にほんへいき The Weapons used by the Japanese in ancient times.

Traditional Japanese Weapons Introduction The history of Japan is very rich and so is the history of its weapons. Today the traditional Japanese weapons are part of the countries treasury. The masters that make traditional weapons are talented craftsmen since birth. Besides talent a craftsman of weapons should be wise and patient since his work requires a lot of knowledge and repetition. Weapons of Japan have been the pride of Japan since it’s birth. It is said that Japan was created by the blade of a katana.

The Shuriken ( しゅりけん ) The Shuriken ( しゅりけん ) was a weapon that was often used by samurai’s but more commonly known by being used by ninja’s. If translated Shuriken means “A dagger that is hidden in a palm” There was two type of Shuriken’s the Hira Shuriken (top right) and, the Do Shuriken (bottom right). The art of wielding a Shuriken is, Shuriken-Jutsu.

The Katana ( かたな ) A katana is a Japanese sword. The katana is characterized by its distinctive appearance: a curved, slender, single edged blade, circular or squared guard, and long grip to accommodate two hands. It is renown for is sharpness and ability of cutting. The Katana originated in A katana is made from a specialized Japanese steel called Tamahagane. The Katana is then sharpened for a very long time and is done. The Wakizashi is just a smaller version of the Katana. The tanto is a small Japanese knife that is made of the same material as the Katana and the Wakizashi.

The Kama ( かま ) The Kama was Originally a farming tool to weed plants (similar to a sickle). Because the farmers were not allowed to carry weapons they used their tools to defend themselves. This weapon is most know for it’s use by ninjas, but was also used by samurai’s, for close or indoor combat. There are forms of the kama being used in karate, tae kwon do, silat, and kung fu.

The Ebo ( えぼ ) The Ebo is A very small stick (about 15 cm) perfect as a defense weapon and easy to cary around. These were commonly used as a substitute for shields and can also impact blows on someone.

The Naginata ( なぎなた ) A traditional Japanese weapon with a very rich history is called Naginata. It represents a pole arm on the end of which there is a curved blade. The blade was the main part of the weapon. With its help the warrior could produce a powerful strike. The blade could be of various sizes depending on the warrior's demands as well as the area in which it will be used.

The Nunchaku ( ぬんちゃく ) A Nunchaku is made of two sticks that are connected with the help of a cord or, most often, chain. It was firstly used as a farming tool. Nunchaku served to thresh grain. For defensive reasons farmers started using this tool as a weapon, which is why Nunchaku is considered today to be a traditional Japanese weapon.

The Bō ( ぼう ) The weapon that was used for self-defense was called the Bō. It was a large staff, the length of which was about 2 meters. Mostly common people used this weapon. Ordinary people could not carry weapons which is why this instrument served for defense. The Bō is made of tempered wood like white oak, bamboo and rotan. The Japanese martial art of yielding a Bō is called Bojutsu. The Bō was originated throughout Asia, it was used by monks or commoners.

Sai ( 釵 ) The meaning of Sai is “Traditional Okinawan weapon”. The basic form of the weapon is a pointed rod type of baton, with two long unsharpened “projections” that are coming out of the handle. The Sai was originally intended to be used as a gardening tool to measure stalks but somewhere along the line was used as a weapon. The Sai originated in Indonesia. The Sai is used in the art of Karate.

The Jutte The Jutte was an iron truncheon carried by feudal era police officers called doshin, as well as by their non-samurai assistants. The jutte evolved from a strange battlefield weapon. Another type of the Jutte is the Hachiwari, meaning “helmet splitters”. They were curved pointed metal bars with a hook near the base of the handle. It was used as a parrying weapon held in the left hand while you have a sword in your right, also used to pierce through armour.

Japanese Bow ( ゆみ ) & Arrow ( やだま ) The Japanese, are very skilled bowmen, the bows first came to Japan in 7,000 B.C. and according to pictures Japanese’ first ruler’s weapon of choice was a bow. There are different types of bows but the most used bow by the japanese was the Bamboo bow. The art of wielding a bow is Kyudo (The way of the bow) The original word for the Japanese bow was kyujutsu (bow technique). Making bows is a grueiling process that goes into very fine detail but mainly you need a good piece of bamboo that bends easily and string and man yother steps.

By Sheldon Walker ( シェルドンウオーカー ) & Sean Campbell ( ションキャンベル )