The tonfa (Japanese: トンファー), Chinese 柺(Chinese Pinyin( Guai))，also known as tong fa or tuifa.
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History
.[1][2] It is used in both Southeast Asian and Chinese martial arts and was brought to Okinawa from China. A similar weapon called the mae sun sawk is used in Thailand. Tradition holds that during the reign of Okinawan 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 believed that the tonfa was developed from a wooden handle of a millstone, a common agricultural implement much like the kama.[1]
Technique
There are numerous ways to defend and attack with the tonfa. In defense, if the handle is grasped then the shaft protects the forearm and hand from blows from the opponents and the knob can protect 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 attack, 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 one's 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.
In popular culture
In video games, tonfas are the weapons of the characters Talim in the Soul Calibur series, Jin in Grand Chase, Orchid in the Killer Instinct series, Rachael and Tracy in the Battle Arena Toshinden series, as well as of Yoko Kono in Last Bronx and Levin in Wild Arms XF. The protagonist of Suikoden II also uses a pair of large, heavy tonfa. Sun Ce, a character in the Dynasty Warriors series, used a pair of tonfas in the 4th and 5th game in the series (later given a generic spear), while the games 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 tonfas, romanized as "tongfer". In Left 4 Dead 2, tonfa can be used as a melee weapon.
In manga and anime, one of the protagonists of Reborn, Hibari Kyoya, uses dual metal tonfa as his weapon of choice. Tonfa are also wielded by the characters Okina in Rurouni Kenshin, Naizer in Black Cat (oversized tonfa), Gin in One Piece (who is using a customized tonfa with iron balls in its edge), Kish, in the manga version of Tokyo Mew Mew, wields twin weapons that are very similar (this is changed in the anime), and several Knightmare Frames in Code Geass. Marie Mjölnir from Soul Eater takes the form of a tonfa with a lighting insignia when a weapon and Elie in Rave Master uses tonfa blasters.
In the Hellboy movie series, the character Karl Ruprecht Kroenen wields tonfa-like swords (similar weapons as wielded by Talim). 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 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 USS Enterprise wield steel tonfas with an electrically charged tip. In the Korean drama Iljimae, one of Iljimae's weapons is a tonfa that can be merged into a bow.
In the Super Sentai series Chouriki Sentai Ohranger and Juken Sentai Gekiranger (Power Rangers series Power Rangers: Zeo and Power Rangers: Jungle Fury in the American versions), the Blue and Yellow Rangers of both series wield tonfas as their main weapons. In the movie G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, the character Snake Eyes uses wood and metal tonfas; the tonfas were shown as "ninja weapons" also in the South Park episode "Good Times with Weapons". In the live action series Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation the character of Michelangelo used tonfa instead of the nunchucks used by his character in previous incarnations (mostly due to the ban on nunchucks used in children media at the time).
A tonfa is the weapon of choice of the DC Comics supervillain Prometheus. In keeping with the character's high-tech motif, the tonfa is modified to be capable of using concentrated energy to enhance the force of its strikes, allowing a wielder to smash an anvil with a mere tap. In the character's first appearance, it was also shown to sport an onboard computer, which was used to neutralize the powered armor of the superhero Steel.
See also
References
- ^ a b "Weapons - the Tonfa." Tonfa Martial Arts Weapons. 15 July 2008 http://www.martialarm.com/weapons/weapons-tonfa.html
- ^ "Weaponry Anatomy." Seishinkan Sogobujutsu. 2008. Seishinkan Dojo. 15 July 2008 http://www.seishinkan.com/seishin/sskbuki/5system/anatwep.htm#TONFA.
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