The term makibishi (撒き菱 or 撒菱) refers to the Japanese version of the

caltrop A caltrop (also known as caltrap, galtrop, cheval trap, galthrap, galtrap, calthrop, jackrock or crow's foot'' Battle of Alesia'' (Caesar's conquest of Gaul in 52 BC), Battlefield Detectives program, (2006), rebroadcast: 2008-09-08 on History Ch ...

. The tool (''igadama'') is a sharp spiked object that was used in feudal Japan to slow down pursuers and also was used in the defense of samurai fortifications.

Description

''Makibishi'' was one of the items supposedly used by the

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 ...

. It had six or eight pointed spikes. Iron ''makibishi'' were called tetsubishi while the ''makibishi'' made from the dried seed pod of the

water chestnut Water chestnut may refer to either of two plants (both sometimes used in Chinese cuisine): * The Chinese water chestnut ('' Eleocharis dulcis''), eaten for its crisp corm * The water caltrop The water caltrop is any of three extant species of th ...

formed a natural type of ''makibishi'' called tennenbishi. The term ''makabishi'' literally means "scattered water chestnut" in Japanese. Both types of ''makibishi'' could penetrate the thin soles of the shoes such as the

waraji () are light tie-on sandals, made from (usually straw) ropemaking fibers, that were the standard footwear of the common people in Japan. Use resemble other forms of traditional Japanese footwear, such as zori and geta, with a few key diffe ...

sandals that were commonly worn in feudal Japan when the ''makibishi'' was dropped on the ground or planted in advance. ''Makibishi'' could be carried in a bag attached to a belt along with other commonly carried weapons and/or tools such as ''

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 were ...

'' and ''

kaginawa is the combination of the words ''kagi'' meaning hook and ''nawa'' meaning rope. The kaginawa is a type of grappling hook used as a tool in feudal Japan by the samurai class, their retainers, foot soldiers and reportedly by ninja. Kaginawa hav ...

''. ''Makibishi'' could be thrown like a ''

'' and could also be used against an enemy on horseback. Modifications made by the ninja included serrated tips, which were also said to be occasionally coated with poison.

References

External links

* {{Japanese (samurai) weapons, armour and equipment Area denial weapons Japanese martial arts terminology Ninjutsu artefacts Samurai weapons and equipment fr:Makibishi