Sai (weapon)

The sai (Japanese: 釵, lit. 'hairpin'; Chinese: 鐵尺, lit. 'iron ruler') is a pointed melee weapon from Okinawa. It is historically utilized in martial arts such as Okinawan kobudō and southern Chinese martial arts, and has been absorbed into the curriculum of many modern martial arts. The weapon is primarily used for stabbing, striking, parrying and disarming opponents. The sai consists of a pointed metal main prong, that projects from a one-handed handle, two shorter metal side prongs, which project from the opposite sides of the base of the main prong and point in the same direction as it, and a blunt metal pommel fixed to the bottom end of the handle. Okinawan kobudō spread to Japan in the early 20th Century alongside Karate, and it came to international attention when martial arts became popular in the mid-20th Century.