Kanabō
kanabō
Literally: metal staff
Also known as: kanasaibō
A two-handed Japanese war club of heavy wood or entirely of iron, with spikes or studs at one end, in legend the weapon of oni demons.
Quick Facts
JapanAbout the weapon
The kanabō, also written kanasaibō (literally "metal staff"), is a two-handed war club with spikes or studs, used by samurai in feudal Japan. One-handed variants were called tetsubō or ararebō; related clubs include the nyoibō and konsaibō, and there were also all-iron kanemuchi and aribō. It was made of heavy wood or entirely of iron, with iron spikes or studs at one end. Wooden pieces could have iron caps at one or both ends. The shaft had either a round cross-section like a baseball bat, or a polygonal one with flat faces. The most typical pieces measured around 140 cm, the largest reached a person's height; one recorded specimen measured 4 feet 9 inches (about 145 cm) and weighed 1.8 kg. In Japanese legends, the kanabō is the weapon of oni demons, to whom superhuman strength is attributed. This is the origin of the saying "like giving a demon a kanabō," meaning to give a further advantage to someone who already has one.