The ideal length of the connecting rope or chain is just long enough to allow the user to lay it over his or her palm, with the sticks hanging comfortably and perpendicular to the ground. Both ends are usually of equal length, although asymmetrical nunchaku exist that are closer to a traditional flail. Ideally, each piece should be long enough to protect the forearm when held in a high grip near the top of the shaft. The rounded nunchaku is comparitively heavy and used for training, whereas the octagonal nunchaku is used for combat. In China, the striking stick is called "dragon stick" ("龍棍"), while the handle is called "yang stick" ("陽棍"). Nunchaku consist of two sections of wood connected by a cord or chain, though variants may include additional sections of wood and chain. Uncommon nunchuks made of solid nylon, hollow aluminum, and solid metal (unlinked) According to Chinese folklore, nunchaku are a variation of the two section staff. Martial arts in Okinawa were practiced exclusively by aristocracy ( kazoku) and "serving nobles" ( shizoku), but were prohibited among commoners ( heimin). The suggestion that nunchaku and other Okinawan weapons were developed and used by rebellious peasants is most likely a romantic exaggeration. The night watch would hit the blocks of wood together to attract people's attention, then warn them about fires and other dangers. Alternative theories are that it was originally developed from an Okinawan horse bit ( muge) or from a wooden clapper called hyoshiki carried by the village night watch, made of two blocks of wood joined by a cord.
A near identical weapon to the nunchaku called tabak-toyok exists in the northern Philippines, which was used to thresh rice or soybeans. The origin of the nunchaku is unclear, although one popular belief is that nunchaku was originally a short South-East Asian flail.
In addition the nunchaku is used in certain contact sports.Ī South-East Asian rice threshing tool similar in design to nunchaku. The nunchaku is also the signature weapon of the cartoon character Michelangelo in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise. When Tadashi Yamashita worked with Bruce Lee on the 1973 film Enter the Dragon, he enabled Lee to further explore the use of the nunchaku and other kobudo disciplines.
Lee famously used nunchaku in several scenes in the 1972 film Fist of Fury. In modern times, the nunchaku ( Tabak-Toyok) was popularized by the actor and martial artist Bruce Lee and by Dan Inosanto. Another weapon, called the tabak-toyok, native to the northern Philippines, is constructed very similarly, suggesting that it and the nunchaku descended from the same instrument. The origin of the nunchaku is unclear a traditional explanation holds that it was originally used by Okinawan farmers as a flail for threshing rice.
Possession of this weapon is illegal in some countries, except for use in professional martial arts schools. Toy versions and replicas not intended to be used as weapons may be made of polystyrene foam or plastic. Modern nunchaku may be made of metal, plastic or fiberglass instead of the traditional wood. It is intended to be used as a training weapon, since practicing with it enables the development of quick hand movements and improves posture. The nunchaku is most widely used in martial arts such as Okinawan kobudō and karate. A person who has practiced using this weapon is referred to in Japanese as nunchakuka. It is approximately 30 cm(sticks) and 1 inch (rope). The nunchaku ( / n ʌ n ˈ tʃ æ k uː/) ( Japanese: ヌンチャク, sometimes " Dual Section Stick", " nunchuks" ( / ˈ n ʌ n tʃ ʌ k s/), " nunchucks", " chainsticks", " chuka sticks" or " karate sticks" in English,) is a traditional Okinawan martial arts weapon consisting of two sticks (traditionally made of wood), connected to each other at their ends by a short metal chain or a rope.