Tecchu is one of the anki, or
hidden weapons. It is shaped like iron chopsticks with a thing
like a ring attached to the middle section. You use it by
putting your middle finger through that ring. Held that way,
only the edge of the tecchu sticks out from the fingertips,
which means it doesn't look like a weapon at a glance. But
it is actually a very dangerous kind of weapon because you
can kill your opponent the moment he is off guard by striking
in a fatal spot using the edge of the tecchu. It is
said that some Okinawans used to make something similar to
a tecchu, using pieces of oak, which they carried it
in their pocket for self-defense purposes. The tecchu
kata were developed by Shinken Taira based on the Jion
kata of the Shorin-ryu, and they have been handed down
to the present.
|
The Jiifa (hair pin - kanzashi)
is another weapon that can be easily hidden in your hands.
It has been handed own to the present as a self-defense weapon
just like the tecchu. |
