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A brief history of the weapons used in jujitsu.
Prior to the 1400s, Okinawa, a small island located south of Japan, was divided into three kingdoms: Chuzan, Hokuzan, and Nanzan. After much political turmoil, Okinawa was united under the Sho Dynasty in 1429. In 1477, Emperor Sho Shin of the second Sho dynasty came into power. Determined to enforce his philosophical and ethical ideas, while banning feudalism, the emperor instituted a ban on weapons. It became a crime to carry or own weapons such as swords, in an attempt to prevent further turmoil and prevent uprising.
In 1609, the temporary peace established by Sho Shin was violently overthrown when the powerful Satsuma Clan invaded Okinawa. Composed of Japanese samurai, the Satsuma Clan took over the island, making Okinawan independence a thing of the past. The Satsuma placed a new weapons ban on the people of Okinawa, leaving them defenceless against the steel of the samurai’s swords. In an attempt to protect themselves from the devastating forces of the Satsuma, the people of Okinawa looked to simple farming implements, which the samurai would not be able to confiscate, as new methods of defence. This use of weapons developed into kobudo, or "ancient martial art," as we know it today.
Pronounced kah-ta-nah, the word has been adopted as a loanword from the Portuguese language. In Portuguese the designation (spelled catana) means "large knife". As Japanese does not have separate plural and singular forms, both "katanas" and "katana" are considered acceptable forms in English. Another term, Daikatana is a pseudo-Japanese term meaning "large sword". The reading mistake comes from the different ways Japanese Kanji can be read, depending on their combination or not in a word.
The katana originated in the Muromachi period (1392–1573) as a result of changing battle conditions requiring faster response times. The katana facilitated this by being worn with the blade facing up, which allowed the samurai to draw and cut their enemy in a single motion, an art known as Iaidō which when translated to English literally means “the way of mental presence and immediate reaction”. Previously, the curved sword of the samurai had been worn with the blade facing down.
The length of the katana's blade varied considerably during the course of its history. In the late 14th and early 15th centuries, katana blades tended to be between 70 and 73 cm (27.6 and 28.7 inches) in length. During the early 16th century, average length was much closer to 60 cm (23.6 inches), but late in the 16th century, it was again approximately 73 cm (28.7 in).
The katana was paired most often with the wakizashi or shōtō, a similarly made but shorter sword, both worn by the members of the warrior class. The katana and wakizashi when paired with each other were called the daishō and they represented the social power and personal honour of the samurai. The Katana could also be worn with the tantō, an even smaller similarly shaped knife which was often used by the Samurai in the act of seppuku (literally meaning “stomach cutting”) leading to disembowelment – a ritual suicide originally reserved for samurai so that they may die with honour as opposed to being captured by the enemy.
Naginata is a pole weapon that was traditionally used in Japan by members of the samurai class. A naginata consists of a wood shaft with a curved blade on the end. Usually it also had a sword-like guard (tsuba) between the blade and shaft.
The term naginata first appeared in the Kojiki in 712 AD and was used by Sohei warrior priests during the Nara Period, around 750 AD. It is most likely based on the Chinese Guan Dao. In the paintings of battlefield scenes made during the Tengyo no Ran in 936 AD, the naginata can be seen in use.
The use of the naginata in combat was first recorded in 1086, in the book Ōshū Gosannenki ("A Diary of Three Years in Ōshū"). In this period the naginata was regarded as an extremely effective weapon by warriors.
Cavalry battles had become more important during the Gempei War (1180-1185), and the naginata proved excellent at dismounting cavalry and disabling riders. The naginata rose to a position of particularly high esteem during this period in time.
The widespread adoption of the naginata as a battlefield weapon forced the introduction of sune-ate (shin guards) as a part of Japanese armor. The rise of importance for the naginata can be seen as being mirrored by the European pike, another long pole weapon employed against mounted horses.During the Edo Period (1603 to 1868 a.k.a. the beginning of the early modern period of Japan), as the naginata became less useful for men on the battlefield, it became a symbol of the social status of women of the samurai class. A functional naginata was often a traditional part of a samurai daughter's dowry. While their husbands were away at war, women of the samurai class were expected to be capable of defending their homes since women did not fight as soldiers on the battlefield.
The naginata was considered to be one of the weapons most suitable for women, as it allows a woman to keep opponents at a distance, where any advantages in height, weight, and upper body strength would be lessened.
Naginata can be used to batter, stab or hook an opponent', but due to their relatively balanced center of mass, are often spun and turned to proscribe a large radius of reach.
It is an effective tool for cutting due to its curved blade which increases the length of the cutting surface. In the hands of a skilled practitioner, one 5-foot (1.5 m) tall practitioner could conceivably cover and attack in 380 square feet (35 m²) of open, level ground with a 5 foot (1.5 m) shaft, 3 foot (0.9 m) blade, 3 foot (0.9 m) reach.
Naginatas were often used by foot soldiers to create space on the battlefield. They have several situational advantages over a sword:
Swords, on the other hand, can be used to attack faster, have longer cutting edges (and therefore more striking surface and less area to grab), and were able to be more precisely controlled in the hands of an experienced swordsman.
A bō or kon, is a long staff, usually made of tapered hard wood, for example white oak, bamboo, or in some cases for training purposes or for a different style rattan which is similar to bamboo but with a solid stem.
A full-size bō is sometimes called a rokushakubō. This name derives from the Japanese words roku meaning "six"; shaku; a Japanese measurement equivalent to 30.3 centimeters (0.994 ft); and bō. Thus, rokushakubō refers to a staff about 6-shaku (1.82 m; 5.96 feet) long.
The bō is typically 3 cm (1.2 inch) thick , sometimes gradually tapering from the middle to 2 cm (0.8 inch)at both ends. This thickness allows the user to make a tight fist around it in order to block and counter an attack.
