Tonfas are the conventional Okinawan weapons, which have further given shape to the modern side-handled police baton. Also refereed to as tong fa or tuifa, the tonfas were initially used as wooden handles, fitting into the sides of the millstones. However, they were eventually transformed into weapons, when Okinawan peasants were prohibited from using added customary weapons.

Tonfas have an appealing history, starting right from the Chinese martial arts, and subsequently materializing in the Filipino and the Indonesian cultures. It also features in Thailand as the Mae Sun Sawk, though there is a notable difference in the formation.

The Tonfas consist of two parts namely; a knob accompanying handle, which is perpendicular to the handle; and a shaft that lies along the hand and the forearm. With 20-24 inches in length, and extending upto 3 cms past the elbow when held, the shaft includes rounded off ends to provide a better grip. Moreover, a smaller cylindrical grip accompanies the shaft, which is 90 degrees angle to the shaft, and approximately 15 cms from an end.

The specially designed tonfas have several ways of defending and attacking. Defending becomes effortless, with the shaft protecting the hand and the forearm, with blows, and also sheltering the thumb. The coming blows from other weapons can be easily handled while holding the shaft.

As far as attacking is concerned, tonfas have the ability to whack the opponent with a fierce swing. With firm grip over the shaft, and a forceful strike, the attacker can be knocked out with a single blow. Besides, the shaft can also be used as a stabbing weapon by holding it together with the handle. The Thais have a different style of attacking with the Tonfas. They use their elbow end to grab the handle, so as to deliver a powerful and solid hit.

Police baton, which is a single-hand weapon, is very different from a tonfa, which is rather exerted in pairs. In order to master the art of operating a tonfa, it requires great skills to handle the grip at a high speed.

Movies like the Hellboy, Lethal Weapon, Master of the Flying Guillotine (a classic Kung-Fu film), Terminator 2: Judgement Day, The Enforcer, and Blade II, have made extensive use of tong fa. Besides movies, Tonfas have also been featured in several video games like the Front Mission, the Tales of Rebirth, Suikoden II, Virtual On, and many more.