Okinawan club-like weapon with a handle at a right angle to the shaft. Typically made of wood with a rounded or a planed shaft. Can be used singly, or in pairs. Excellent defensive weapon against bladed weapons (good reach). Can be used for thrusting strikes with either end of the shaft, swinging strikes with the shaft, or with the knob end of the handle.
The tonfa traditionally consists of two parts, a handle with a knob, and perpendicular to the handle, a shaft or board that lies along the hand and forearm. The shaft is usually 51–61 cm (20–24 in) long; optimally, it extends about 3 cm past the elbow when held. Often the shaft has rounded off ends which may be grooved for a better grip.
The tonfa was originally a wooden handle that fit into a hole on the side of a millstone used to grind rice and other grains, dating back to 15th century Okinawa. The handle, which was easily disengaged from the millstone, became a very effective weapon of defense. The Tonfa's circular movements as a farm implement evolved into its rotating strikes as a weapon. They may be used for blocks, thrusts, and strikes.
The tonfa, also known as tong fa or tuifa, is a traditional Okinawan weapon from which the modern side-handled police baton is derived.
The tonfa's origin is found outside of Okinawa. Folklore says it was originally used as the wooden handle that fit into the side of millstones and was later developed into a weapon. In China, the tonfa is said to have developed from a crutch.
Either way, it was also an early weapon of Southeast Asia, particularly Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines.
A similar weapon is used in Thailand and called the mae sun sawk which had rope tying the elbow end of it to the arm.
There is in principal only one kind of Tonfa although the shaft varies in shape from round to rectangular. History has also shown the butt ends to be pointed but this is extremely rare. The weapon attracts two kata in the Ryukyu Kobujutsu syllabus but because of its exposure with the police in the baton form it is a very popular weapon to practise with.
The weapon is used in pairs and is of wood, again red oak or white oak preferably in keeping with the Bo. The length of the weapon is also the same requirements as the Sai, about three centimetres past the elbow when gripped. The weight like the Bo is paramount to the efficient usage of the weapon. Too light and it lacks power in Kumite, too heavy and the techniques lack speed and become ponderous. Again like the Sai there are three grips, Honte-Mochi (Natural), Gyakute-Mochi (Reverse) and Tokushu-Mochi (Special grip). The latter is not commonly used but is very effective and relates strongly to the techniques of Kama.
The usage is prevalent in the kata Yaraguwa. Tonfa is the practise of Uraken(back fist) and Hiji waza (elbow techniques) in open hand fighting. Good body movement like the Sai can make this weapon formidable, combining the speed it needs and generates along with the skilful footwork for evasion and attack. Although there are stories of Rice millstone grinding implements and horses bridles etc. as being the origins of this weapon, these are merely coincidental. The weapons origins can clearly be traced back to China and be found in Indonesia and surrounding geographical locations.
The tonfa
traditionally consists of two parts, a
handle with a knob, and at 90 degrees to the
handle, a shaft or board that lies along the
hand and forearm. The shaft is usually 51-61
centimeters (20-24 inches) in length, and
optimally extends about 3 cm past the elbow
when held. Often the shaft has rounded off
ends which may be grooved for a better grip.
There are
numerous ways to defend and attack with the
tonfa. Defensively, when holding the handle,
the shaft protects the forearm and hand from
blows, and the knob can protect from blows
to the thumb. By holding both ends of the
shaft, it can ward off blows. When holding
the shaft, the handle can function as a hook
to catch blows or weapons.
In attack, the
shaft can be swung out to strike the target.
By holding the handle and twirling the tonfa
it can gain large amounts of momentum before
striking. The knob can be used as a striking
surface, either when held by the handle, or
when holding the shaft, using it as a club.
The shaft can also be maneuvered to stab at
attackers. By holding the shaft and handle
together, the tonfa can be used for holding
or breaking techniques. The
tonfa is traditionally wielded in pairs, one
in each hand, unlike the police nightstick
which is a single-hand weapon.
Construction: The tonfa traditionally consists of two parts, a handle with a knob, and perpendicular to the handle, a shaft or board that lies along the hand and forearm. The shaft is usually 51–61 cm (20–24 in) long; optimally, it extends about 3 cm past the elbow when held. Often the shaft has rounded off ends which may be grooved for a better grip. There is a smaller cylindrical grip secured at a 90 degrees angle to the shaft, about 15 centimetres from one end.
