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Here is the context said by a boy who was training in boxing.

左ジャブで敵の体勢をくずし 突破口を見いだしたらば すかさず右ストレートを打つべし これ拳闘の攻撃における基本なり...とくら

I have found some sites explaining that it is changed from と来る but I still don't get it.

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    これとほとんど同じなんですが、説明するのは難しい…
    – naruto
    Jun 10, 2016 at 4:03

3 Answers 3

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「~~とくら」 is a colloquial and masculine Tokyo way of pronouncing 「~~と + くる + わ」. This contraction just so quintessentially sounds Tokyo, working-class and "tough-guy-like".

(Unlike what many J-learners seem to firmly believe, this 「わ」 is not a feminine sentence-ender.)

I am going to call this 「と」 quotative just because there is no other explanation that seems feasible in my brain.

「~~とくら」, in OP's context, is indeed difficult to explain as it is far more nuanced than the words used in the phrase would suggest. If I had to attempt a free translation, I would probably go with expressions such as:

"~~ is the attitude I am going to take"

"~~ is what I want to declare"

"~~ is what I believe"

I said the 「と」 was quotative because the speaker is quoting his own opinion, belief, etc. here.

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  • I became very curious about your comment on わ so I went digging. That firm belief comes from most English textbooks saying so and most real life examples (at least in my limited experience) conforming. But it seems the second entry in dictionary.goo.ne.jp/jn/237264/meaning/m0u/%E3%82%8F doesn't have the "women specific" caveat. In this oshiete.goo.ne.jp/qa/7322310.html it sounds like men using わ might be somewhat regional (Tokyo). Jun 10, 2016 at 6:40
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    The feminine わ{H} is pronounced in high or rising pitch but the unisex わ{L} is in low pitch. They are totally different things. Jun 10, 2016 at 7:43
  • @WeirdlyCheezy I haven't seen any source that's accurate and comprehensive at that field (sentence ending expression) both in Japanese and English. You will run into more examples that confuses you. This (unisex) わ is nothing slangy at least in Kansai but kind of slangy in the realm of New Tokyo dialect. Feminine わ was originally a slang too but it started to be less considered so later on as the user's influence in society increased.
    – user4092
    Jun 10, 2016 at 12:20
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「とくら」is a colloquial deformation of 「… とくるは」meaning ① “speaking of,” ② “It comes out as …, It's outcome is …” and ③ “in addition.”

In 江戸っ子弁 – Edo (Tokyo)-ite parlance, it used to be pronounced […とくらア].

It was used in the following ways:

①あいつとくら、いつも嘘(うそ)ばかり言ってやがる – (Speaking of him) he’s always telling lies.

②あいつは性根(しょうね)が悪い上に、骨(ほね)の髄(ずい)までド吝(けち)とくらあ、仕様(しよう)のねえ野郎(やろう)だ - He is not only ill-natured, but stingy to his bones. He’s hopeless.

③上の娘(むすめ)の結婚式(けっこんしき)の上に、息子(むすこ)の大学進学(だいがくしんがく)とくら、今年(ことし)は物入(ものい)りだ – My elder daughter is getting married. (In addition) my son is going to university. I’m really in trouble with a lot of expenditures this year. 

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It's slurred …と来るわ (or possibly …と来れば but in this case it's the former, if I remember correctly).

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