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| Nunchaku | |||||||||||
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 Various types of nunchaku. | |||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 雙節棍 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 双节棍 | ||||||||||
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| Alternative Chinese name | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 双截棍 | ||||||||||
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| Second alternative Chinese name | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 兩節棍 | ||||||||||
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| Japanese name | |||||||||||
| Katakana | ヌンチャク | ||||||||||
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The nunchaku (/nʌnˈtʃækuː/) (Japanese: ヌンチャク, sometimes "dual-section stick", "nunchuks"[1] (/ˈnʌntʃʌks/), "nunchucks",[2] "chainsticks",[3] or "chuka sticks"[4] in English)[a] is a traditional East-Asian martial arts weapon consisting of two sticks (traditionally made of wood), connected to each other at their ends by a short metal chain or a rope. It is approximately 30 cm or 12 inches (sticks) and 2.5 cm or 1 inch (rope). A person who has practiced using this weapon is referred to in Japanese as nunchakuka (ヌンチャク家, nunchakuka).
The nunchaku is most widely used in Southern Chinese Kung fu, Okinawan Kobudo and karate. It is intended to be used as a training weapon, since practicing with it enables the development of quick hand movements and improves posture. Modern nunchaku may be made of metal, plastic, or fiberglass instead of the traditional wood. Toy versions and replicas not intended to be used as weapons may be made of polystyrene foam or plastic. Possession of this weapon is illegal in some countries, except for use in professional martial arts schools.
The origin of the nunchaku is unclear. One traditional explanation holds that it was originally invented by Emperor Taizu of Song, as a weapon in war. Another weapon, called the tabak-toyok, native to the northern Philippines, is constructed very similarly, suggesting that it and the nunchaku descended from the same instrument.
In modern times, the nunchaku and its Indonesian variant, the tabak-toyok were popularized by the actor and martial artist Bruce Lee and by Dan Inosanto.[5] Lee famously used nunchaku in several scenes in the 1972 film Fist of Fury.[6] When Tadashi Yamashita worked with Bruce Lee on the 1973 film Enter the Dragon, he enabled Lee to further explore the use of the nunchaku and other kobudo disciplines. The nunchaku is also the signature weapon of the character Michelangelo in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise.
In addition the nunchaku is used in certain contact sports.
- ^ ""Nunchaku" definition, Oxford Dictionary of English". Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 8 August 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
- ^ "Nunchuck" definition, Merriam-Webster Dictionary, accessed Apr 3, 2019
- ^ "Enter the Dragon case study". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on 22 March 2018. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
- ^ Active Interest Media, Inc. (March 1975). "Black Belt". Black Belt. Buyer's Guide. Active Interest Media, Inc.: 10–. ISSN 0277-3066.
- ^ "Meet the Guy Who Introduced Bruce Lee to Nunchucks". Angry Asian Man. Archived from the original on 25 July 2017. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
- ^ "BBC - Films - review - Fist of Fury DVD".
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