Yawara
Encyclopedia
The yawara is a Japanese weapon
used in various martial arts. It is also the specific weapon of Yawara-Jitsu
.
The Yawara originated from the use of Kongou
, a Buddhist symbolic object, by various monks during Feudal Japan. The Yawara takes the form of one or two small, thick sticks which stick out about an inch from each side of the hand. They are usually used in pairs to initiate throws
, bone breaks, and pressure point
strikes.
The yawara stick was popularized for police officers in the 1940s by Professor Frank A. Matsuyama. Matsuyama also made his own lethal version in 1937 or earlier.
. There are similarities in the kanji
for yawara (柔) and jujutsu (柔術). The yawari, tessen (iron fan), and short stick are used to apply yawara or jujutsu techniques. The yawara movements are believed to have been derived from the sheathed knife techniques of tantojutsu
.
Weapon
A weapon, arm, or armament is a tool or instrument used with the aim of causing damage or harm to living beings or artificial structures or systems...
used in various martial arts. It is also the specific weapon of Yawara-Jitsu
Yawara-Jitsu
Yawara-Jitsu is a self-defense-oriented martial art. It derives from the millenary Yawara, or "agility art", from which other schools were born such as Wa-Jitsu, Tai-Jitsu, Kumuishi, or Kempo....
.
The Yawara originated from the use of Kongou
Vajra
Vajra is a Sanskrit word meaning both thunderbolt and diamond...
, a Buddhist symbolic object, by various monks during Feudal Japan. The Yawara takes the form of one or two small, thick sticks which stick out about an inch from each side of the hand. They are usually used in pairs to initiate throws
Throw (grappling)
A throw is a martial arts term for a grappling technique that involves off-balancing or lifting an opponent, and tossing them to the ground in Japanese martial arts referred to as nage-waza, 投げ技, "throwing technique"...
, bone breaks, and pressure point
Pressure point
A pressure point in the field of martial arts refers to an area on the human body that may produce significant pain or other effects when manipulated in a specific manner...
strikes.
The yawara stick was popularized for police officers in the 1940s by Professor Frank A. Matsuyama. Matsuyama also made his own lethal version in 1937 or earlier.
Legality
In the United States, yawaras are not intrinsically illegal in every jurisdiction. In the United Kingdom, "any article made or adapted for use for causing injury to the person, or intended by the person having it with him for such use" is defined as an offensive weapon under the Prevention of Crime Act of 1953 thus potentially including a yawara stick.Yawarajutsu
Yawarajutsu is a martial art focusing on the yawara. It is sometimes simply referred to as yawara, and this name has been used interchangeably with jujutsuJujutsu
Jujutsu , also known as jujitsu, ju-jitsu, or Japanese jiu-jitsu, is a Japanese martial art and a method of close combat for defeating an armed and armored opponent in which one uses no weapon, or only a short weapon....
. There are similarities in the kanji
Kanji
Kanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...
for yawara (柔) and jujutsu (柔術). The yawari, tessen (iron fan), and short stick are used to apply yawara or jujutsu techniques. The yawara movements are believed to have been derived from the sheathed knife techniques of tantojutsu
Tantojutsu
Tantōjutsu is a Japanese term for a variety of knife fighting systems....
.
In popular culture
- Fictional comic strip character Modesty BlaiseModesty BlaiseModesty Blaise is a British comic strip featuring a fictional character of the same name, created by Peter O'Donnell and Jim Holdaway in 1963. The strip follows the adventures of Modesty Blaise, an exceptional young woman with many talents and a criminal past, and her trusty sidekick Willie Garvin...
often uses a single yawara, which she calls a "kongo". - Tommy Okase in J. T. Edson's Ole Devil series uses a yawara.
- The yawara plays an important role in the 2004 movie Twisted.
- Cold SteelCold SteelCold Steel is a Ventura, California-based maker of knives, swords and other edged weapons and tools. Cold Steel was founded in 1980 by company president, Lynn C. Thompson...
, a blade and weapon speciality company, markets the Pocket Shark, a durable, reinforced polymer permanent marker designed to hold up to impact and pressure with the intention of being used as a yawara. Cold Steel also markets the Koga SD series, of structural nylon, for use as short batons. - The Japanese manga and anime "YAWARA!Yawara! A Fashionable Judo GirlYAWARA!, also known as Yawara! A Fashionable Judo Girl, is a Japanese manga series by Naoki Urasawa which ran in Big Comic Spirits from 1986 to 1993...
" ran from 1986 to 1993 and tells the story of Yawara Inokuma, a young girl who aspires to an ordinary life but who, due to her innate talent, is forced to keep practicing judo by her authoritarian grandfather, Jigorou Inokuma, with the aim of achieving championship in Japan and the gold medal in the Barcelona's 1992 Olympic Games.
See also
- Arnis sticks
- HanboHanboThe hanbō is a staff used in martial arts. Traditionally, the hanbō was approximately three shaku or about long, half the length of the usual staff, the rokushakubō . Diameter was...
- KubotanKubotanThe Kubotan self-defense keychain is a close-quarter self-defense weapon developed by Takayuki Kubota. It is essentially a derivation of the stick, usually 5.5 inches long and 0.56 inch in diameter, slightly thicker or the same size as a marker pen...
- yubi-boYubi-boThe yubi-bo was a variation of the larger bo and han-bo. It was only about 8 inches long, and was similar to the yawara. It was first used by the ninja of feudal Japan due to its ability to be easily concealed, yet lethal....
- List of martial arts weapons