Sai perspective

I began my study of Kobudo with Sai when I was training with Charles Murray, back about 1977. When he studied on Okinawan in 1971 at Agena he learned the Isshinryu version of Chantan Yara No Sai kata at the Agena Dojo, under Shimabuku Tatsuo.

My Sai came from a visit to Asian World of the Martial Arts in it’s old location in Philadelphia on North Broad Street. Most would recognize my Sai as one of the most common versions commercially sold. Solid chrome plated steel with wide tines and decades of dents. Well balanced but not perfectly so, with the years they’re perfect to me.

I remember in Fumio Demura’s book on Sai , the book showing photographs of different Sai types. Charles brought a pair back from Okinawa in 1972 for Mr. Lewis, they were small almost dagger like. He told me how on visiting a Goju school he saw the students throwing their Sai into a tree for target practice.

There is another Isshinryu Sai kata Kusanku Sai . It was created by Isshinryu founder Shimabuku Tatsuo using Isshinryu’s Kusanku kata for it’s base and adding a piece from one of his older Sai kata, Kyan No Sai, was designed to be done with three Sai. Towards the end of the kata, one Sai is tossed into the ground and the third Sai pulled out of the obi to replace the one thrown. It is likely the toss to the ground was not to throw it through someone’s foot, but was done for safety in the dojo, where the original use was likely like the Goju students practice.

I imagine it very rare today when one would be called upon to use Sai in self defense. On the other hand long, hard study of Sai is a great compliment to empty hand karate. The techniques really work to increase power in striking and blocking, simply from the weight of the weapon in your hands. The practice also builds grip strength over the years allowing you to transfer that power when grabbing in kata technique application practice.

From my experience all Kobudo study is most useful for the adult. It takes the potential of adult strength, developed ligaments and tendons all working together to build advanced skills. Younger students rarely have the best mixture of the above and frequently their kata execution is modified to take their current ability into account.

For those systems which incorporate Sai studies, they are well worth the long range development which might result.