In the Okinawan language, "Nun" means Horse. "Chiyaku" means Bridle. The original Nunchiyaku was a horse bridle. The design was two crescent shaped pieces of wood with ropes and cords that laced them onto the horse's muzzle. They had several sets of holes for this as well as for the riders reins. The style of these tools, turned weapons was mostly used on the horses that pulled carts and wagons and must have changed over the years as horse harnesses improved.

It is thought that women invented Nunchaku to defend themselves after Satsuma's subjugation of the Ryukyu Kingdom about 380 years ago. The idea of making this weapon originated with the tool, which peels off the bark of Abaca (banana tree) for weaving. However, in Fuzhou China, there was a weapon called "Nisetsu Kon" or "Ryosetsu Kon" but pronounced "Nunchaku" in dialect. Its technique has a long history and is similar to Sansetsu Kon. Therefore, this Nunchaku jutsu seems to be influenced from Fuzhou China.

The nunchaku stick is divided into 3 parts: the upper part (jokon-bu), the middle part (chukon-bu) and the lower-part (kikon-bu). The top of the stick is called kontoh and the rope passes through the hole (ana). The bottom of the nunchaku is called kontei. Also called "Sosetsu Kon", Nunchaku is a pair of wooden sticks, usually made of oak, tied together at one end by two strings. The art of Nunchaku was developed for self-defense. Easily concealed, similar weapons are still used today in guerrilla war in Korea and around Southeast Asian countries.

bushikan.com / karateusa.com