staupe which is an arm shield with a pointed edge
==Types of tonfa== There are different versions of the Okinawan tonfa, but the basic design is the same. The small grip is at one end of the tonfa. The main body of the tonfa is where there are variations. The most popular form of tonfa has rounded sides and a rounded bottom which makes a semicircle. The square tonfa has rectangular faces on the main body of the weapon. A paddle-shape tonfa has the bottom half wider than the front half and looks like a paddle. Another tonfa has a rounded body throughout. A crude pointed tonfa has the front heads and back heads ending in a pointed design. This can be used for stabbing defense.<ref name=demura>{{cite book |last1=Demura |first1=Fumio |title=Tonfa, karate weapon of self-defense |date=1982 |publisher=Ohara Publications |location=Burbank, Calif. |isbn=0897500806}}</ref>
==Usage== The tonfa can be used for blocking and striking.<ref name=demura/> The tonfa measures about three centimeters past the elbow when gripped.<ref name="rkagb" /> There are three grips, ''honte-mochi'' (natural), ''gyakute-mochi'' (reverse) and ''tokushu-mochi'' (special). The natural grip places the handle in the hand with the long arm resting along the bottom of the forearm. This grip provides protection or brace along one's forearms, and also provides reinforcement for backfist, elbow strikes, and punches. In use, the tonfa can swing out to the ''gyakute'' grip for a strike or thrust. Martial artists may also flip the tonfa and grab it by the shaft, called ''tokushu-mochi''. This allows use of the handle as a hook in combat, similar to the kama (sickle).<ref name="canisius" /><ref name="rkagb" /> This grip is uncommon but is used in the kata Yaraguwa.<ref name="rkagb" />
Blocking techniques involve a sidestepping maneuver. This allows the block to stop the attack while providing a way to gain entry. The block can be used to block high attack and low attacks.<ref name="Yamashita, T. 1987">Yamashita, T. (1987). Advanced Tonfa: Japanese Weapon of Self-defense. Spain: Black Belt Communications, Incorporated.</ref>
Law enforcement agencies started using a variation of the tonfa in 1972 known as a side handled baton but best known as the "PR-24" as that was the name of the most popular model. Many agencies started phasing out their use of batons for standard patrols after the Rodney King beating, in which batons including the PR-24 were used by several officers.
==See also== {{portal|Japan}} * Okinawan weapons * Hungarian shield * Salawaku * Side-handle baton
==References== {{reflist}}
==Further reading== * Robert Paturel and Alain Formaggio, ''Tonfa sécurité'', Chiron éditeur, 2001. {{oclc|421954363}}. {{ISBN|978-2-7027-0667-1}}.
{{KobudoWeapons}} {{Authority control}}
Category:Blunt weapons Category:Clubs and truncheons of Japan Category:Weapons of Japan Category:Weapons of Okinawa