Kyoketsu-shoge
A double-edged blade with a curved side edge, attached to a rope, chain or braided hair several metres long and ending in a large flat metal ring.
Quick Facts
JapanAbout the weapon
Kyoketsu-shoge is a double-edged blade with a second, curved blade attached near the hilt at an angle of 45 to 60 degrees, fixed to about three to five and a half metres of rope, chain or braided hair ending in a large metal ring. Its origin is attributed to ninja from Iga province, and the weapon is often considered a forerunner of the kusarigama; both, however, are stated only as probabilities. Available descriptions draw on the Bujinkan circle, on Masaaki Hatsumi's book Ninjutsu: History and Tradition (1981), on Stephen K. Hayes, and on a Bujinkan dojo website. We have not established the weapon in the sources of classical schools (koryū) independent of this tradition. Koryu Books, moreover, does not classify today's ninjutsu among koryū, because in their view it does not rest on unbroken transmission of technique and culture. According to the source, the rope was sometimes braided from human or horse hair for strength and flexibility. The ring at the end usually had a flat, not round, cross-section, so it held better and was stronger, since it was also used to strike or deflect a blow. The blade was used to cut and stab. The rope could be used to climb, to catch and bind an opponent, or to wrap around his legs and trip him; a skilled user could reportedly catch an opponent's sword with the rope and ring and wrench it from his hands. The blade could be thrown and wedged into a corner as a climbing aid. A modified chain version is used by Raizo as his main weapon in the film Ninja Assassin; the weapon also appears in the film Game of Death II and in the first season of the series Daredevil.
Related weapons
- Evolved from: Kama