Think of a martial arts weapon— what do you see? A pair of nunchaku, a flashing blade, a Chinese spear? Chances are, you didn't think of karate weapons like the tonfa. The tonfa hasn't been gIamorized in films, and it's one of the less dramatic of the better-known karate weapons. Yet these ancient karate weapons are well-established in the art of kobudo (weapons use). In application and training, the tonfa provides a vital link between kobudo and karate. "Kobudo and karate are like the two wheels of a bicycle. They are separate, but they work according to the same principles. To be useful, they have to work together," says karate weapons and karate techniques expert Fumio Demura, an instructor of both arts who teaches the use of the tonfa.

Fumio Demura holds advanced-dan rankings in kobudo and karate; he has trained in kendo and iaido;he was the All-Japan karate champion in 1961 and a Black Belt Hall of Fame inductee in 1969 and 1975. He sums up his perspective on the tonfa as follows: "lt doesn't have the popularity of the nunchaku, the sai or the bo. But I'm sure this is only temporary because the tonfa is an important weapon in kobudo. lt's a very effective weapon for fighting and extremely valuable in training, as well."

How the Tonfa Became One of the Most Versatile Karate Weapons

The tonfa originally did not exist amid the world of karate weapons but rather was an agricultural implement common throughout Eastern Asia. It was the "handle" by which a millstone was turned, so its basic, functional shape was repeated independently in many areas. The long, heavy end of the tonfa (o rtui-fa,as it was also called) was fitted into a hole in the side of the millstone, and the smaller, handle end of the tool was used to turn the stone to grind rice