Another club with an identity crisis…

Today, I thought I’d talk about yet another club. Now this weapon may not be recognizable to you as a blunt striking weapon, but believe me, that is what it is supposed to be. Or at least that is what is used to be. Before Hollywood got it’s grubby little hands on it… OK, I suppose you’ll want to know at some point specifically what kind of weapon I’m talking about… well here it is. Let me introduce you to the elegant Sai…

The Okinawan Sai

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No one really seems to know how the Sai Originated. Some historians say that the Sai developed in much the same way that the Japanese Kunai did, as an innocuous garden implement. However there is little concrete evidence of this. There is, however evidence that a similar weapon was used in China, and it is possible that this is a derivative of that weapon, though there isn’t any evidence to support that either. In fact we just don’t have enough real evidence, of any type, relating to its true origin. It’s an enigma. Like me. *Cough*

Regardless of it’s origins, the exotic Sai has become unique focal point of quite a few martial arts movies, in which they have been functionally converted from clubs to knives and daggers. A good well known example was the pair of Sai wielded by the hot-headed Raphael, from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise.

 

Raphael’s Sai

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Another more recent addition to the Hollywood Sai club are the elegant weapons of the lethal Assassin Elektra Natchios, (played by Jennifer Garner) from the movies DareDevil, and Elektra.

Elektra’s Sai

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Now you will notice that both of these Sai fit the general physical characteristics and use of traditional sai. Except for two oh-so-small details. First, contrary to what hollywood would have you believe, sai were actually unlikely to have ever been used by Japanese ninjas. Nope. It’s all Hollywood lies. The second issue is in regards to the physical design of traditional sai.

You’ll notice that both of the sai featured above have flattened blades and a very sharp tip. In spite of the lack of knowledge regarding the origins of traditional sai, it’s structure and functionality has, in contrast, been very well documented, and is preserved within the styles of many martial arts schools. This is what traditional Sai are supposed to look like:

 

Traditional Okinawan Sai

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You’ll notice that traditional Sai “blades” are round or octagonal in shape, and had relatively blunt/rounded tips. And there was a good reason for that. Unlike the way they are depicted in the modern media, where they are used more like small swords or daggers, traditional Sai are actually truncheons/clubs. More like Jutte, than knives. They were not intended to be used as either daggers or knives, but primarily as an impact weapon Stabbing was not high on the sai functional list, and so if you look at most traditional sai, you will see that the main prong is not sharpened. In fact it has a blunt tip, in line with it’s primary use as a club.

However, that being said, I have to admit that while the new designs don’t exactly conform to traditional Sai specifications, for the most part, I like what has been done with them. A well designed bladed Sai should, in theory, be somewhat more versatile that the traditional, non-bladed design. I would totally use the new version if I had to make a choice.

I mean really:
Old Sai: No blade. New Sai: Double edged blade.
Old Sai: No point. New Sai: Wicked point.
Old Sai: Meh. New Sai (in black, of course): Schwing!!

I’d say it’s a no-brainer. But it could just be me…

Elektra’s Sai – [Medieval Weapon Art]