The Broken Stick
Much of my childhood was spent playing Ninja. With the television as the authority of what Ninjas did and what weapons they used I have deemed the Nunchaku the most essential part of my arsenal. When I got my hands on martial arts books, however, I found that the Nunchaku and the Ninja did not have any connection whatsoever. I have learnt that the Nunchaku rather shared its history with Karate on the Ryukyu Islands of which Okinawa is the capital. I still loved the weapon regardless of this revelation. Now... like many Kobudo and Kobujutsu students and people who have gotten their information from the same sources as I would tell you that this weapon was originally a farm implement. I had no reason to doubt this story, but I was to learn a new story long after I had finished high school. You see... Some people swore that this flail weapon was used by Ryukyu farmers to beat rice grains off the stalks. To this day I wonder whether it is the most effici...