A is a Japanese tool thought to be originally derived from the

masonry Masonry is the building of structures from individual units, which are often laid in and bound together by mortar; the term ''masonry'' can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are bricks, building ...

trowel A trowel is a small hand tool used for digging, applying, smoothing, or moving small amounts of viscous or particulate material. Common varieties include the masonry trowel, garden trowel, and float trowel. A power trowel is a much larger gas ...

. The two widely recognized variations of the kunai are short kunai (小苦無 shō-''kunai'') and the big ''kunai'' (大苦無 ''dai-kunai''). Although a basic tool, in the hands of a martial arts expert, the ''kunai'' could be used as a multi-functional weapon. The ''kunai'' is commonly associated with the

ninja A or was a covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan. The functions of a ninja included reconnaissance, espionage, infiltration, deception, ambush, bodyguarding and their fighting skills in martial arts, including ninjutsu.Kawakami, pp. 2 ...

, who used it to gouge holes in walls.

Design

A ''Kunai'' normally had a leaf-shaped wrought blade in lengths ranging from 20 cm to 30 cm and a handle with a ring on the pommel for attaching a rope. The attached rope allowed the ''kunais handle to be wrapped to function as a grip, or to be strapped to a stick as a makeshift

spear A spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with fire hardened spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fasten ...

; to be tied to the body for concealment; to be used as an anchor or piton, and sometimes to be used as the Chinese

rope dart The rope dart or rope javelin (), is one of the flexible weapons in Chinese martial arts. Other weapons in this family include the meteor hammer, flying claws, Fei Tou flying weight, and chain whip. Although the flexible weapons share similar m ...

. Contrary to popular belief, ''kunai'' were not designed to be used primarily as throwing weapons. Instead, ''kunai'' were primarily tools and, when used as weapons, were stabbing and thrusting implements. Varieties of ''kunai'' include short, long, narrow-bladed, saw-toothed, and wide-bladed. In some cases, the ''kunai'' and the ''Nishikori'', a wide-bladed saw with a dagger-type handle, are difficult to distinguish.

Uses

The ''kunai'' was originally used by peasants as a multi-purpose gardening tool and by workers of stone and

. The blade is made of soft iron and is left unsharpened because the edges are used to smash relatively soft materials such as plaster and wood, for digging holes, and for prying. Normally, only the tip is sharpened.

Weapon

Many

weapons were adapted from farming tools, not unlike those used by Shaolin monks in China. Since ''kunai'' were cheaply produced farming tools of proper size and weight and could be easily sharpened, they were readily available to be converted into simple weapons. As a weapon, the ''kunai'' is larger and heavier than a

shuriken A ''shuriken'' ( ja, 手裏剣; literally: "hidden hand blade") is a Japanese concealed weapon that was used as a hidden dagger or metsubushi to distract or misdirect. They are also known as throwing stars, or ninja stars, although they wer ...

and with the grip could also be used in hand-to-hand combat more readily than a shuriken. As with

ninjutsu , sometimes used interchangeably with the modern term , is the martial art strategy and tactics of unconventional warfare, guerrilla warfare and espionage purportedly practised by the ninja. ''Ninjutsu'' was a separate discipline in some trad ...

, the exaggeration persistent in ninja myths played a large role in creating the

popular culture Popular culture (also called mass culture or pop culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as, popular art or mass art) and objects that are dominant or prevalent in a ...

image of ''kunai''. In fictional depictions of ninjas, the ''kunai'' is commonly portrayed as a steel knife that is used for stabbing or particularly throwing, sometimes confusing it with the

Masonry

The ''kunai'' was used in masonry to shape stonework.

Design

Uses

Weapon

Masonry

See also

References

Sources

Further reading