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Eastern Weapons

Swords and Knives:
Aikuchi: The Aikuchi is a short dagger with a cutting edge of about 9 inches that was carried by samurai. It has not tsuba or hilt guard.

Bokken: The bokken is a wooden sword, built to represent the real thing. It is primarily used in training.

Katana: The katana is a single-edged, slightly curved sword. The total length of the sword is about 3 feet thought there are many variations. The katana is forged from two steels; one soft, one hard. These metals are heated and folded many taimes, the making of a katana is an art itself. When well made, the katana is light, well-balanced, strong, flexible, and resilient. NINJA NEVER CARRIED KATANA! Katana are exclusive to samurai!

Ninja-to: This is the famous sword of the ninja. It has a straight blade of approximately 19 inches long. The tsuba is usually square in design, and the end of the saya is usually pointed. By this design, the ninja can his sword in the ground and use the handle as a step, then he'd pull up the sword by a string attached to the handle. ninja

No-dachi: The no-dachi is a great sword, usually 5-7 feet in length. It's contruction is similar to the katana. It is best used on horseback.

Tanto: The tanto is a knife, the blade constructed like the katana. It has varying lengths but the blade is usually under 7 inches. ninja

Wakizashi: The wakizashi is the samurai's short sword. Wakizashi blades are usually around 2 feet in length. They were often carried together, a matched pair of katana and wakizashi are called a daisho.

Pole-arms and Staff Weapons:
Bo: A bo is a 6 foot staff usually constructed of wood.

Cane: A cane is a walking stick. No s**t.

Hanbo: A hanbo is a 3 foot staff made of wood and is sometimes wielded in pairs. A variation of the hanbo are escrima or kali sticks, which are sometimes used in pairs.

Jo: A jo is a 4 foot staff usually made of wood.

Konsaibo: is a hardwood staff reinforced with metal strips and often had heavy iron nubs along it's upper portion. It is lighter than the tetsubo.

Magari-Yari: Similar in appearance to the trident, the side blades are set at right angles to the central blade, points turning slightly inward.

Nagemaki: Type of naginata with a heavy, very long blade mounted on a shorter, sturdier staff. Kinda like the Zanbatou but not as ridiculously large.

Naginata: A naginata is usually a 6-8 foot staff with a curved, swordlike blade at the end. The wives of samurai were usually trained to fight with a naginata so that they could defend their home should the need arise, or in some cases, assist their husbands on the battlefield.

Shinobi-Zue: A ninja staff weapon with a chain hidden in one end and a heavy lead weight attached to it. ninja

Tetsubo: The tesubo, or iron staff, came in various shapes and lengths, circular or hexagonal, or octagonal cross-sections. Only the strongest warriors could be proficient because it was heavy.

Yari: A spear that varied in length from 6 to 13 feet. ninja

Bows and Arrows:
Dai-kyu: The Japanese longbow, about 7 feet long and is designed to be fired from horseback.

Yumi: Average Japanese bow to be fired from a standing position, much smaller than the Dai-kyu. ninja

Ya: Ya are the Japanese arrows, made of wood with numerous arrowheads. ninja

Miscellaneous Eastern Weapons:
Chigiriki: This deadly weapon consists of a chain 3 to 10 feet in length with a lead or cast iron weight at one end. The other end is attached to a staff which varied in length. It was used to ensnare a sword or to entangle the opponent's legs or arms, or hit the opponent with the metal weight attached.

Fukiya: Poisoned pins or darts shot through blowguns and used by ninja. ninja

Jitte: A jitte is a metal fork of sorts, used to catch and disarm swords. Kinda like a sai.

Kama: Kamas or sickles were originally and still are farmer's tools. They were made into weapons by ninja. They are usualy wielded in pairs. ninja

Kanzashi: These are sharp pointed ornamental hair pins used by the women of feudal Japan for self-protection. The side were spoon-shaped and usually contained a deadly poison. ninja

Kusarigama: The kusarigama is basically a kama with a 3 foot chain attached to the base of the handle. The chain usually has a weight at the end. This is also a ninja weapon. ninja

Kyoketsu Shogei: This is the ninja grappling hook. It had a pointed metal hook attached to a 17-20 foot rope with a metal ring on the bottom. ninja

Metsubishi: This is the blinding powder used by the ninja to blind an opponent momentarily allowing the ninja to escape. ninja

Manriki: This is a chain weapon about 2 and a half feet long with one metal weight on each end. Manriki are very popular with palace guards of Japan, because it was sacrilege to spill blood on palace grounds, but the chain could strike, strangle, and entrap without wounding.

Nage Teppo: An early hand grenade usually thrown into enemy encampments to cause damage and confusion. ninja

Nunchaku: This was originally a wheat flail... until someone got the bright idea to try and beat the crap out of another person and turn it into a martial arts weapon. It has two 2 foot hardwood poles attached by a chain or rope. ninja

Ono: The ono is a pole-axe about 6 foot in total length, with a very large axe head. It was used mostly by warrior monks of Japan.

Sai: The sai is a two pronged knife used to catch weapons and pull them out of their wielder's grip. It is usually not sharped and more of a defensive weapon. ninja

Shuko: Ninja claws are nasty weapons used to cause equally nasty lacerations on your opponent. Against popular belief, climbing was only a second use. Some shuko fit in the palm of your hand to add power to your pimp-slap and some shuko are extended claws from the wrist (like Vega from Street Fighter or Wolverine from X-Men). ninja

Shuriken: The ninja star! There are hundreds of variations and usually their are "clan shurikens" that were like signatures or trademarks of a particular clan. Some shuriken were dipped in poison as well. ninja

Tessen: The tessen is a metal fan. There are two types: solid metal, and the other that has metal strips with canvas or fabric in between that folds out to look like a regular fan. The folding ones sometimes had razors lining the edge so it could be used to cut. They were also used by samurai to signal commands during battle. ninja

Tetsubishi: Testubishi are caltrops of the ninja. Nasty little spikes that could put a hole in your foot and usually did 99% of the time if you stepped on them. ninja

Tonfa: A billy club or night stick.

Torinoko: Firecrackers shaped like eggs, used by ninja to surprise their enemy with loud noise. ninja

Reserved for: Miscellaneous Weapons

Reserved for: The hell of it.