Designed by Takayuki Kubota, the Japanese Kubotan became highly popular in the mid-1970s when it was introduced to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). The LAPD eventually began teaching female officers its proper use along with lessons in jujitsu and other martial arts.

Soon however, male officers and other security personnel began to utilise its strength in subduing uncooperative suspects.

Having a strong history associated with jujitsu and other forms of martial arts, the Kubotan works with the body’s abilities to bring about maximum efficiency in defense. The Kubotan is a Japanese invention that acts as a self-defense keychain. It can be used as a close-quarter self-defense weapon when such actions are necessary.

Used correctly, it can hold opponents in painful locks and strike at pressure points. The Kubotan has been affectionately called the “Instrument of Attitude Adjustment” by many of its users. Today, security personnel of all professions use Kubotans as a small defense mechanism. Mercenary operations utilize its pocket-size strength along with members of the Secret Service and FBI.

The device, as marketed by Takayuki Kubota, is a high-impact plastic rod measuring approximately 5.5 inches in length and a little over a half an inch in diameter. To the casual observer, a Kubotan appears to be merely a large keychain or a key fob.

Modern Kubotans, however, come in a variety of sizes and designs. Some are made of metal and spiked or pointed. Some include hidden darts or tear gas. Kubotans have a long history with law enforcement and defense personnel as well as those looking for convenient self-defense options.

Related Blogs

• Related Blogs on kubotan
• What is a Kubotan?
• Martial Arts & Self-Defense Weapons: What IS a “Kubotan”?
• The Kubotan is highly effective self-defense weapon

Related Blogs

• Related Blogs on kubotan
• What is a Kubotan?
• Martial Arts & Self-Defense Weapons: What IS a “Kubotan”?
• The Kubotan is highly effective self-defense weapon

The Jutte is a weapon from the Japanese Edo period, used by law enforcement offers of the era. The weapon is said to have “the power of ten hands.” It is a baton that features a one-pronged tine.

There is no cutting edge, but the cylindrical jutte measures approximately 45cm from end-to-end and only 5cm long above the handle towards the tip. The weapon is heavily associated with those practicing the martial art of jujitsu and other Japanese kobudo.

Originally, historians believed that the tine itself was used to stop swords in the midst of battle or in the line of duty for law enforcement. However, while it would be possible for a user to enable the tine to perform this function, most likely this was not the case since the tine is so close to the hand. The potential damage to the defender is high. Most users of the jutte believe that during the Japanese Edo period, a person facing a swordsman would only capture the blade after evading its danger.

A much more common use for the jutte’s tine is to hook into clothing or body parts such as the mouth or nose for better control of the enemy. It can also be pushed into joints or weak points in the body to cause heavy amounts of pain. On the battlefield, ancient warriors used the jutte to trap an enemy in concert with a lasso or a grapple.

Most historians believe the jutte helped influence the development of the sai. In jujitsu, like most other batons and stick weapons, it can easily be used to strike the enemy on muscle tissue and manipulate joint connections.

It is believed that the jutte was first designed by Japanese swordmaker Masamune. It is unknown of the exact date of the creation or indeed when Masamune existed, although most believe it was sometime in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. He lived and worked in the Sagami Province where, in addition to the jutte, he developed tachi swords and the tanto daggers in the Soshu tradition. Other legends claim that the jutte was developed by his father, Munshinai.

Related Blogs

• Related Blogs on jutte
• Veame jutte ja triipe …

• Related Blogs on Masamune
• I'm Glad Sengoku Basara Became The Anime Instead | Atarashii Prelude
• Free iPhone Apps » APPLESEED(Digest)/Shirow Masamune – NTT Solmare …

• Related Blogs on Munshinai

The Yawara is a Japanese weapon used in a number of martial arts. Essentially one or somtimes two small, thick sticks they can be palmed and used to throw opponents, applied to pressure points or even break bones. Yawara is also a form of martial arts, and the name is used interchangeably with Jujitsu.

It is believed that this style of fighting developed from a sheathed knife fighting technique called tantojutsu.

While the Yawara stick is easily concealed, it remains legal in all jurisdictions. The effective use of this Japanese tool requires some training, but is characterised by simple moves that incapacitate the opponent quickly. Any object can substitute for the basic six in long stick – a dog chew, a dowel or even a small piece of a branch, if sufficiently sturdy. The flexibility of this weapon is obvious. Small, light and non-invasive it allows the carrier a great deal of protection without violating the law.

The Use of the Yawara Today

The use of this Japanese weapon was introduced to police officers in the 1940s. Professor Frank Matsuyama wrote a book describing the use of the yawara stick directed at law enforcement officials who had some level of hand to hand combat training. As the yawara stick is easier to manage than a night stick and more easily concealed by a plain-clothes officer, the stick enjoyed great popularity among street savvy cops.

Yawara jitsu remains a martial art used by only a select few, and is now taught at a small number of jujitsu schools and other kobudo schools around the world.