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 only singly. 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.
Talim from the Soul Calibur series
uses "tonfa blades" which are
similar to tonfa with a blade along the
outside edge of each shaft. Also, one of
her additional weapons is a pair of
regular wooden tonfa. She uses these in
every game in which she appears.
In the Front Mission series of games,
mechs can be equipped with a rocket
powered tonfa to add power to punches.
Jedi Knight Maris Brood, who appears
in the upcoming Star Wars: The Force
Unleashed video game, uses a pair of
unusual tonfa-style lightsabers.
In Tales of Rebirth, the character Mao
uses a pair of Tonfa as a weapon.
The Hero of Suikoden II uses a pair of
Tonfa.
In the Dynasty Warriors series, Sun Ce
wielded upgradable Tonfa, which is
seemingly kept true to the original
design, due to the apparent lack of
blades or guns (although they became
studded), but the character is able to
execute techniques much more quickly
than would be possible in reality.
The weapon of Strider Hiryu called the
Cypher (or Cipher) is a bladed tonfa.
The Recoil Rod of Mega Man Zero 3
resembles a set of energy tonfa.
Maki Genryusai of Final Fight 2,
Capcom vs. SNK 2, and the GBA and PSP
version of Street Fighter Alpha 3 fights
with a pair of tonfas.
The character Jax wields a tonfa in
the games- as does Tanya "Mortal
Kombat: Deadly Alliance" and
"Mortal Kombat: Armageddon".
Noa, one of the main characters from
Legend of Legaia, uses tonfa as a weapon
choice, but refers to them as ferals.
In Death By Degrees Nina can wield one
when dropped by an enemy.
Apharmd from Virtual On series has a
pair of beam tonfa as its primary melee
armaments. Later subsequent generations
have variations that are also
manufactured with beam tonfa as melee
armaments. However, they are referred to
as "Tongfers."
Proto Eagle and Eagle Robot from
"Gotcha Force" wield
laser-tonfa as melee weapons.
One of the later weapons of Josh
Calloway from EOE: Eve of Extinction is
a pair of energy tonfa.
In Super Robot Wars Alpha3, Ryuusei's
R-blade Custom's most powerful move is
called Blade Tonfa.
Orchid from the Killer Instinct series
wields a pair of tonfa in the games
Killer Instinct 2 and KI Gold.
A pair of tonfa can be found in
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night,
although they are mistakenly called
"nunchaku."
Aya Brea, main character from the
Parasite Eve series, uses tonfa (called
Clubs in Parasite Eve 1) as her chosen
melee weapon
In Alias
the game the tonfa is a weapon that can
be taken from enemies and used in melee.
Eri Kasamoto and Fio Germi, from the
Metal Slug series, utilize a one-handed
tonfa during a melee attack.
Rody Birts, from Art of Fighting 3,
utilize a tonfa in each hand.
Both Yoko and Redeye of Last Bronx use
tonfa.
The 'Missionary' Boss and the
'Scrapper' enemies from Silent Hill 3
both use a type of bladed tonfa, the
tips of which can extend like stiletto
blades. The Missionary can use them to
block bullets (even close-range blasts
from a Shotgun).
In the Dungeons and Dragons-based PC
game Neverwinter Nights, tonfa are added
as choosable weapons in the CEP version
of the game.
Tracy, a character in the second and
third installments of the Battle Arena
Toshinden fighting game series, is a
female cop who fights on rollerblades
and wields tonfa.
Tonfun from Yie Ar Kung Fu is armed
with a pair of tonfas.
Rayne from the video game Bloodrayne
uses bladed tonfas
In RPG Maker 3 the tonfa is one of the
many weapons you can choose for your
characters.
In the Super Robot Wars series, the
R-1 Kai uses a pair of Giant Tonfa
Revolvers.
In the Zoids Versus series on the
Gamecube the Snipe Master uses a pair of
glowing tonfa as a standard weapon.
In CastlevaniaCOTM on the GBA system,
DSS cards MARS and COCKATRICE allow you
to wield tonfa as temporary weapons,
although they are referred to as
"tonfers".
Karl Ruprecht Kroenen from the Hellboy
movie uses bladed tonfa.
