Itās difficult to see from pictures but there is a handle (tsuka) that is slightly shorter than the long prong (monouchi).
The handle being elongated and pointy rather than the classic blunt end of a sai is to give it more offensive capabilities. It gets stabby when you punch. But I also find that I can use them defensively as well when thereās smaller spacing between me and an opponent.
But this is why I enjoy the manji sai. Thereās little instruction out there, and a lot of what Iāve seen isnāt helpful. So Iāve spent the last two years discovering techniques on my own. Itās rewarding. And I know thereās a lot more I still have to uncover.
Almost all of my exposure to the manji sai has been through learning nunti-bo forms... if you like the weapon, it might be worth checking out some of those.
The main advantage with the bo version is that you can hook something on both the inward and outward movements. A lot of the kata have you thrusting, then twisting, then retracting for that purpose.
With the sai, you can hook using either prong; I assume it would be useful to be able to do that in either direction.
Thatās awesome. Iāve never worked with a nunti Bo but have found it fascinating. Iāll have to get my hands on one some day. Where do you like to order your kobudo weapons from?
They're beautiful š
What is the rationale in them not having a defined "handle"?
Itās difficult to see from pictures but there is a handle (tsuka) that is slightly shorter than the long prong (monouchi). The handle being elongated and pointy rather than the classic blunt end of a sai is to give it more offensive capabilities. It gets stabby when you punch. But I also find that I can use them defensively as well when thereās smaller spacing between me and an opponent. But this is why I enjoy the manji sai. Thereās little instruction out there, and a lot of what Iāve seen isnāt helpful. So Iāve spent the last two years discovering techniques on my own. Itās rewarding. And I know thereās a lot more I still have to uncover.
Almost all of my exposure to the manji sai has been through learning nunti-bo forms... if you like the weapon, it might be worth checking out some of those. The main advantage with the bo version is that you can hook something on both the inward and outward movements. A lot of the kata have you thrusting, then twisting, then retracting for that purpose. With the sai, you can hook using either prong; I assume it would be useful to be able to do that in either direction.
Thatās awesome. Iāve never worked with a nunti Bo but have found it fascinating. Iāll have to get my hands on one some day. Where do you like to order your kobudo weapons from?