World Of Swords

Most students of the martial arts Have probably seen a pair of nunchaku (Chucks) being used while in the martial arts. Whether it was in a "karate movie," or while training in the dojo -- martial arts school - where you train in your chosen discipline. They're so popular that they're known all over the world as "nunchucks," "chucks" or "numchucks."

The "twin sticks" (that's their meaning when the word "nunchaku" is spoken in native Okinawan), in the right hands, are a whirling blur of motion that can actually be hard for the eye to follow when they're moving fast enough. And they can pack a seriously hard wallop when they're used to strike at somebody during close-quarters fighting.

They can be used alone as a pair of sticks joined together by a short length of rope or chain, or in pairs (one set for each hand) for double the trouble. The nunchaku (aka. Chucks) has a long and interesting history, starting from when they first appeared on the island of Okinawa off the coast of Japan sometime in the early to mid 1600s. Nowadays, few craftsmen like the ones at Buki Yuushuu still turn out modern customized versions of this beloved and cherished classic weapon.

How the nunchaku came to be developed on Okinawa during that time is a bit unclear. The most popular story was that Okinawan farmers and others on the island, including the upper classes of that time, took a farmer's thresher, which was a handheld tool made up of two sticks joined by a rope, and suddenly became nunchaku masters!

We're just kidding about the "instant master" effect. It usually takes some time to study and practice with the nunchaku (and more than a few whacks on the head!) before a person becomes skilled enough to use it in a real self-defense situation.

Actually, the invention of the nunchaku most likely never happened that way at all, but it makes for a good story. In realty, this popular self-defense weapon probably was constructed for the role it played then and still plays today; as a weapon. The evidence for this is that the Chinese themselves had a weapon that was very close in appearance to the nunchaku back before the 1600s, and that Chinese immigrants to Okinawa brought it with them. Also, the word for "nunchaku" comes from the Chinese language, so we can assume that it really was built to be what we know it as today.

To understand why these "two sticks connected by a string" came into being, we should understand that on the island of Okinawa, as with the rest of Japan, most people were forbidden to carry a sword or other bladed weapon. Only Japanese who were of the samurai class, a professional warrior were able to have such things. Native Okinawans, who were not Japanese at all, fell under this same rule. But people being people were just smart back then as they are today, and soon the nunchaku (Nunchuck) began to be used for personal protection and the protection of property against any would be criminals or Japanese samurai who happened to take advantage of their situation.

The Native Okinawa's as with most people didn't like to be ordered and pushed around, and samurai were experts at giving orders to those under their class. Can you imagine what a surprise it was when one of these professional warriors felt or witnessed the blistering speed of these wooden sticks coming at him?

Today the essence of the "chuck" is still the same; they are just faster and flashier than the nunchaku of old. If you'd like to see what a modern pair of nunchaku look like, go to bukiyuushuu.com one of the leaders of Okinawan style of weaponry, look at all the different styles, colors and the different ways you can customize your made to order nunchaku.

Come and see the most styles and choices in custom Nunchaku click here Nunchuck

Tags: karate weapons, Martial Arts, martial arts weapons, Ninja, nunchaku, nunchakus, Nunchuck, nunchucks, okinawan weapons, Samurai, tournament weapons

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