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A pair of tonfa
The tonfa (Okinawan: ????? tonfa, Malay: topang, Chinese: ?; pinyin: guai), also
known as tong fa or tuifa, is an Okinawan weapon. It consists of a stick with a
perpendicular handle attached a third of the way down the length of the stick,
and is about 15-20 inches long.[1] It was traditionally made from red or white o
ak and wielded in pairs.[2] The tonfa is believed to have originated in either C
hina or Southeast Asia where it is used in the respective fighting styles. A sim
ilar weapon called the mae sun sawk, used in krabi krabong and tomoi, might be t
he original version of the weapon.[3] This article will reference tonfa from thi
s point forward.
A pair of tonfa.
Contents
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History
Usage
See also
References
Further reading

History
Although the tonfa is most commonly associated with the Okinawan martial arts, i
ts origin is heavily debated. One of the most commonly cited origins is China, a
lthough origins from Indonesia to Thailand are also possible.[4][5][6] Okinawan
tradition derives the tonfa from a millstone handle.[7][8] Other countries ascri
be the tonfa's origin to the crutch; both the Chinese and Malay words for the we
apon (guai and topang respectively) literally mean crutch.
Usage
The tonfa measures about three centimeters past the elbow when gripped.[9] There
are three grips, honte-mochi (natural), gyakute-mochi (reverse) and tokushu-moc
hi (special). The starting grip, honte-mochi, places the handle in the hand with
the long arm resting along the bottom of the forearm. This grip provides protec
tion or brace along one's forearms, and also provides reinforcement for uraken (
back fist), hiji waza (elbow techniques) and punches. In use, the tonfa can swin
g out to the gyakute grip for a strike or thrust. Martial artists may also flip
the tonfa and grab it by the shaft, called tokushu-mochi. This allows use of the
handle as a hook in combat, similar to the kama (sickle).[10][11] This grip is
uncommon but is used in the kata Yaraguwa.[12]
See also
Tonfa in popular culture
Okinawan weapons
see Side-handle baton under Baton (law enforcement)