Talk:Sai (weapon)

Jitte's historical use

I think jitte were used by police all over Japan during the Edo era. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 216.52.73.254 (talk • contribs)

Questionable description

"Its basic form is that of an unsharpened dagger, with two long, unsharpened projections (tsuba) attached to the handle."

I think this is fairly misleading- a sai is almost nothing like a dagger, from the rounded tine to the lack of sharpened blade or point, and the extreme guard. If anything, a sai is far more like a stiletto, since the main difference AFAIK is the lack of rather pointy tip. --maru (talk) contribs 00:17, 30 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Image request

It would be very nice to have an image of the Manji variant. --maru (talk) contribs 00:17, 30 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Daredevil

Didn't that one girl from the Daredevil movie use these?

You mean Electra, from the Marvel comics, yeah shes there. Twice now, if noone is gonna complain I'm getting rid of the second Trivia reference to the same person. Highlandlord 09:31, 27 July 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Use a farming implements

Well, I was at Kobudo class last night, and sensei told me that they would not have been used this way, as the imported steel wold have been far to expensive for the farmer. Instead, he says they were created by a royal bodyguard when bladed weapons were banned. Can anyone verify? --68.220.173.190 15:01, 27 July 2006 (UTC) Whoops! Forgot to sign in. --Big Mac 15:03, 27 July 2006 (UTC)[reply]

There is no evidence for the widely-told story that bladed weapons were banned. Sai are commonly thought to have been made as a concealed weapon, hiding in the large sleeve of a kimono. Squidocto (talk) 20:52, 14 March 2008 (UTC)[reply]

AFAIK, bladed weapons were not banned so much as very uncommon among peasant class because metal itself was rare. While most Okinawan weapons are variations of wooden or rattan farm tools, sai were created specifically as weapons, usually to use in defense against sword-wielding samurai by higher class citizens as opposed to peasants. --Daniel.whitten (talk) 04:42, 16 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Japanese grammar?

I've noticed in several places in the article "sais" is used - however in proper Japanese there is no "plural" form. 1 sai, 2 sai, red sai, blue sai. But I'm no expert, so if someone else can verify this and correct it if necessary. Thanks a bunch.

You're correct. Japanese does not use plural nouns. It looks like someone's already replaced all instances of "sais" with "sai". EvilCouch 11:15, 17 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

V for Vendetta

I have not read the comics, but it seems to me that in a good part of the movie, V uses sai (especially against the fingermen in the beginning of the movie (his first appearance)). --Ifrit 15:58, 16 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Sorry, upon closer inspection of a later fight scene, it seems they are thin near stiletto-like daggers with long upward-bent crossguards. --Ifrit 17:32, 16 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I removed the V For Vendetta refrence in the Popular Culture section. As V does not use actual sai it has no place in the article.

Kousekouse 20:11, 26 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Greek letter Psi

I would like to point out that "sai" might sound like the english pronounciation of the Greek letter Psi to which it might bear an uncanny resemblance but in Greek, the letter Psi is not pronounced "sai" but "p-see" so the resemblance is purely coincidental and I don't think it has any place in the article. You canrust me on the pronounciation, I'm Greek born and bred, however do check it out. Radaemon 01:05, 4 April 2007 (UTC)RaDaemon[reply]

are sai supposed to be blunt?

the ones i saw at a store were blunt and not sharp. is that normal?

Sai are blunt and not sharp. They are meant for piercing and not slicing. Radaemon (talk) 15:54, 15 February 2008 (UTC)radaemon[reply]

Then the text should clearly say so, since many people believe it is sharp (either the edges or the point). --62.143.106.132 (talk) 00:00, 21 March 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Edit: Race Hazard: I have been reliably informed that Sai are not used for piercing exclusively. They are frequently used as a mini-truncheon. Heian Shodan can be performed with Sai, and there is a move that indicates that the wielder of the Sai effectively "flicks" the Sai on to the top of the head. Given the weight of the Sai, and its small surface area, this would be exceptionally painful - and could break the skull.

