Arizona Hall-of-Fame Karate & Kobudo Grandmaster

Soke Hausel demonstrates handle strike (hondo wa) at Seiyo Shorin-Ryu
Hombu, Mesa, Arizona.

Tonfa (トンファー) or tuifa is a side-handled baton that was likely introduced as a martial arts weapon on Okinawa centuries ago after a peasant discovered this farming tool could be used as a weapon with some modifications. It has been suggested that the weapon originated in China, others suggest it was a modified millstone grinder handle, part of the millstone axle frame, or a modified primitive horse harness.

Tonfa-bo kumite

Just like Okinawa's farmers and fishermen of old, our Shorin-Ryu students and faculty train with this weapon in basics, forms and self-defense applications. 

The tonfa at one time was used by nearly every law enforcement agency in the world, but it lost favor to the expandable police baton and stun gun. But to martial artists who train with tonfa, these are very effective martial arts tools whether held in a normal grip, reverse grip or extended grip. 

After likely being developed on Okinawa and evolving over decades, the weapon was introduced to the world in the 20th century and became popular with law enforcement agencies until it was replaced by the expandable baton. However, few law enforcement agencies (other than in Japan) trained more than a few hours with tonfa, or the side-handle baton, making it less than effective with poorly trained police officers. As a result, as a law-enforcement weapon, the tonfa became awkward and under-used.

On Okinawa, the tonfa was constantly used in kata and bunkai practice to reinforce muscle memory particularly in the Shorin-Ryu Karate Schools. Thus it has more pragmatic application to Shorin-Ryu martial artists and the Japanese police. Shorin-Ryu martial artists learn to use all surfaces of the tonfa for defense and striking.



By training with the kobudo weapon in basic (kihon) techniques and in kata students begin to learn valuable muscle memory. For example, the Seiyo Kai Shorin-Ryu Karate system has three tonfa kata and each movement in all three forms must be learned as practical applications (bunkai) in one-step sparring (ippon kumite) and kumite (free sparing) and students demonstrate use of the weapon without hesitation. After this is accomplished a student can apply for tonfa certification from Soke.

Not quite a rice mill, but same principal. This is an actual gold
 mill from Jerome, Arizona.

Training also involves using one tonfa and two tonfa in self-defense techniques. The more advanced stage of training with tonfa is using it in sparring (jiyu kumite) against armed opponents with a knife (tanto), bo, hanbo, nunchaku, etc. This type of kumite requires the student to use good technique and to have excellent control so they do not injure their training partners.

Tonfa and other kobudo weapons are used on kobudo nights at the Arizona Hombu dojo on the border of Mesa and Gilbert, Arizona. Thursday evenings, classes are devoted to kobudo training and it typically takes a year or two of training to certify in Okinawan tonfa. The weapon is held by side handles (tsuka) either in a normal or extended position, as well as in a reverse grip. It is used for blocking, striking and hooking.

An arastre gold mill at Jerome, Arizona. This mill was not used for any Okinawan weapons. Instead, it was used to
extract gold.  But imagine if the Okinawans had this - just think what those chains could have been used for - maybe
a manrikigusari or kamagusari.