This weapon, shaped like a man, was brought intokobudo Okinawa by Chinese officials in a trading era. Officer’s Chiku and Saji, who acted as both judge and police at the same time, carried Sai in order to protect the King, control crowds, and catch criminals. There was a similar weapon called “Jutte” which was used by police officers in mainland Japan. However, Sai is usually used in pairs with a third sometimes carried as a back up. It is good for both defense and attack. Sometimes it can even be thrown to stab a runaway criminal. Sai implies an ornamental hairpin and it was mentioned in Chinese war tactics book “Bubishi”. It has been actively practiced in Okinawa as a martial art for a long time. This technique was handed down to late Shinko Matayoshi Sensei by Higa Sensei (Gushikawa Tiragawa) who came to Gushikawa village from Shuri.
