is the art of using the

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese weapon

kusarigama A is a traditional Japanese weapon that consists of a ''kama'' (the Japanese equivalent of a sickle or billhook) on a kusari-fundo – a type of metal chain (''kusari'') with a heavy iron weight (''fundo'') at the end. The ''kusarigama'' is said ...

. Kusarigamajutsu is featured in several separate martial arts such as

Tendō-ryū , also known as , is a koryū (school of traditional Japanese martial arts) founded in 1582 by Saito Hangan Denkibo Katsuhide. The current headmaster (as of 2020) is the 17th sōke Kimura Yasuko. Although Denkibo was already an incredibly tale ...

Suiō-ryū is a style of classical Japanese swordsmanship. It was founded by Mima Yoichizaemon Kagenobu at the end of the Sengoku period. The style specialises in iaijutsu but other arts, such as jōjutsu, naginatajutsu and kusarigamajutsu are practised as ...

and

Shintō Musō-ryū , most commonly known by its practice of ''jōdō'', is a traditional school ('' koryū'') of the Japanese martial art of '' jōjutsu'', or the art of wielding the short staff ('' jō''). The technical purpose of the art is to learn how to defeat ...

. The kusarigama is made up of three parts: the ''

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 ...

'' (a wooden handle with a curved blade (traditionally straight) protruding at a right-angle on one end, and a small loop at the other), and the ''kusari'' (a chain attached to the kama) and a weight at the end of the chain. In a confrontation the kusari is swung in wide sweeping arcs to distract and entangle the opponent and the kama is used to deliver a fatal strike.Kusarigamajutsu
Martialartsaus.com. Accessed June 2, 2012.

Popular culture

* ''

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' is an American media franchise created by the comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It follows Leonardo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Leonardo, Michelangelo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Miche ...

'' features kusarigamajutsu being used by

Michaelangelo Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (; 6 March 1475 – 18 February 1564), known as Michelangelo (), was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was ins ...

and Shini in the 2012 version. It was also used by Karai, the

boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is no ...

assassin Assassination is the murder of a prominent or VIP, important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not ha ...

Kojima, one of the Triceraton All-Stars, and some of the Foot Ninjas as well as some Karai Bots in the 2003 version.

Sources

* Pascal Krieger: ''Jodô – la voie du bâton / The way of the stick'' (bilingual French/English), Geneva (CH) 1989, Japanese martial arts Ninjutsu Ninjutsu skills {{martialart-stub

Popular culture

See also

Sources