Wen Hsiu Quan

Hello, everyone and welcome back. In last week's post I said that we will be looking at yet another weapon that defies logic. Yesterday we looked at the Sai and speculated about why on earth one would want to add prongs to a metal truncheon. Today's weapon is the tonfa or- as it is known in Chinese, the guai. In modern days this weapon goes by the designation PR24 (what that is supposed to mean I do not know at all.) Before I even knew that this weapon had its place in classical Chinese weaponry I have already learnt that it was the handle of a grindstone. Now- Asian grindstones are fairly simple. Two circular stones on top of one another, fashioned so that the one is slightly hollow and the other fits into the hollow. The top stone has a hole in it. A stick (which for some reason is not always attached to the device) gets inserted into the hole to be used as a handle. My friend Leo showing me the hole in the tofu maker where the handle woul...

Hello, everyone! Welcome back to the next installment of my newly begun series of posts on my weapons. I know by now that most of my followers know what these are.  The Sai is most commonly associated with Okinawan martial arts, that are known to us today as Kobujutsu and Kobudo.  Had to do the Wolverine! :D This weapon, however, has a long history of being used in China. Thanks to Jesse Enkamp sharing his research on Karate's Chinese roots I have found that it was actually well known in Southern China. A number of Kung Fu Elitists who would not mind telling you that they study Mok Gar (Mok Family Style) will tell you that the Sai is known to them as the Tee Chek or Iron Ruler. The easiest Mandarin name that I have ever heard for the weapon is Cha- which is not to be confused with the Mandarin word for tea.  Researching this weapon's history is a tricky affair. You can run into somebody tell you th...