The jo staff is a wooden staff used in many forms of Japanese martial arts kobudo, such as jujitsu. The form of martial arts that uses a jo staff is called jojutsu, or jodo. The jo staff is a little more than four feet in length made entirely out of wood.

This weapon is used similar to that of a sword or other stave. The jo staff can be made pretty quickly from various trees, and thick branches. This is one advantage fighters had that swordsmen didn’t. If there came a time to fight, a jo staff could easily be manufactured.

The jo staff is a shorter version of the bo staff, another Japanese weapon. It is said that in the early 1600s, a samurai warrior named Muso Gonnosuke Katsuyoshi came up with the idea after he was defeated in a duel by the famous Musashi, but not killed. His weapon of choice at the time was a bo staff, but it was too long. So through deep mediation while in the mountains, he came up with the jo staff which is about two feet shorter than the bo staff. After he started using the jo staff, it is said that Muso was never defeated in a duel again.

Studying the Jo Staff

There are two branches of modern study of the jo staff. One is called koryu, or ‘old school’ jodo. The other branch is called seitei jodo. Jojutsu has also been modified for the Japanese police force, referred to as keijo-jutsu or as police stick art.

The purpose of the Japanese Sai weapon was debated about for a long time. Some people thought the weapon was intended for just that purpose, to be a weapon.

But other people theorised that the Sai was made as an agricultural too to measure crops, to bale hay, to hold rolling carts in place or to plant rice.

The Sai is a dagger shaped fork with two prongs that are usually curved and project out from the hilt of the weapon.

The Sai is sometimes used as a training weapon in the martial art Jujitsu. In Jujitsu the practitioners focus on the forms of certain movements and sometimes add in a weapon for aesthetic flair. The Sai is often used in kata and form. The tip of the weapon is often dulled or blunt as to not hurt the opposition.

The unique shape of the Sai, with the two pronged hilt, has the advantage during combat as it can trap the opponents weapon in these prongs and disarm them. Even weapons as large as a long sword can be disarmed. The Sai is also a very good weapon for defensive moves. The Sai is a very versatile weapon and is probably best used by those who are very agile.

The Sai in Popular Culture

In popular culture, the Sai has been featured in many movies. The comic book, super hero character Elektra used a pair of Sai as her weapon of choice, and Jennifer Garner certainly looks the part, so long as she doesn’t act, speak or move. Other notable Sai advocates include Gabrielle, the character from Xena, Raphael the Turtle and the Neo in The Matrix Reloaded.

Related Blogs

• Related Blogs on kobudo
• Sueyoshi – Cart Ride with a Kobudo Master
• What does Kobudo mean? « OkinawaTime

• Related Blogs on sai
• BBC Cameras Catch Sai Baba Cheating With Gold Sivalingam. (Film …
• “Good Chances” with a villager, Sathya Sai Baba « Sathya Sai Baba …
• RIP Sony Trinitron KV-2900 (1991-2009) | Are you Insane?
• » Shiridi Sai Baba Real Life Photos – Rare Original Pictures of …
• Designload 1196 Business Company | Graphic Dude

The Bo staff on the surface is one of the most simplistic of all Japanese weapons. Used in many different art forms from karate to jujitsu, the Bo staff is one of the most destructive and adaptive weapons available to the martial artist.

The Bo Staff is used extensively in Jujitsu kobudo (weapon training) as it offers a range of opportunities for disciplining kata, footwork, distancing and control.

Unlike many other martial weapons, the bo staff has a very long range an enable the attacker to have superior reach on his opponent. Most Bo staffs are about 1.8m long, although the concept of a wooden stave as a weapon can be found easily in most cultures – the Quarter Staff in medieval English for example that rose to popular culture fame through the duel of Robin Hood and Little John.

An expert armed with a Bo can keep a much heavily armored and armed opponent at bay frustrating and neutralising their effectiveness. While this weapon can not be easily concealed, it is so common that most armed opponents will not even think twice about it. For example, in these times it could easily be disguised by carrying buckets or baskets. These buckets would be carried on either end and the Bo staff would be draped across the back. Simply set the buckets down, slide the staff out and you are instantly armed. The key is that you are trained in the proper technique to make the weapon as effective as possible.

The Bo Staff – Simple Tool to Deadly Weapon

While staffs have a history of being used throughout mankind, the Asian martial artist has taken this weapon and turned it into an art form. The staff is traditionally about two meters long and three centimeters thick.

While the weapon has been used informally since the earliest recorded history, a martial art called kobudo emerged from Okinawa in the early 1600s that featured this weapon. The reason for this was one of necessity as all the commoners of Okinawa were banned from having weapons. This ban forced the people to find other ways to defend themselves and using a simple staff proved to be the best.

The tanto is a Japanese knife that can be either a single or a double edged dagger or knife. The blade can range from six to twelve inches in length, and like most knives can be used as both a stabbing weapon or a slashing weapon. The tanto first surfaced between the years 794 and 1185 as just a standard weapon with no artistic qualities – a practical blade born out of neccessity.

Between 1185 and 1333, higher quality and more artistic tantos began being made.

