The kris or keris is a distinctive, asymmetrical dagger indigenous to to the "Malay World"; Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Southern Thailand (Patani) and the Southern Philippines (Mindanao).

Both a weapon, and spiritual object, kerisses are often considered to have an essence or presence, with some blades possessing good luck and others possessing bad.

The keris spread from the island of Java to many parts of the archipelago of Indonesia, such as Sumatra, Bali, Lombok, Sumbawa, South Sulawesi, Kalimantan, and to the Southeast Asian areas now known as Malaysia, Brunei, southern Philippines, southern Thailand, and Singapore.

The keris originated in Java. No precise date can be given. However, it would be safe to say that the proto-keris was developed between the 9th century AD and the 14th century AD.

Most scholars (albeit western) put the date to sometime in the 12th century AD. The basis of this is that the earlist representation of a true keris in temple carvings appear on the 14th century Shiva Temple of Candi Penataran.

In this relief from the Shiva Temple at Candi Penataran someone is executed with a keris.

In 2005, UNESCO gave the title Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity to Kris of Indonesia.

More information here From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia about Kris/Keris.

A sword is a long-edged piece of metal, used as a cutting and/or thrusting weapon in many civilizations throughout the world.

The word sword comes from the Old English, sweord, which cognates to Old High German, swert, Middle Dutch swaert, Old Norse, sverð (cp. modern Scandinavian sværd/sverd/svärd: Danish sværd, Norwegian sverd, Swedish svärd) Old Frisian and Old Saxon swerd and Modern Dutch zwaard, from a Proto-Indo-European root *swer- "to wound, to hurt".

A sword fundamentally consists of a blade, a hilt, and a pommel, typically with one or two edges for striking and cutting, and a point for thrusting. The basic intent and physics of swordsmanship has remained fairly constant down the centuries, but the actual techniques varied among cultures and periods as a result of the differences in blade design and purpose.

The names given to many swords in mythology, literature, and history reflect the high prestige of the weapon.

More information here From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia about sword.

A dagger (from Vulgar Latin: 'daca' - a Dacian knife) is a typically double-edged blade used for stabbing or thrusting. They often fulfill the role of a secondary defense weapon in close combat. In most cases, a tang extends into the handle along the centreline of the blade.

Daggers may be roughly differentiated from knives on the basis that daggers are intended primarily for stabbing whereas knives are usually single-edged and intended mostly for cutting. However, many or perhaps most knives and daggers are usually very capable of either stabbing or cutting.

More information here From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia about knife or dagger.

A war hammer is a late medieval weapon of war intended for close combat, the design of which resembles the hammer. The war hammer consists of a handle and a head. The handle may be of different lengths, the longest being roughly equivalent to the halberd, and the shortest about the same as a mace. Long war hammers were pole weapons (polearms) meant for use against riders, whereas short ones were used in closer quarters and from horseback. Later war hammers often had a spike on one side of the head, thus making it a more versatile weapon. War hammers were developed as a consequence of the ever more prevalent metal armors of the medieval battlefields during the 14th and 15th centuries. Swords were of little use against these armours. The war hammer could deal blows of tremendous force to the target, especially when mounted on a pole, and by impact alone do damage without penetrating the armour. The spike end could be used for grappling the target's armour, reins, or shield, or could be turned in the direction of the blow to pierce even heavy armour. Against mounted opponents, the weapon could also be directed at the legs of the horse, toppling the armored foe to the ground where he could be more easily attacked.

A famous instance of a hammer as a weapon is Mjolnir, the weapon of the Norse god, Thor.

Other weapons that are types of war hammers include:

• Bec de Corbin
• Horseman's pick
• Lucerne hammer
• Maul


More information here From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

about war hammer.

The nunchaku (Chinese: shuang jié gùn; , liang jié gùn "Dual Section Staff"; èr jié gùn "Two Section Staff"; Japanese: nunchaku; , shoshikon "Boatman's staff," also sometimes called "nunchucks", "numchuks", or "chain sticks" in English) is a traditional weapon of the Kobudo weapons set and consists of two sticks connected at their ends with a short chain or rope. A sansetsukon is a similar weapon with three sticks attached on chains instead of two.

History

Although the certain origin of nunchaku is disputed, it is thought to come from China through the Japanese island of Okinawa; and they were created in their current incarnation for the movies. The Japanese word nunchaku itself comes from the Hokkien (Min Nan) word nng-chiat-kun(no-chiat kun). When viewed etymologically from its Okinawan roots, nun comes from the word for twin, and chaku from shaku, a unit of measurement. The popular belief is that the nunchaku was originally a short flail used to thresh rice or soybeans (that is, separate the grain from the husk).

It is also possible that the weapon was developed in response to the moratorium on edged weaponry under the Satsuma daimyo after invading Okinawa in the 17th century, and that the weapon was most likely conceived and used exclusively for that end, as the configuration of actual flails and bits are unwieldy for use as a weapon. Also, peasant farmers were forbidden conventional weaponry such as arrows or blades so they improvised using only what they had available, farm tools such as the sickle. The modern weapon would be an ineffective flail.

Another popular theory is that the nunchaku originated from China, Song Dynasty. It was named "da pan long gun", meaning great coiled dragon stick. The weapon is composed of one long stick and a short stick connected by horse hair. It was commonly used in wars against cavalry to trap horse legs. The weapon eventually evolved into a short range weapon as seen in our present day nunchaku.

The nunchaku as a weapon has surged in popularity since martial artist Bruce Lee used it in his movies in the 1970s. It is generally considered by martial artists to be a limited weapon, although it is also one of the least understood weapons. Complex and difficult to wield, the nunchaku lacks the range of the bo (quarterstaff) and the edged advantage of a sword. The nunchaku has a steep learning curve. It is also prone to inflicting injury on its user.

More information here From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia about nunchaku.

Sai is the Ryukyu name for a traditional Okinawan weapon also used in India, China, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.

The basic form of the weapon is that of a pointed, rod-shaped baton, with two long, unsharpened projections (called tsuba) attached to the handle. The very end of the handle is called the knuckle.

Sai are constructed in a variety of forms. Traditional sai are round, while some reproductions have adapted an octagonal middle prong. The tsuba are traditionally symmetrical, however, the Manji design developed by Taira Shinken employs oppositely facing tsuba.

It is believed that the sai was always a weapon. Although some hypothesize that it originated as an agricultural tool used to measure stalks, plow fields, plant rice, or to hold cart wheels in place, evidence for this is limited.

The sai is known to have been used in other parts of Asia before its arrival on Okinawa, likely originating from Indonesia. In Malay the sai is known as a "chabang" (also spelled cabang/tjabang, meaning branch) and is thought to derive from the Indian trident. The chabang spread through the rest of Indo-China through trade, and may have reached Okinawa from one or more of these places simultaneously. In China it might have been known as the San-Ku-Chu.

More information here Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia about sai.

The tonfa, also known as tong fa or tuifa, is a traditional Okinawan weapon from which the modern side-handled police baton is derived.

History

The tonfa's origin is found outside of Okinawa. Folklore says it was originally used as the wooden handle that fit into the side of millstones and was later developed into a weapon. In China, the tonfa is said to have developed from a crutch. Either way, it was also an early weapon of Southeast Asia, particularly Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. A similar weapon is used in Thailand and called the mae sun sawk which had rope tying the elbow end of it to the arm. Now, sometimes police officers in Europe, China, and Croatia use the tonfa instead of a normal baton.

For infor here From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia about tonfa.