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WABUKAN Arsenal · Flexible weapons · China

Three-section staff

Three short staffs joined by chains. It strikes around a block and is one of the hardest Chinese weapons to master.

Three-section staff
Three-section staff WABUKAN illustration

Also known as

三節棍 · sān jié gùn; sansetsukon (Okinawan)

Origin and history

Three wooden sections joined by chains or cords form a flexible staff that can strike, block and entangle. Chinese tradition attributes it to the Song dynasty; it is practised in southern and Shaolin styles and was adopted in Okinawan kobudō as sansetsukon.

Martial arts that use it

Shaolin Kung Fu Kung Fu

Construction

Three sections of hardwood of about 60–70 cm each, joined by short chains or rope; total length about 2 m. Some versions have metal caps on the end sections.

Basic techniques

Training

Flexible weapons are learned slowly with foam, rope or rubber versions: first the swings and wraps around the body, then changes of hand and stops, and only later strikes at a target. They punish mistakes on the user first, so speed comes last.

Safety

Start with soft versions, wear eye protection and keep a wide empty circle around you. Check chains, cords and joints before each session: a part that breaks mid-swing becomes a projectile.

Legality (general information)

Sticks, staffs and other impact or flexible weapons are ordinary objects in some countries and restricted weapons in others (several European countries, for example, regulate nunchaku, batons or weighted chains). Carrying one in public without a good reason can be an offence even where owning it is legal. Transport it in a bag and use it in the training hall. This is general information, not legal advice: check local law.

Did you know?

Its folding design lets the fighter use it as a long staff, a short double weapon or a flail.

More weapons

Urumi Kusarigama Nunchaku Manrikigusari Meteor hammer Rope dart

Sources

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

  1. Wikipedia — Three-section staff