The , which could be roughly translated as "long-distance lithe weapon", is a double-edged

blade A blade is the portion of a tool, weapon, or machine with an edge that is designed to puncture, chop, slice or scrape surfaces or materials. Blades are typically made from materials that are harder than those they are to be used on. Historic ...

, with another curved blade attached near the

hilt The hilt (rarely called a haft or shaft) of a knife, dagger, sword, or bayonet is its handle, consisting of a guard, grip and pommel. The guard may contain a crossguard or quillons. A tassel or sword knot may be attached to the guard or pommel. ...

at a 45–60 degree angle. This is attached to approximately of

rope A rope is a group of yarns, plies, fibres, or strands that are twisted or braided together into a larger and stronger form. Ropes have tensile strength and so can be used for dragging and lifting. Rope is thicker and stronger than similarly ...

chain A chain is a serial assembly of connected pieces, called links, typically made of metal, with an overall character similar to that of a rope in that it is flexible and curved in compression but linear, rigid, and load-bearing in tension. A c ...

, or hair which then ends in a large metal

ring Ring may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell :(hence) to initiate a telephone connection Arts, entertainment and media Film and ...

. Likely 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 ...

of the

Iga province was a province of Japan located in what is today part of western Mie Prefecture. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Iga" in . Its abbreviated name was . Iga is classified as one of the provinces of the Tōkaidō. Under the ''Engishiki'' cl ...

, it is thought to be a forerunner to the later more widely known ''

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 ...

'' (sickle and chain). Ninja were often recruited from the class of rural peasantry who resided on remote farmland, and the tool's

resemblance Resemblance may refer to: *Similarity (philosophy) *Resemblance nominalism *Family Resemblance (anthropology) *Ludwig Wittgenstein's family resemblances *In text mining, the degree to which two documents resemble each other, calculated using shingl ...

to farming equipment and high versatility in combat gave it many benefits in stealth combat. The ''kyoketsu-shoge'' has a wide range of uses. The blade could be used for pulling slashes as well as thrusting stabs. The chain or cord, sometimes made from

human hair Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals. The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and f ...

horsehair Horsehair is the long hair growing on the manes and tails of horses. It is used for various purposes, including upholstery, brushes, the bows of musical instruments, a hard-wearing fabric called haircloth, and for horsehair plaster, a wallc ...

for strength and resiliency, could be used for climbing, ensnaring an enemy, binding an enemy and many such other uses. The long range of the weapon combined a cutting tool along with the capability to strike or entangle an enemy at what the user perceived to be a "safe" distance out of the way. When skilled with this weapon it could be used to entangle a

sword A sword is an edged, bladed weapon intended for manual cutting or thrusting. Its blade, longer than a knife or dagger, is attached to a hilt and can be straight or curved. A thrusting sword tends to have a straighter blade with a pointed ti ...

and rip it from the opponents hands rendering him harmless. The ''kyoketsu-shoge'' cord and ring was sometimes used to wrap around an enemy's legs and trip them. Typically the round ring was flat rather than round in cross section to provide a firmer grip and a more sturdy frame, as the ring was also used for strikes and deflective blows in use. This tool was also used as a climbing aid, and it could be thrown and lodged in corners. In the cartoon show ‘’ GI Joe: Renegades’’, a modified chain version was used by Jinx and Storm Shadow during “The Return of the Arashikage Parts 1 and 2” In the film ''

Ninja Assassin ''Ninja Assassin'' is a 2009 neo-noir martial arts film directed by James McTeigue. The story was written by Matthew Sand, with a screenplay by J. Michael Straczynski. The film stars South Korean pop musician Rain as a disillusioned assassin l ...

'', a modified chain version of this weapon is used as Raizo's main weapon. In the first season of

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

series ''

Daredevil Daredevil may refer to: * A stunt performer Arts and media Comics * Daredevil (Lev Gleason Publications), a fictional 1940s superhero popularized by writer-artist Charles Biro * Daredevil (Marvel Comics character), a Marvel comic book superher ...

'', the blade is used with great skill by the Japanese warrior

Nobu Nobu Hospitality, LLC is an American company founded by Nobu Matsuhisa, Robert De Niro, and Meir Teper in partnerships with Drew Nieporent as an Operator with Myriad Restaurant Group. Background In 1987, Nobu Matsuhisa moved to Los Angele ...

. In the manga

Spirit Circle is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Satoshi Mizukami. It was serialized in Shōnen Gahōsha's '' Young King OURs'' magazine from May 2012 to March 2016. The manga received a digital simulpub release by Crunchyroll Manga, whil ...

, Fone uses this weapon to attack Stona.

References

External links

*
Interactive page
The first Internet article written about the kyoketsu-shoge. Blade weapons Chain and rope throwing weapons Ninjutsu artefacts Weapons of Japan {{martialart-stub