Kuwa - Japanese Martial Arts Weapon

The Kuwa is a Japanese weapon based on the garden hoe. It was developed in Okinawa, Japan. In Japan, where peasants were banned from traditional weapons (i.e. Katana - Japanese swords), they had to use common farming tools in order to defend themselves. Over time, these "gardening" tools developed into formidable weapons.

Kuwa was used like a staff as well as for its slashing/chopping capability. However, the Kuma is not as well known as other Kobudo weapons such as the Bo, Nunchaku and Sai.

To learn about other traditional weapons, please visit the main Kobudo Weapons or Martial Arts Weapons sections.