Interesting, once more fighting started from 1336 to 1573, the blade’s quality of the weapon was again made more for fighting purposes and the artistic quality diminished. Due to the mass production of the tanto during this time period, the blade was made narrower to have more of the weapon material to make more blades.

Tantos are usually forged so that the sides of the weapon have no ridge lines, unlike the katana. These weapons were mainly carried by Japanese samurai warriors. Women carried a smaller version of the tanto called a kaiken and were used for self defense. Tantos are put into two categories. Suguta tantos and koshirae tantos.

Using the Tanto for Seppeku Suicide

It is believed that the tanto was used by women to avoid dishonour – in the form of rape perhaps or the servitude of an occupying army – to kill themselves in what has been known as seppuku. Not so with men however, who generally used a Wakizashi to disembowel themselves or push up through the stomach into the heart.

Many versions of the tanto are used in martial arts such as jujitsu, akido and aikijiutsu. The versions of the weapon for these martial arts have blunt plastic or blunt wooden blades, so as not to injure each other during practice. The form of martial arts that uses the tanto is called tantojutsu.

The Yari is an ancient spear weapon introduced to Japan centuries ago. The spear has been used by many cultures. The most recent version could be considered to be the bayonet on the rifle. The Yari has had many variations over the centuries, all lethal. It has been a part of the Japanese culture in times of war as a weapon and in peace for entertainment.

The word Yari means spear, it was a weapon used by the Samurai warriors who are noted for their expert use of the sword but they found the Yari to be of greater use on horseback. The name that is used for the Samurai version of the Yari is the Naginata.

The Yari Was Not Just a Male Weapn

It was once required for a Japanese woman to be proficient with this spear by the time she was eighteen and is still used today for physical education purposes. The Spear is primarily a thrusting weapon and there are many styles of this lethal weapon. The use of this ancient weapon is taught in the school of Sojutsu which means, the art of the spear.

The Jumonji Yari was crossed shaped and the second most popular Yari, the Yari head was made from the same metals as the swords. It is known that far more damage could be done with the Yari as opposed to the sword, which is why it was a weapon of preference.

The Kama Yari was a sickle shaped spear. There are two types of spears the pipe spear and the three bladed spears. Usage of the Yari requires agility, discipline, and skill. Being a part of the expert group of warriors to use this equipment was extremely competitive and proficiency required many hours of practice.

The martial arts weapon, the tonfa, is one of the more popular devices in the Okinawan and Japanese karate and Jujitsu. The tonfa is essentially a club with a handle that protrudes at a 90 degree angle. This allows a practitioner to hold the handle in a solid grip while the club protects the forearm.

The origin of the tonfa can be traced to ancient China and Thailand where it was originally used to as an accessory to a millstone. After being inserted into the millstone, the tonfa would be used to grind rice. Eventually, the tonfa made its way to Okinawa for the same purpose of grinding rice.

Since Okinawa had a strong martial culture, it is no surprise that the tonfa was added to the many other farm implements based weapons of Japanese and Okinawan karate. This is because it can easily be incorporated into traditional punching and blocking. In time, the handle of the tonfa was modified so that the club would rotate when twirled. This made its ability to strike and block both circular and unpredictable.

The Tonfa: Attack & Defense Combined

What made the tonfa an important inclusion into Karate and Jujitsu was its ability to deal with bladed weaponry. Specifically, the long handles covered the forearms and could provide decent protection against sword swings. The offensive capabilities of the tonfa were also expansive and included thrusting, twirling, and Jujitsu style grappling techniques.

So effective is the tonfa is has been integrated into the equipment of modern police officers around the world, often reincarnated as the police baton or ‘nightstick’.

This sword has the traditionally curved blade and was worn at the side of the Japanese Samurai. Foreigners refer to the Wakizashi sword as honor blades because the Samurai would save them as a back up weapon. As a means of displaying trust and respect, the Samurai would leave his main sword at the door with a servant.

Through a process of appropriate hand trades, the servant would take the sword in a fashion as to not allow the Jujitsu Samurai the opportunity to use the blade against his master.

Samurai Sidearms

In the old west the cowboys had their pistols. The civil war infantry, and world war soldiers had their bayonets. The presence of a sidearm is noted throughout all of history. The Japanese culture has noted the presence of many different kinds of swords and weaponry. The Samurai claim as their sidearm the Wakizashi, or Wakazashi. This sword got its acclaim during the Edo period with its first appearance sometime between 1332 and 1369.

Even though disarmed of his sword at the door, the Samurai would keep his Wakizashi with him at all times. A Samurai would wake in the morning and reach under his pillow where his Wakizashi rested. A short sword being more advantages than just a warriors Jujitsu, it made sense to always be prepared.

It was during the Momoyaya period, the length of the blades were categorised by length and regulations were put into place as to which one can be carried as a sidearm. The shorter blades were the only ones authorized to be carried as a sidearm.

In the telling of Japanese history, one of these noble warriors would wear his Wakizashi from the moment he woke in the early morning hours and keep it on until he went to bed. As he slept, it would lay under the pillow.