In approx. 6 century AD, an Indian Prince and Buddhist monk, Bodhidharma wanted to travel to China to spread his teachings. To prevent being robbed on his trip he decided he would have to protect himself. Unfortunately for him but fortunate for us, his religion did not permit him to carry weapons. He studied the local animals and observed their techniques and incorporated the movements of the tiger, leopard, crane, monkey and snake into his new art. Once he arrived in China, this Martial Art developed into Kung Fu.
Fast forward to several hundred years ago, a small set of islands called Okinawa, was overrun by Japan. The Japanese passed a law forbidding the local Okinawans from using weapons. The ingenious locals were experienced sea merchants and thus traveled to the Fuzhou region of China to learn Kung Fu. Once "armed" with this knowledge they immediately started to incorporate their local farming implements to develop weapons. The Bo was a simple wooden staff, the Tonfa was a mill handle and the Sai was used to make furrows to plant seeds.
Recommended advanced reading: Bible of Karate - Bubishi, Charles E. Tuttle, fourth printing 1997. Translated with commentary by Patrick McCarthy.
