Tonfa

A traditional Okinawan side-handled baton, typically wielded in pairs for blocking and striking. Its perpendicular handle allows the shaft to be held, swung, or used as a shield.

Tonfa grip: A way of holding a tonfa by its perpendicular handle or along its shaft. Grip changes let the shaft alternate between an arm guard and a striking surface.
Ryukyu Kingdom: An independent island kingdom centered on Okinawa that existed from the fifteenth century until its annexation by Japan in 1879. The tonfa is associated with the martial traditions that developed in the Ryukyu Islands.
Sai: A traditional Okinawan truncheon-like weapon with a central shaft and two side prongs. Like the tonfa, the sai is an Okinawan weapon commonly trained in pairs.
Tonfa kata: A choreographed sequence of tonfa techniques practiced in Okinawan martial arts. Kata preserve coordinated defenses, strikes, and transitions specific to the weapon.
Kamae: A ready posture used in Japanese martial arts. Tonfa guards are organized around ready postures that protect the body and prepare movement.
Okinawa: A Japanese island prefecture that was the center of the historical Ryukyu Kingdom. Okinawa is the tonfa's traditional cultural setting.
Bō: A long staff used in Japanese and Okinawan martial arts. Bō practice shares the weapons-training context in which tonfa techniques are taught.
Karate: A martial art developed in Okinawa that uses striking, blocking, and formal practice sequences. Some karate lineages include tonfa training within their weapons practice.
Blocking (martial arts): A defensive action that intercepts or redirects an incoming attack. The long shaft can cover the forearm while deflecting an attack.
Okinawan martial arts: Fighting traditions developed in Okinawa, including karate and weapons disciplines. Tonfa practice developed within Okinawan martial culture.

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