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Three-section staff

The three-section staff, Three Sectional Staff, Triple Staff or Sanjiegun (三截棍 , Pinyin: sān jié gùn, Jyutping: saam1 zit3 gwan3), is a Chinese flail weapon that consists of three wooden or metal staffs connected by metal rings or rope. The weapon is also known as a "coiling dragon staff," or in Japanese as a "sansetsukon" (三截棍). A more complicated version of the two section staff, the staves can be spun to gather momentum resulting in a powerful strike, or their articulation can be used to strike over or around a shield or other defensive block.

[edit] History and use

The three section staff is said to have originated from Master Sanda of the Honan Temple.^[1] Although there is no historical evidence to support it, a popular modern day legend states it was made popular by Chao Hong-Yin, the first Emperor of the Song Dynasty (960 A.D.).^[2]

Historically made of white oak or Chinese red maple, modern staves are constructed from rattan, bamboo, various hardwoods or aluminum. For optimum fit, each of the three sticks should be about the length of the combatant’s arm (usually 60 centimetres (24 in) - 70 centimetres (28 in)) and have a combined diameter that easily fits in the hand. (usually about 1.25 inches (32 mm)). These are connected by chains of rings (usually of five inches (127 mm)) ; modern versions use ball-and-socket joints.

The total length of the weapon is about the same as the Chinese staff, the gùn and greater than that of the single staff known in Japanese as a bō; Its larger size allows for an increased reach compared to the Japanese weapon. Many of the techniques are similar to that of the staff, so spinning moves over the head and behind the back, such as helicopter spins and neck rolls, can be practised with a regular staff. The three-section staff has the advantage of being used both as a long-range weapon or a short-range weapon. Acting as an extension of the users arm, the three sectional staff can strike, block, choke, stab, sweep legs, and whip, often with different sections of the staff acting at the same time. The chains or binding ropes of the staff are used to entangle an opponent and their weapons.

While some martial artists have held that the three section staff was used on the battlefield to entangle horses' legs or to strike around shields, the complexity of the weapon and the length, ease of use, and other advantages of such traditional battlefield weapons as spears, polearms (such as the yan yue dao), swords and so forth meant that the triple staff was more likely restricted to personal self-defense.

One significant weakness of chained weapons in general is a lack of control. The strike of a sanjiegun ends not upon impact but on recoil; even the greatest martial arts masters must use valuable time regaining control of their weapon or avoiding its strikes.Training with the three section staff is particularly difficult and is not recommended for beginners. Foam covered versions are now sold to aid in training but the blows received from the ends on recoil can still serve as strong deterrents to casual users.

The ends of three section staffs often break but can be replaced with similar thickness wood of similar weight to the other parts.

Three-section staff was brought to Okinawa from Fujian Province by Shinko Matayoshi who incorporated it in Matayoshi Kobudo with two kata (sansetsukon dai ichi, sansetsukon dai ni) after 1935. Kobudo sansetsukon typically has shorter (usually 50 - 60 cm.) yet thicker (about 4 - 5 cm. in diameter) staffs. It is not to be confused with san bon nunchaku (三本ヌンチャク).

[edit] References

[edit] Footnotes

[edit] Notations

• Rick L. Wing (2009). The Classical Three-Section Staff. Blue Snake Books. ISBN 978-1-58394-262-8.