In its mae sun sawk form, it was used
in the Thai fashion in Ong-Bak,
Tom-Yum-Goong, and Khunsuk.
Mel
Gibson's character Martin Riggs used
two police batons as tonfa in Lethal
Weapon.
"Wins without a knife", the
Japanese fighter from the cult classic
Kung-Fu film "Master of the Flying
Guillotine" uses a pair of tonfa
with hidden retractable blades that
extend from the shaft.
In the Jet
Li film The Enforcer, Li's character
uses metal tonfa to defeat a group of
criminals dressed as security guards
aboard a boat as part of the final fight
scene.
In Blade
II, used by the security forces in
Damskinos' lair
In Big Trouble in Little China, a pair
of tonfa is used by a security woman
(scene on the bridge, right before
freeing the imprisoned women).
Manga, Anime, and TV Shows:
Elie, from the popular comic and anime series Rave Master, uses tonfa that are fitted with a system that allows them to fire explosive bullets, thus named "machine-gun tonfa".
In My-HiME, Akane Higurashi uses a pair of tonfa with a second rotating shaft mounted parallel to the first one.
In the manga and anime series Rurouni Kenshin, the ninja Okina uses a pair of steel tonfa against the Oniwabanshu Leader, Shinomori Aoshi.
Kamen Rider Psyga uses a pair of energy tonfa called Psyga Tonfas which can cut through an enemy when the weapon is charged.
In the seventh volume of the Tokyo Mew Mew manga, Kish uses tonfas to battle Deep Blue.
The GF13-021NG Gundam Spiegel mecha from Mobile Fighter G Gundam uses a tonfa-like weapon.
Prometheus, a DC Comics supervillain, uses an extremely powerful, high-tech tonfa.
In the South Park episode "Good Times With Weapons", Stan Marsh wields the 'Tonfa of Takinawa'.
Gin, from the manga and anime series One Piece wields a pair of tonfa that have been fitted with cannonballs on the ends for extra weight and crushing power.
In the anime and manga series Naruto, the ninja Tenten occasionally wields a pair of tonfa, along with an extremely large arsenal of other weapons. There is also a ninja who appears in the Konoha Moving Center filler arc who uses to aid his Suiton attacks.
In the anime, Angel Links, Valeria Vertone wields a pair of tonfa when she joins Meifon for combat.
3 of the Sentai characters, Blue Mask from Hikari Sentai Maskman, OhBlue from Chouriki Sentai Ohranger, and the Gekirangers from Jūken Sentai Gekiranger all wield tonfa weapons, as did the SunVulcanRobo in Taiyou Sentai SunVulcan.
Zeo Ranger III from Power Rangers Zeo wields a pair of tonfa weapons.
In Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation, Michelangelo's nunchaku are replaced with twin tonfa batons.
In G.I. Joe: Sigma 6, member Snake-Eyes uses a Tonfa Sword, which the handle with the press of the green button turns into a tonfa handle, allowing him to hold the sword in a tonfa position. And his apprentice Kamakura uses a Tonfa Staff, and the staff handle can also be put into a tonfa type handle position
A summoned "fox woman" in Negima uses a pair of bladed tonfa.
Also in Negima!, Ku Fei's pactio artifact is a pair of magic tonfa capable of emitting waves.
In Star Wars: Darth Maul Sinya uses a pair of Tonfa-style lightsabers.
Transformers Alternators Mirage, and Transformers Kiss Players Hot Rodimus figures, which are both based on the same Ford GT design, transform their supercharger units into a pair of tonfa.
Nizer, from Black Cat, wields a pair of oversized tonfa both times he fights Creed.
In an episode of A.T.O.M., two of the characters are seen fighting with beam tonfa that resemble lightsabers.
Kyoya Hibari, from the anime/manga series Katekyo Hitman Reborn! wields two tonfa.
In Saint Seiya, golden tonfa are a part of the arsenal included in the Libra Golden Cloth, wielded by Libra Dohko who is the only Saint allowed by Athena to use proper weapons. They were used once by Cygnus Hyoga to take down the Artic Ocean Pillar in the Poseidon saga and used once by Virgo Shaka to take down the Western wall in the Hades Saga Inferno.
In the TMNT episode Ninja Tribunal, the primary antagonists use tonfa to do battle.
