Secret Weapons of Jujutsu (Tuttle Martial Arts)
Don Cunningham
Language: English
Pages: 90
ISBN: 0804834229
Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub
Secret Weapons of Jujutsu is the first jujutsu book in English that deals with the full array of small hand weapons used by the Japanese samurai and constabulary.
This martial arts manual includes a history of the weapons and discussions of hibuki (concealed weapons), improvised weapons, and traditional battlefield weapons such as: kansashi (a long, pointed metal hairpin worn by men and women) kokai and kudzuka (small utility knives) shoku (fire ax) shakuhachi (a bamboo flute — a particular favorite of monks) yawara (short wooden rod) manriki-gusari (weighted chain) suntetsu (short iron bar) lessen (iron war fan).
Secret Weapons of Jujutsu discusses the weapons and demonstrates their use, in a series of clear, easy to follow photographs. Also included are historical photographs, as well as reproductions of paintings and line drawings, of these weapons and their bearers.
Japanese court. However, the forerunner of the tessen, the gunbei-uchiwa was a solid, roundish fan used by military officers to signal their troops on the battlefield. The early Japanese gunbei-uchiwa were made of either iron or more commonly of wood and often featured the leader’s mon or clan symbol. FIGURE 20. The gunhei-uchiwa was a solid fan of either metal or wood. The gunhei-uchiwa was used mainly by samurai military leaders to signal orders to their troops on the battlefield. The
indecisive, Takeda Shingen was recognized as one of the most powerful warriors in central Japan. As such, he posed a threat to the powerful feudal warrior Oda Nobunaga in his attempt to dominate the central government. Just as the conflict with Oda began, however, Takeda Shingen was fatally wounded in battle. FIGURE 21. A gunsen on display in the castle museum in Kumomoto, Japan. The gunsen, or folding war fan, was frequently carried by samurai in armor and used as a weapon of both attack and
fork, called a kagi, on the side near the handle allows the jutte to be used for trapping or even breaking the blades of edged weapons, as well as for jabbing or striking. The kagi can also be used to entangle the clothes or fingers of an opponent. Thus, the jutte was used to disarm and arrest suspects without bloodshed. Eventually, the jutte also came to be considered a symbol of official status. References to jutte There is much controversy about the correct pronunciation for jutte. Many of
References to jutte with different meanings. FIGURE 48. Some terms for jutte are references to the composition material used or even the techniques employed. Origins of the jutte Much like its actual name, the origins of the jutte are shrouded in mystery. There are several interesting theories about the origins of the iron truncheon. However, the actual source of inspiration for the jutte is difficult to determine. One theory is that the jutte evolved from a strange battlefield weapon
merchants, who were looked down upon because they essentially created nothing while basically living off the produce of others. Although they were considered fairly low on the social structure, the merchant class owned most of the actual property by the nineteenth century. Many became bankers, financing not only other merchant ventures, but also lending money to the members of the samurai class. As the richest members of the society, they frequently bought titles or married into samurai families