One traditional explanation holds that it was originally invented by Emperor Taizu of Song, as a weapon utilised in war, initially named Grand Ancestor Coiling Dragon Staff (大小盤龍棍/太祖盤龍棍, taai3 zo2 pun4 lung4 gwan3/taai3 zo2 pun4 lung4 gwan3).

Another weapon, called the tabak-toyok, native to the northern Philippines, is constructed very similarly, suggesting that it and the nunchaku descended from the same instrument.

In modern times, the nunchaku and the tabak-toyok were popularized by the actor and martial artist Bruce Lee and by Dan Inosanto.

The first written record of nunchaku-like weapon was the Chinese military compendium of 武經總要; Wujing Zongyao compiled during the Northern Song dynasty: "鐵鏈夾棒，本出西戎，馬上用之，以敵漢之步兵。其狀如農家打麥之枷，以鐵飾之，利於自上擊下，故漢兵善用者巧於戎人。"[9] Translation:

Alternative theories are that it was originally developed from an Okinawan horse bit (muge) or from a wooden clapper called hyoshiki[11] carried by the village night watch, made of two blocks of wood joined by a cord.

The night watch would hit the blocks of wood together to attract people's attention, then warn them about fires and other dangers.

Martial arts in Okinawa were practiced exclusively by the aristocracy (kazoku) and "serving nobles" (shizoku), but were prohibited among commoners (heimin).

The ideal length of the connecting rope or chain is just long enough to allow the user to lay it over his or her palm, with the sticks hanging comfortably and perpendicular to the ground.

Other proprietary systems of Nunchaku are also used in Sembkalah (Iranian Monolingual Combat Style), which makes lethal blows in defense and assault.

It can be whirled around, using its hardened handles for blunt force, as well as wrapping its chain around an attacking weapon to immobilize or disarm an opponent.

Nearly all such regulations were created in the 1970s after a wave of popularity attributed to their appearances in the Bruce Lee martial arts films and related media.

Later legal challenges led to closer examination of nunchaku's actual use in criminal behavior, and have found most of these laws were likely not warranted.

[16] For example Judge Pamela Chan in 2018's Maloney v. Singas concluded "there is virtually no evidence that nunchakus are associated with, or have been used to engage in, criminal conduct.

However, in a case in 2010, Glasgow Sheriff Court refused to accept a defence submission that nunchaku were not explicitly prohibited weapons under Scottish law, although the defendants were acquitted on other grounds.

[21] The use of nunchaku was, in the 1980s and 1990s, censored from UK rebroadcasts of American children's TV shows such as ThunderCats and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoons and films.

[23] The UK version of the video game Soul Blade was also edited, replacing the character Li Long's nunchaku with a three-sectioned staff.

[16] The state of Arizona previously considered nunchaku to be a "prohibited weapon", making mere possession illegal, with the sole exception of nunchaku-like objects that are manufactured for use as illumination devices.

Massachusetts law classifies nunchucks as "dangerous weapons", with an exemption for use in martial arts, and anyone found carrying them without proper authorization may face criminal charges.

For instance, in 2015, police in the small town of Anderson, California were trained and deployed to use nunchaku as a form of non-lethal force.