Sai

I was given a pair of Sai by a good friend many years ago. I liked them yet that was about it, I liked them. At that time I didn’t understand the tool one bit. It wasn’t until I had to learn Jutte techniques in school that I started my understanding. We had a few wooden Jutte but nothing of weight and the fact there was four of us that needed to train with Jutte. I felt it would be best to use my sai as they could be used in the same way as Jutte, that and they were big enough to catch our large bokuto.



Well it had started, the first technique the sword comes in I step off I am to attack the hands than leverage the sword out of the attackers hand. Well not only did the technique work well, I noticed that I could catch the wrist of my attacker and that’s when a whole new world opened up to me! The world of Sai.

On top of that I had two Sai, one for each hand. Now I could deflect weapons, block, hook, trap weapons, arms and legs!!! I love this. At this point I started to understand the energy of Jumonji no kamae. With these two 18” Sai I could strike with 3 different ranges, I could keep them concealed and I could throw them. Have I said how much I love working with Sai yet? Cause I do!

Well as all good things come to an end, my teacher had ordered in a Jutte for each of us to use. It was time to put the sai away and start to understand the tool I was to truly understand at the time.

My passion for this tool continued, yet I wanted a different feeling to my Sai. For one my 18” sai were too short for my liking. I was told that they need to extend past the elbow by an inch. So I bought my self a set of sai that extended past my elbow 1 inch. I found them boring! They were two long they just didn’t have the right feeling!

I sold that pair and went without Sai for about a year. I was working on my own set. A set that would be heavy so I could feel them and they could teach me to move, I wanted them to be able to capture limbs. I wanted them to be sharp, a live tool commands respect so if one doesn’t respect said tool it will bi! I wanted the teeth of these Sai to be straight so they could even capture limbs that are two big to be caught. (not that I wish to do so, honestly I am a very non-violent person) did I say sharp already?...oh yes I did, moving on.

Earlier this year I made a set of sai on the forge. Upon putting them together I was so existed! Once they were forged I held them and moved with them…it wasn’t good. They didn’t move it was as if they were asleep or just not interested in working. Again I had no sai. How could such a simple tool be so complicated to create? Kunai aren’t this hard to create, what was I missing?

A few more months past by before I started looking at them again. Not sure what I was going to do with them. I had to head up north for work and my good friend (the same that gave me my first set) lent me his personal Sai to work with. Once I got home first thing first the Sai need to breath, let’s see how they move. This is where it all started to make sense.

Upon spinning them in my hand form open to close I noticed it’s as if, it’s rolling over my hand. HA! It’s the center lump on the Sai! You know that lump that seems to be the connecting point of the teeth and center bar. I went and grabbed my Sai and about 24’ feet of cloth. I started wrapping the center as tight as I could, making sure it was balanced. It took me 15 minutes to complete. Then I spun it in my hand !!!YES!!! That was it the whole time. I wanted the center pivot point I needed that extra surface area to have the feel I wanted.

Since that day I have yet to be without that sai. It weights 2 lbs, 8oz Soon its sister will be brought to life. I will be back having a pair of Sai that are truly my own.



I must thank my friend for introducing me to Sai, and reintroducing them again 10 years later. Thank you Chris!

The Kunai; used for digging, prying, climbing and throwing. An all around all purpose tool. Not all kunai were created equally though. Some were meant for very specific purposes. To build in the balance of use one may find themselves owning a few kunai to fill all the jobs.

The 3 major are; One prying and removing stone, Two working the soil for harvest and 3 fighting.

A prying kunai had a thick handle and blade with a blunt end so to give extra surface to hammer it into place. This ``Thick`` end made the Kunai balance move more towards the center of the tool, great for throwing. This tool would have been used to take apart walls and dig traps.

Working the soil kunai would have a wooden handle around its steel tang. This style makes it easy to feel for root structures and for digging since the handle was wider and thicker than both of its brothers. The balance of this kunai was not great for throwing.

Fighting Kunai looked like its brothers yet its handle formed into a ring allowing it to carry a rope if need be. This kunai would be able to hide as a farming tool, yet when needed could spring to life as weapon. Adding rope allowed one to gain distance with the tool, the distance depended only on the rope that was carried. The Kunai had a forward balance making throwing interesting yet keeping rope work fun.

Kunai have had a long history. There ability to function is still around today. As the Top and bottom Kunai are both built by Nine Directions.com and the center Kunai is being mass produced today in Japan as a gardening tool.