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

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. Likely used by ninja 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 or horsehair 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'', a modified chain version of this weapon is used as Raizo's main weapon. In the first season of Netflix 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, 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