It needs to be made clear, in the article, that Sai are blunt! They are not like daggers. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Racehazard (talk • contribs) 01:57, 6 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Is this related to, as mentioned earlier in the comments here, the possibility it was designed as a concealed weapon to be hidden in the sleeve of a kimono? It wasn't sharp so that it didn't stab the person concealing it? der Scott (talk) 18:45, 11 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Image request

It would be great to have images of a sai being held correctly! --Knulclunk 03:09, 9 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Edit: Race Hazard: I may be buying some soon. I'll post some pictures up if I get some. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Racehazard (talk • contribs) 01:58, 6 December 2008 (UTC) Here is a link to a pic http://www.lyon-karate.com/p/sai.jpg —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.253.189.141 (talk) 20:52, 3 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

TMNT

RAPHEAL USES SAI AND KICKS BUTT SAI ARE AWESOME!

It's "Raphael", but yes, he does use a pair of sai. 75.94.89.116 (talk) 03:22, 5 November 2008 (UTC) Jem[reply]

|image=200px 70.253.177.153 (talk) 00:03, 23 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Are they sharp or blunt?

Are the tip of sais supposed to be blunt or sharp? 199.117.69.8 (talk) 19:12, 20 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

stop asking and read other peoples questions —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.9.42.193 (talk) 00:51, 26 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Popular culture (moved here, need to be organized)

In Hollywood, sai are often portrayed as much more offensive weapons, being used as swords, daggers, and throwing knives. Little play is given to striking with the knuckle. Thus, the traditionally blunt and rounded weapon is often portrayed as a blade. For example, Jennifer Garner, who played the role of Elektra Natchios in the film Daredevil and its spin-off Elektra, holds them unconventionally with the index and middle finger straddling the central prong inside the yoku. A grip with fingers between the yoku and the middle shaft facilitates a more flashy array of finger twirls; however, it is usually frowned upon in martial arts because the fingers would be very easy to hit with another weapon, and it eliminates the possibility of catching the opponents weapon between the yoku and shaft.

Sai also feature prominently in other films, such as in the two battles between Anck-Su-Namun and Nefertiri/Evie in The Mummy Returns. They also make an appearance in the hands of Keanu Reeves in The Matrix Reloaded. In the film The Book of Swords, there is a female ninja who wields a pair of sai. In the film Bulletproof Monk, the villainess, Nina, brandishes a single black sai in a fight to the death with the heroine, Jade.

Aneka uses a pair of sai as her weapon of choice in the comedy Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire.

In television, Gabrielle (Renee O'Connor) from Xena: Warrior Princess uses a pair of sai as her primary weapons in seasons 5 and 6. In the series, Gabrielle, a former pacifist, makes note of the versatility of the sai by mentioning their lethal and non-lethal uses. To demonstrate this, she often uses the knuckle to strike her opponents in battle and rarely uses the shaft to make a killing blow.

Raphael of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles uses twin sai as his weapons of choice. In the animated television series, Ronin Warriors, the character Lady Kayura uses a modified pair of sai as her weapons of choice. Whilst in the manga comics, TenTen in Naruto has many weapons including a sai attached to a chain. Also Kish from Tokyo Mew Mew uses a pair of sai, termed "Dragon swords". Sun-Sun a minor-character from Bleach uses a sai as her zanpakutō.

In the Japanese Super Sentai and American Power Rangers franchises in the series Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Dan the Tricearanger and Billy Cranston the Blue Ranger and Boi the Tigerranger and Trini Kwan the Yellow Ranger all wield weapons resembling sai. Also, a villainess named Camille in Power Rangers: Jungle Fury (and her Juken Sentai Gekiranger counterpart Mele) wielded sai in her warrior form.

In the popular South Park episode "Good Times with Weapons", Cartman uses a pair of "Killer Sai" when facing Professor Chaos and, later, a gang of rival ninjas in the Battle of Togikawa.

In video games, Mileena from the Mortal Kombat series uses sai as her primary weapons. Li Mei in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, Sareena in Mortal Kombat: Tournament Edition and Khameleon in Mortal Kombat Trilogy also use sai. In the Last Bronx series, sai are wielded by Nagi.

In a "Smallville" episode, Lana is seen drawing Elektra's exact same sai, with the customised "E" from its plaque on the wall and throwing it at Clark Kent.

In the manga Shikabane Hime, the antagonist Yamagami Itsuki uses a sai when he fights against Tagami Keisei.

Is there not a "throwing" sai?

I just read a book in which one of the characters used sai, but she had two different sets; one set was a normal size meant for the hand to hand, and one set was just a bit smaller for more accurate throwing.

Is this a plausible fighting reference or just an author's flourish? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.49.26.83 (talk) 15:47, 12 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]

There's no special sai variant made just for throwing, but bunkai of some sai katas show that they can be thrown as well.