Weapon Question....

[Icy Hot]

What is the name of the weapon used by the ninja when assassinating a general in camp. It looks like a wood/bamboo stick, and two blades come out of either side. I'd really like to find out more about it. Thanks

[Shiro]

Welcome to the dojo, Icy Hot! http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/smile.gif

I'm going to move your question to Japanese History (http://www.totalwar.org/cgi-bin/ubb/forumdisplay.cgi?action=topics&number=3&SUBMIT=Go) where they can handle it better.

[Zen Blade]

hmmm........ I think we had a question about this a bit earlier... can't remember what we decided on though...

For some reason, I want to use the term "imadawa", but I don't think that is correct. heck, I don't even think I am correctly spelling the word.

perhaps someone else can take a better crack at it.

-Zen Blade

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Zen Blade Asai
Red Devil
Last of the RSG
Clan Tenki Council-Unity, Retired
SHS Core Member

[The Daimyo]

The weapon is a variant of the hanbo. It came in different flavors. Usually with extendable Yari blades or chains that came out.


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The Daimyo
Miaowara "Kakizaki" Tomokato
@ http://www.planettotalwar.com

[NOLA_Jay]

It is a Shinobi Zue, wich is a generic term for staves with retractable devices, such as blades, bades, chains, etc.
The Hanbo (half staff)is a four shaku version of the 3 shaku Jo.

Just got finished looking at the weapon chapter in a book I recently got on Shinobi.

[Devil_Hanzo]

Would such weapons normally be thrown? Seems a bit unnatural in the clip when he throws that huge thing...

How did the release mechanism for the blades work, and how well hidden were they when retracted? Would it look like a normal bamboo cane/staff?

[NOLA_Jay]

The information I have seems to would normally not be thrown. Don't have any information on how concealable the blades actually were, but the book I have says that it would have appeared as a normal staff. They even had bladed weapons built into farming impliments designed in a similar manner that were easily able to pass as a plain farming tool and nothing more, until activated.
If your ever in Japan the book I got my information from mentions the Iga Shimobi Museum of Mie Prefecture. That houses the best collections of shinobi related material, that includes weapons. It is open to the public and the book I have says admission runs 400 yen. So they might have a few on display you could view.