Bisentō
眉尖刀 · bisentō
Literally: eyebrow blade
A Japanese pole weapon with a long heavy shaft and a heavy curved blade, whose appearance is known only from descriptions and depictions in Chinese military treatises.
Quick Facts
JapanAbout the weapon
The bisentō (眉尖刀, literally "eyebrow blade") is a pole weapon of feudal Japan. Descriptions vary: sometimes it is a double-edged long sword with a thick, bluntly ended blade, sometimes a spear with a sabre-like blade, or a pole weapon similar to a glaive, with a long heavy shaft and a heavy curved blade. Depictions of the weapon appear in the Chinese military compendia Wujing Zongyao, Sancai Tuhui and Wubei Zhi. We have not been able to establish a surviving specimen. It is said that the bisentō was used by ninja and peasants; we have not found evidence for this in the sources.