A is a traditional Japanese

weapon A weapon, arm or armament is any implement or device that can be used to deter, threaten, inflict physical damage, harm, or kill. Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as hunting, crime, law enforcement, s ...

that consists of a ''

kama ''Kama'' (Sanskrit ) means "desire, wish, longing" in Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, and Sikh literature.Monier Williamsकाम, kāmaMonier-Williams Sanskrit English Dictionary, pp 271, see 3rd column Kama often connotes sensual pleasure, sexual ...

'' (the

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

equivalent of a sickle or billhook) on a

kusari-fundo ''Kusari-fundo'' ( 鎖分銅) is a handheld weapon used in feudal Japan consisting of a length of chain (''kusari'') with a weight (''fundo'') attached to each end of the chain. Various sizes and shapes of chain and weight were used as there was ...

– a type of metal chain (''kusari'') with a heavy iron weight (''fundo'') at the end. The ''kusarigama'' is said to have been developed during the

Muromachi period The is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate (''Muromachi bakufu'' or ''Ashikaga bakufu''), which was officially established in 1338 by t ...

. The art of handling the kusarigama is called ''

kusarigamajutsu is the art of using the Japanese weapon kusarigama. Kusarigamajutsu is featured in several separate martial arts such as Tendō-ryū, Suiō-ryū and Shintō Musō-ryū. The kusarigama is made up of three parts: the '' kama'' (a wooden handle wit ...

''.

History

The researcher Nawa Yumio believes that the ''kusarigama'' was based on the ''jingama'', a tool that resembles a sickle, which was used to cut through a horse's ropes in the case of a fire. The ''jingama'' could also be used as a weapon and according to Nawa, the tool might have been combined with a ''konpi'' (棍飛) which is a chain that contained a weighted end and a chain around the user's wrist. People would wield the weapons with both hands to protect their horses against criminals. Another theory is that the ''kusarigama'' is based on the ''tobiguchi'' ( :ja:鳶口), which is a type of axe that had a "stout haft and a short pick-like blade". There is no evidence of the ''kusarigama'' being used as a battlefield weapon in mass combat. Swinging its long chain could endanger allies and it would be ineffective against armor. The weapon is at its most useful when wielded against an opponent who attacks with a sword; it is not as useful against a longer weapon such as a spear, a ''

naginata The ''naginata'' (, ) is a pole weapon and one of several varieties of traditionally made Japanese blades (''nihontō''). ''Naginata'' were originally used by the samurai class of feudal Japan, as well as by ashigaru (foot soldiers) and sōhei ( ...

'', or a '' bō''. Perhaps, it was carried as a backup weapon, being light weight and compact. It is likely that the ''kusarigama'' was common during the

Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characteriz ...

, used against swordsmen and as a training weapon, but it was first created during the

. From the 12th century, until the time of the

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia ...

, many fighters specialized in the use of the weapon. One of these fighters was Yamada Shinryukan, a man who defeated many swordsmen; he was trapped in a

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, bu ...

grove by

Araki Mataemon was a Japanese samurai active in the early Edo period. Araki Mataemon was the founder of the koryū martial art Yagyū Shingan-ryū, known sometimes as Yagyū Shingan-ryū Taijutsu. Araki Matemon studied Yagyū Shinkage-ryū under Yagyū Mune ...

and killed. Yamada did not have enough room in the bamboo grove to swing around the chain of his ''kusarigama''. The weapon has been used by

ninja A or was a covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan. The functions of a ninja included reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enem ...

. The ''kusarigama'' has also been used as a "plaything for warriors with time on their hands, and a means of attracting rural students who wished to do something unique in their local festivals". Samurai women used the weapon as well. The schools of ''

kenjutsu is an umbrella term for all ('' ko-budō'') schools of Japanese swordsmanship, in particular those that predate the Meiji Restoration. Some modern styles of kendo and iaido that were established in the 20th century also included modern forms of ...

'', ''

jūjutsu Jujutsu ( ; ja, link=no, 柔術 , ), also known as jiu-jitsu and ju-jitsu, is a family of Japanese martial arts and a system of close combat (unarmed or with a minor weapon) that can be used in a defensive or offensive manner to kill or subdu ...

'', and ''

naginatajutsu is the Japanese martial art of wielding the . The naginata is a weapon resembling the medieval European glaive and the Chinese guan dao. Most naginatajutsu practiced today is in a modernized form, a ''gendai budō'', in which competitions al ...

