Tekko
(These may be purchased from Kevin Roberts Kyoshi at
BushiFitness.com.)
One of the more unusual and
little known weapons employed in Ryukyu Kobudo are the tekko and tecchu
(also known as tikko and tecchuy). The tekko can be roughly equated with
what is commonly referred to as “knuckle duster” in the west. While the
tecchu is a short tapered wooden or metal rod approximately 20 to 30 cm in
length.
According to martial arts
historians, the use of the tekko appears to have originated when Bushi in
Okinawa used the shoes of their horses as a make-shift weapon to defend
themselves against a surprise attack (McCarthy, 1998; Nakamoto, 1983) The
weapon was later modified and developed into a simple and effective
hand-held weapon (McCarthy,1998; Nakamoto, 1983).
The tekko became popular
weapons for self-defense in old Okinawa, since they are both small, easy to
conceal and could produce severe trauma.
One famous tekko kata is
Maezato no tekko. Maezato no tekko was formulated by the late founder of the
Ryukyu Kobudo Hozon Shinko Kai, Taira Shinken and was named after his
original family name, Maezato.
The Okinawan
Karate Club of Dallas teaches Maezato no Tekko passed down thru Tatsuo
Shimabukuro Hanshi to Douglass Perry Kyoshi and taught to us by
Smoger Sensei.
In 2008, OKCD has the honor of being instructed by
Devorah Yoshiko
Deometrich Sensei where she taught us tekko waza. 
McCarthy P. (1998) International
Ryukyu Karate Research Society,
Nakamoto, M. (1983) Okinawa Ryukyu Kobudo: It's history and spirit. Naha:
Okiinsha
