Japanese Sai

A Brief History Of The Sai

The purpose of the Japanese Sai weapon was debated about for a long time. Some people thought the weapon was intended for just that purpose, to be a weapon.

But other people theorised that the Sai was made as an agricultural too to measure crops, to bale hay, to hold rolling carts in place or to plant rice.

The Sai is a dagger shaped fork with two prongs that are usually curved and project out from the hilt of the weapon.

The Sai is sometimes used as a training weapon in the martial art Jujitsu. In Jujitsu the practitioners focus on the forms of certain movements and sometimes add in a weapon for aesthetic flair. The Sai is often used in kata and form. The tip of the weapon is often dulled or blunt as to not hurt the opposition.

The unique shape of the Sai, with the two pronged hilt, has the advantage during combat as it can trap the opponents weapon in these prongs and disarm them. Even weapons as large as a long sword can be disarmed. The Sai is also a very good weapon for defensive moves. The Sai is a very versatile weapon and is probably best used by those who are very agile.

The Sai in Popular Culture

In popular culture, the Sai has been featured in many movies. The comic book, super hero character Elektra used a pair of Sai as her weapon of choice, and Jennifer Garner certainly looks the part, so long as she doesn’t act, speak or move. Other notable Sai advocates include Gabrielle, the character from Xena, Raphael the Turtle and the Neo in The Matrix Reloaded.

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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }

Richelieu February 16, 2009 at 5:18 pm

Oh yeah, she’s using sai – I didn’t see them for a minute :)

Having seen sai used in a demonstration at SENI, I love them. So fast!

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Groove February 16, 2009 at 5:28 pm

She’ll have someone’s eye out if she’s not careful

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admin February 18, 2009 at 8:54 am

The one time we add a pretty girl and it’s the first post to get comments, shame on you. We must use this cunning marketing ploy in future :)

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not telling March 29, 2009 at 3:47 am

its a girl duh!

shes not holding the sai right

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