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WABUKAN Arsenal · Training tools · Okinawa

Chi ishi and nigiri game

Okinawan hojo undo tools: stone levers (chi ishi) and gripping jars (nigiri game) to strengthen the body for karate.

Chi ishi and nigiri game
Chi ishi and nigiri game WABUKAN illustration

Also known as

補助運動 · hojo undō; nigiri-game; ishi-sashi; kongōken (related)

Origin and history

Hojo undō, the supplementary training of Okinawan karate, uses simple tools: the chi-ishi (a weighted lever) and the nigiri-game (gripping jars). Miyagi Chōjun’s Gōjū-ryū and Uechi-ryū kept them as a core part of training.

Martial arts that use it

goju-ryu uechi-ryu Karate

Construction

The chi-ishi is a wooden handle about 30–45 cm long with a stone or concrete weight at one end. The nigiri-game are clay jars with a lip, gripped by the rim and loaded with sand or water.

Basic techniques

Training

Training tools are used in short, regular sessions: correct technique first, then gradual increases in load or contact so that joints, skin and tendons adapt.

Safety

Increase load and contact gradually, stop if joints hurt (as opposed to normal muscle fatigue), and check the equipment and its fixings before each use.

Legality (general information)

This is training or traditional equipment, not a weapon, and is generally free to buy and own. Clubs and federations may still set rules on approved models and condition. General information, not legal advice.

Did you know?

Walking in sanchin stance while gripping weighted jars trains the grip, the stance and the breath at the same time.

More weapons

Wooden dummy Gada Feder Espada preta (black sword) Punching bag Meel

Sources

Original WABUKAN text, written from these cross-checked sources (facts, not sentences).

  1. Wikipedia — Hojo undō
  2. Wikipedia — Gōjū-ryū