As with all other Okinawan weapons, the origin of the nunchaku is
obscure. There is some evidence that it has a Chinese origin, other
evidence shows that it was developed from a horsebit. The most
agree, however, that it has been used by peasant to beat the rice.
The nunchaku stick is divided into 3 parts. The upper part (jokon-bu),
the middle part (chukon-bu) and the lower-part (kikon-bu). The top
of the stick is called kontoh and the rope passes through the hole (ana).
The bottom of the nunchaku is called kontei. Nunchaku probably came into action somewhere in the 16th century,
like saļ, tonfa, etc. It is made out of two sticks, usually a
hardwood, and connected with a rope (it used to be a horsetailhair)
or a chain. The sticks vary in length, size and weight, so does the
length of the connection between them. The nunchaku stick is
normally as long as the forearm, however, it is up to the user to
make it as long as it is desired.
It seems that the Chinese had a round stick nunchaku, or maru gata
nunchaku. The Japanese made it a little more efficient by making the
sticks octagonal (8 sides). This nunchaku is called hakabukei
nunchaku. Then, there is a nunchaku with one long stick and a short
stick, which is called so setsu kon nunchaku. It should prevent you
from hitting your own hand when you miss a hit. The han kei nunchaku
is made out of 2 halves of a stick which fit together and makes it
easy to carry.
The san setsu kon nunchaku is the 3 sectional staff. The sticks may
vary in size. Sometimes, the middle one is a little shorter than the
outer ones. Another variation of this nunchaku has one normal stick,
and the other side is made out of two shorter sticks. It makes it
harder to block an attack and it is easier to loop another weapon or
attacker with this nunchaku. Another variation, the yon setsu kon
nunchaku is made out of four sticks: long piece/short
piece/rope/short piece/ long piece.
