Nunchaku

The nunchaku () (Japanese: ヌンチャク, sometimes “nunchuks” (), “nunchucks”, “chainsticks”, “chuka sticks” or “karate sticks” in English,) is a traditional Okinawan martial arts weapon consisting of two sticks (traditionally made of wood), connected to each other at their ends by a short metal chain or a rope. A person who has practiced using this weapon is referred to in Japanese as nunchakuka.
The nunchaku is most widely used in martial arts such as Okinawan kobudō and karate. It is intended to be used as a training weapon, since practicing with it enables the development of quick hand movements and improves posture. Modern nunchaku may be made of metal, plastic or fiberglass instead of the traditional wood. Toy versions and replicas not intended to be used as weapons may be made of polystyrene foam or plastic. Possession of this weapon is illegal in some countries, except for use in professional martial arts schools.
The origin of the nunchaku is unclear; a traditional explanation holds that it was were originally used by Okinawan farmers as a rice-flail (for threshing rice). Another weapon, called the tabak-toyok, native to the northern Philippines, is constructed very similarly, suggesting that it and the nunchaku descended from the same instrument. Even in the old days, when the nunchaku was used as a weapon, it was never widely popular, because it was ineffective against more widely used weapons of the time, such as katana and naginata – and little information about techniques for its use as a weapon survive.
In modern times, the nunchaku (Tabak-Toyok) was popularized by the actor and martial artist Bruce Lee and by Dan Inosanto, who both learned Japanese martial arts from Lee and taught him Filipino martial arts – and who introduced the actor to the nunchaku. Lee famously used nunchaku in several scenes in the 1972 film Fist of Fury. When Tadashi Yamashita worked with Bruce Lee on the 1973 film Enter the Dragon, he enabled Lee to further explore the use of the nunchaku and other kobudo disciplines. The nunchaku is also the signature weapon of the cartoon character Michelangelo in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise.
In addition the nunchaku is used in certain contact sports.