In more modern times, the nunchaku was popularized by the martial arts icon and legend Bruce Lee. They are were originally a farm tool used to harvest rice and grain, but it soon developed into a traditional Okinawan karate weapon.

It consists of two sticks made from metal, wood, plastic or fiberglass connected at their ends with a short chain or rope. It is now used as a training weapon, since it allows the development of quicker hand movements and improves ones posture.

During the Japanese occupation of Okinawa some 350+ years ago, invading Japanese warlords prohibited the use of ordinary weapons such as the gun, sword and spear by the islanders. So, the Okinawans turned to karate and kobu-do the art of karate weapons such as the - bo (a staff), kama (a sickle), and the Nunchaku - which the ingenious farmers used effectively to protect themselves from the invaders.