Tonfa

A pair of tonfa

The tonfa (Japanese: トンファー, Chinese: 柺 guai), also known as tong fa or tuifa, is an Okinawan weapon. It was traditionally made from red oak and wielded in pairs. A similar weapon called the mae sun sawk is used in krabi krabong.

History

The origin of the tonfa is debated, but experts believe it originated in either China or Indonesia. It is used in both Southeast Asian and Chinese martial arts and was probably brought to Okinawa through their influence. The Chinese believe it was developed from a crutch but Okinawan folklore holds that during the reign of the ruler Shō Shin, restrictions were placed on the use of weaponry in order to stabilize the country after a period of civil war. This restriction is said to have favoured the development of unconventional agricultural tools as weapons of self-defense. In this context, it is said that the tonfa was developed from a wooden handle of a millstone, a common agricultural implement. In modern times, the tonfa was the basis for the police baton but their combat application is different.It was first used for rice grinding.

Technique

Person holding a pair of tonfa.

The tonfa can be gripped by the short perpendicular handle or by the longer main shaft. In defense, if the handle is grasped then the shaft protects the forearm and hand while the knob protects the thumb. If both ends of the shaft are held, the shaft can be used to ward off blows and the handle can be used as a hook to catch the opponent's weapons.

In offense, one can swing the shaft to strike the target. Large amounts of momentum can be imparted to the shaft by twirling the tonfa by the handle. The tonfa can also be wielded in such a way as to use the knob as a striking implement, held either by the handle or by the shaft. One can also stab opponents with the shaft of the tonfa. By holding the shaft and the handle of the tonfa together, one can use it for holding or breaking techniques.

Tonfa are traditionally wielded in pairs, one in each hand. This is unlike police nightsticks, which are generally used alone. As the tonfa can be held in many different ways, education in the use of the tonfa often involves learning how to switch between different grips at high speed. Such techniques require great manual dexterity. As with all Okinawan weapons, many of the forms are reflective of karate techniques.

In popular culture

In video games, tonfa are the weapons of the characters Talim in the Soul Calibur series, Orchid in the Killer Instinct series, Mao in Tales of Rebirth, Rachael and Tracy in the Battle Arena Toshinden series, Yoko Kono in Last Bronx, Levin in Wild Arms XF and the protagonist of Suikoden II. In Mega Man Zero 3, Zero can use "Recoil Rods", which resemble spring loaded tonfa.It is also used in ninja gaiden. Parasite Eve II and Ninja Gaiden II offer tonfa as a selectable weapons. In Cyber Troopers Virtual-On, the trademark of robots of the Apharmd series are a pair of energy beam tonfa, romanized as "tongfer". In Left 4 Dead 2, tonfa can be used as a melee weapon. In the Strider video game series, the main character, Strider Hiryu wields a bladed tonfa capable of generating a deadly plasma arc; however, the covers for these games' western releases usually depict the hero with a sword instead. In Bayonetta one of the weapons available to the titular heroine is a pair of rocket launchers that can be used as a baton in melee combat. In Grand Chase, Jin wields tonfa as a weapon for his 2nd class. Tonfa are used by the warlord Sun Ce of Wu in the Dynasty Warriors franchise by Koei, which is based off from Luo Guanzhong's Romance of the Three Kingdoms. The tonfa are Sun Ce's signature weapon, although in history, he used a 'Bronze Spear' at war. The tonfa was removed from the franchise in Dynasty Warriors 6, but will return on March 11, 2011, in the 7th installment of the series, Dynasty Warriors 7. In Mortal Kombat: Armaggedon, Jax uses a pair of tonfa as his melee weapon. In manga and anime, tonfa are also wielded by the characters Okina in Rurouni Kenshin, Marie Mjölnir in Soul Eater, Naizer in Black Cat, Hibari Kyoya in Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Takeru Teshimine in GetBackers, Akane Higurashi in My-HiME, Layla Ashley in Avenger, and several Knightmare Frames in Code Geass. Gin in One Piece uses a tonfa with balls in its edge and Elie in Rave Master uses tonfa blasters. Tenten from Naruto uses a tonfa in one episode.

In the Hellboy movie series, the character Karl Ruprecht Kroenen wields tonfa-like swords (similar to the weapons wielded by Talim). In the Star Wars universe (including in the video game Star Wars: The Force Unleashed), the Dark Jedi Maris Brood uses tonfa-hilt shaped lightsabers. In Star Trek: Enterprise, MACO troops serving on the Enterprise (NX-01) wield steel tonfa with an electrically charged tip. In the movie G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, the character Snake Eyes uses wood and metal tonfa; the tonfa were also shown as "ninja weapons" in the South Park episode "Good Times with Weapons". In the live action series Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation, the character Michelangelo used tonfa instead of the nunchaku used by his character in previous incarnations (mostly due to the ban on nunchaku used in children media at the time). In the Facebook game Legacy of a Thousand Suns, the Shock Tonfa is an wieldable off-hand weapon that can be used to shock the opponent; unlike its usual usage, it is not used as a pair of tonfa.

In the Super Sentai series Chouriki Sentai Ohranger and Juken Sentai Gekiranger (Power Rangers: Zeo and Power Rangers: Jungle Fury in the American versions), the Blue and Yellow Rangers of both series wield tonfa as their main weapons. In the Korean drama Iljimae, one of the eponymous hero's weapons is a tonfa that can be merged into a bow.

Bibliography

Robert Paturel and Alain Formaggio, tonfa sécurité, Chiron éditeur, 2001 http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/421954363 ISBN-13: 978-2702706671

See also

• Okinawan weapons