'' taught ''

'', the art of handling the ''kusarigama''. It combined the aspects of ''kamajutsu'', ''kusarijutsu'', and ''fundojutsu''. ''Kamajutsu'' refers to the ''

'' (sickle), ''kusarijutsu'' refers to the chain, and ''fundojutsu'' refers to the weight. ''

Kusari-fundo ''Kusari-fundo'' ( 鎖分銅) is a handheld weapon used in feudal Japan consisting of a length of chain (''kusari'') with a weight (''fundo'') attached to each end of the chain. Various sizes and shapes of chain and weight were used as there was ...

'' refers to the chain combined with the iron weight. A handle of a ''kusarigama'' is surrounded by ''

raden is a Japanese termRaden.

mother-of-pearl Nacre ( , ), also known as mother of pearl, is an organicinorganic composite material produced by some molluscs as an inner shell layer; it is also the material of which pearls are composed. It is strong, resilient, and iridescent. Nacre is ...

. The handle often has metal bands or strips for reinforcement at either end.

Ellis Amdur Ellis Amdur (born March 27, 1952 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is a writer, an American practitioner of martial arts and a crisis intervention trainer. He has published a number of books on martial arts, on crisis intervention, hostage negotiation, ...

’s book '' Old School: Essays on Japanese Martial Traditions'' retells a myth about the origin of the ''kusarigama''. In the story, a farmer who used a farming sickle to cut his rice plants was attacked by a

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...

. The farmer used the sickle with a chain attachment to defeat the warrior. According to Amdur, trapping an opponent with the chain is not effective, and a farmer's sickle would be an awkward weapon. He also states that there is no evidence for peasant use of the ''kusarigama'' or that it was derived from a farmer's tool. However, Donn F. Draeger mentions in his book ''Comprehensive Asian Fighting Arts'' that the sickle, referring to the ''kama'', was originally used for agriculture and later became used as a weapon.

Methods of use

Attacking with the weapon usually entailed swinging the weighted chain in a large circle over one's head, and then whipping it forward to entangle an opponent's spear, sword, or other weapon, or immobilizing their arms or legs. This allows the kusarigama user to easily rush forward and strike with the sickle. There are three types of ''kusarigama''. The first type has a weapon in the shape of a sickle that has a chain attached to the end of its shaft. The use of the first type depends on the '' ryū'' (school), with the weapon being held in either hand and its chain and weight being held in the other hand to be swung at the other person. Depending on how easy it is to see the weapon's weight move, "it can be deflected or blocked". One hit with the ''kusarigama'' is typically not able to stop someone from attacking and the weight needs to be "reeled in" by the wielder again so that a second attack can be made. The second type of ''kusarigama'' has the chain "attached at the base of the blade" and it is much more powerful than the first type. The second type allows the wielder to use quick attacks and it can continue to be used if the weapon is deflected. It only takes one hand to operate the second type and the other hand can be used for another form of combat. The third type "has a straight blade, hafted at right angles, with a handguard set at the blade side". The chain is attached to the weapon's base and it is controlled with both hands, similar to the first type of ''kusarigama''.

Modern use

Issue 9 of ''This Is Japan'' by ''

The Asahi Shimbun is one of the four largest newspapers in Japan. Founded in 1879, it is also one of the oldest newspapers in Japan and Asia, and is considered a newspaper of record for Japan. Its circulation, which was 4.57 million for its morning edition and ...

'' stated, "Maybe, the most unusual Japanese martial art is that which employs the ''kusarigama''. The fact that it has survived through history gives mute testimony to its effectiveness. Yet, the casual observer, untrained in its use, would be apt to regard it as a foolish toy." A book by

Tadashi Yamashita is a Japanese American martial artist and actor. Early life Tadashi Yamashita was born in Japan in 1942, but he considers himself an Okinawan. His father died when he was three and he and his mother moved to Okinawa when he was 8, after the ...

that teaches people how to use the Okinawan kusarigama was advertised in the magazine '' Black Belt'' in the 1980s. In the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...

, the ''kusarigama'' is classified as an illegal offensive weapon. The Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act 1990 in Ireland does not allow the ''kusarigama'', and other similar weapons, to be manufactured, imported, or sold. These actions can result in imprisonment for up to seven years.

References

External links

* {{Japanese (samurai) weapons, armour and equipment Samurai chain weapons Blade weapons Flail weapons Fortification weapons Chain weapons of Japan

History

Methods of use

Modern use

See also

References

External links