List of Martial Arts Weapons

Exclusively used in combat situations and considered the protector of the warrior's soul. Many katana are believed to have souls of their own, particularly those that have a long and honorable history. To lose one's sword is an enormous dishonor; it means you have been careless with your soul and therefore, cannot be trusted with any significant responsibility. Many have names and have been passed down through generations of family members. The long sword is never drawn fully unless the owner intends to shed blood; to sheathe the blade bloodless is considered an insult to the sword's soul. The only exception to this rule is when the sword is being cleaned. The beautiful slightly curved sword called katana is said by many to be the very soul of Japan, and the county's history and folklore is replete with references to the blade.

Escrima or Eskrima refers to a class of Filipino Martial Arts that emphasize stick and sword fighting. Other terms which have entered into common usage include Kali and Arnis de Mano (harness of the hand); occasionally the abbreviation FMA (Filipino Martial Arts) is used. Escrima and Arnis are among the many names primarily used in the Philippines today to refer to these arts. The name Kali, although primarily used in the United States and Europe, is seldom used in the Philippines and in most cases is an unknown word. But due to the popularity of the term outside of the Philippines and the influence of foreign practitioners, the term Kali is increasingly being recognized and accepted in the Philippines. Kalis, as used in the Philippines, refers to a sword. It is commonly mistaken as synonymous to or a derivative form of kali (note: postfixing of "s" is not used in Filipino languages or dialects to indicate plurality). However, for all intents and purposes, Eskrima, Arnis, Arnis de Mano, Kali and FMA all refer to the same family of Filipino weapons-based martial arts.

Tonfa, also known as tong fa or tuifa, is a traditional Okinawan weapon from which the modern side-handled police baton is derived. Its from the kobudo discipline which is the Okinawan art of fighting with weapons made or taken from everyday objects. The tonfa is a wooden rice husking tool used as a weapon and has a handle similar to a police baton.

Ninja Throwing Stars have been around for many centuries. Origianlly made famous by the legend of the Ninjas, the throwing star or Shuriken is a basic throwing weapon with striking on all edges. The throwing star, shaken, or tonki as it is known is not a "leathal" weapon. These "throwing stars" usually had only four points, as more than four were considered as being too difficult to handle. The exact date and origin of the throwing stars and knives is unknown. It is believed that it originated in China around 600AD and that it was first utilized in Ninjitsu. The shuriken were sometimes used as a warning means, or to deliver death threat messages to enemies. The first bo shuriken were actually sharpened hairpins, kept in the hair as a last-effort weapon.

A bo or kon, a long staff, usually made of tapered hard wood or bamboo, but sometimes it is made of metal or plated with metal for extra strength; also, a full-size bo is sometimes called a rokushakubo. This name derives from the Japanese words roku , meaning "six"; shaku ; a Japanese measurement equivalent to 30.3 centimeters, or just under 1 foot; and bo. Thus, rokushakubo refers to a staff about 6-shaku (1.818 m, about 6 ft.) long. The bo is typically one and a quarter inches thick in the middle, gradually tapering at both ends to three quarters of an inch. This thickness allows the user to make a tight fist around it in order to block and counter an attack. The most common shape, maru-bo, is a round staff, while kaku-bo (four-sided staff), rokkaku-bo (six-sided staff), hakkaku-bo (eight-sided staff) also exist.[1] Other types of b%u014D range from heavy to light, from rigid to highly flexible, and from simply a piece of wood picked up off the side of the road to ornately decorated works of art.

Sai is the Ryukyu name for a traditional Okinawan weapon also used in India, China, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. Its basic form is that of a pointed, rod-shaped baton, with two long, unsharpened projections (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.

The nunchaku, also sometimes called "nunchucks", "numchuks", or "chain sticks" in English is a traditional Okinawan weapon of the Kobudo weapons set and consists of two short 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. Nunchakus was originally used as a horse bit and now has become, without doubt, the most well known martial art weapon in the world.

A bokken , bok(u) "wood", and ken, "sword", is a wooden Katana used for training or practice in class. It is usually the size and shape of a katana, but sometimes shaped like other swords, such as the wakizashi and tanto. They are also known as bokuto ("wooden sword"), which is the usual term in Japan.