Types of Bō Include:
Other types of bō range from heavy to light, from rigid to highly flexible, and from simple pieces of wood picked up from the side of the road to ornately decorated works of art.
The Japanese martial art of wielding the bō is bōjutsu. The basis of bō technique is te, or hand, techniques derived from Quanfa/Wushu and other martial arts that reached Okinawa via trade and Chinese monks. Thrusting, swinging, and striking techniques often resemble empty-hand movements, following the philosophy that the bō is merely an "extension of one’s limbs". As in Okinawa-te, attacks are often avoided by agile footwork and returning strikes made at the enemy’s weak points.
The bō is typically gripped in thirds, and when held horizontally in front, the right palm is facing away from the body and the left hand is facing the body, enabling the bō to rotate. The power is generated by the back hand pulling the bō, while the front hand is used for guidance. When striking, the wrist is twisted, as if turning the hand over when punching. Bō technique includes a wide variety of blocks, strikes, sweeps, and entrapments. The bō may even be used to sweep sand into an opponent’s eyes.
The earliest form of the bō, a staff, has been used throughout Asia since the beginning of recorded history. Used for self defence by monks or commoners, the staff was an integral part of the Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto Ryu, one of the martial arts’ oldest surviving styles. The staff evolved into the bō with the foundation of kobudo, a martial art using weapons, which emerged in Okinawa in the early 1600s.
The sai is a weapon of Okinawan origin and believed to be an agricultural appliance once used to plough fields and originally the sai were used to measure an evenly spaced crop or to hold cart wheels in place.
Multi-purpose instruments like the sai became especially useful; since an opponent's weapon could be blocked and/or trapped with one sai with the other could be used to deliver a thrust to an open vulnerable area of the body. Three sai were often carried, with one placed behind the back in the belt, where it could serve as a replacement for a hand-held sai that was thrown at an opponent.
Its basic form is that of an unsharpened dagger, with two long, unsharpened projections attached to the handle. Sai are constructed in a variety of forms and some are smooth, while others have an octagonal middle prong. The sai's utility as a weapon is reflected in its distinctive shape.
With skill, it can be used effectively against a long sword by trapping the sword's blade in the sai's tsuba. Very skilled users were able to snap a caught blade just with a twist of the hand. There are several different ways of wielding the sai in the hands, which give it the versatility to be used both lethally and non-lethally.
The exact efficient use of the weapon is much reliant on the dexterity of the practitioner with his thumbs, which the tang is balanced and rotated on along with the loosening and tightening of the grip from the small finger for striking and consolidating power.
As a thrown weapon, the sai have a lethal range of about 20-30 feet. Throwing the sai was typically used against an opponent with a sword, bo or other long range weapon for safety. The heavy iron (or contemporary steel) sai concentrate enough force to punch through armour.
The length of the sai should be as long as your elbow to thumb crotch.
The tonfa was originally a wooden handle that fit into a hole on the side of a millstone used to grind rice and other grains, dating back to 15th century Okinawa. The handle, which was easily disengaged from the millstone, became a very effective weapon of defence. Although data that conflicts with this is that the weapons origins can clearly be traced back to China and be found in Indonesia and surrounding locations.
There are numerous ways to defend and attack with the tonfa. In defence, if the handle (Totte) is grasped then the shaft (Kudaku-soba) protects the forearm and hand from blows from the opponents and the knob can protect the thumb. If both ends of the shaft are held, the shaft can be used to ward off blows and the handle can be used as a hook to catch the opponent's weapons.
In attack, the shaft can be swung to strike at vulnerable targets. By twirling the tonfa by the handle, large amounts of momentum can be imparted to the shaft. The tonfa can also be wielded in such a way as to use the knob as a striking implement, held either by the handle or by the shaft. One can also stab one's opponents with the shaft of the tonfa. By holding the shaft and the handle of the tonfa together, one can use it for holding or breaking techniques.
Tonfa are traditionally wielded in pairs, one in each hand. This is unlike police nightsticks, which are generally used alone. As the tonfa can be held in many different ways, education in the use of the tonfa often involves learning how to switch between different grips at high speed. Such techniques require great manual dexterity.
The kama is an Okinawan and Japanese traditional farming implement used for reaping crops, particularly rice. Its design is similar to that of a sickle.
In agricultural use it would be used one-handed, whilst the other hand grasped the stalks for cutting, though as a weapon they would have been used in pairs.
As a weapon, both the point and sharpened edge of the metal blade are called in to use. The kama could also be used to block, trap and disarm weapons used against the wielder. The hard edge of the kama blade would traditionally be kept razor-sharp to enable efficient cutting of crops, which made it a lethal weapon in the right hands.
The nunchaku is two sections of wood connected by a cord or chain. Chinese nunchaku have a tendency to be rounded, while the Okinawan version has an octagonal cross-section (this increases the damage inflicted upon striking).
The traditional nunchaku is made from a strong, flexible hardwood such as oak, loquat or pasania. Originally, the wood would be submerged in mud for numerous years, where lack of oxygen and optimal acidity prevented rotting and caused the wood to harden. The rope is made from horsehair. Finally, the wood is very finely sanded and rubbed with an oil or stain for protect the wood from decomposing.
The popular belief is that the nunchaku was originally a short Southeast Asian flail used to thresh rice or soybeans.
However, unlike Okinawan rice flail (utzu), original nunchaku had curved arms, resembling an Okinawan horse bit (muge), which gave rise to the theory that nunchaku was originally a horse bridle.
Another theory asserts that it was modified from a tool carried by the village night watch, made of two blocks of wood joined by cord. The night watch would strike the blocks of wood collectively to attract people's attention and then alert them about fires and other dangers.