Well, I’ve always been into Japanese stuff, especially weapons. I mean, who doesn’t love a good samurai sword? But I wanted to dig deeper, find those lesser – known Japanese weapons. So, I started my journey.
I first hit up the local library. I was like a detective, rummaging through old books, looking for any mention of these hidden gems. I spent hours there, flipping pages, getting dust on my hands. I found some cool stuff about things like the manriki – gusari, which is basically a chain with weights at the end. It sounded super interesting, like something out of a ninja movie.
Then, I decided to talk to some experts. I reached out to a few martial arts masters I knew. One of them was this old guy who had been doing Japanese martial arts for ages. I met him at a dojo. He showed me some moves with these lesser – known weapons. He was like a wizard, making these strange weapons dance in his hands. He told me about the tonfa, a short baton – like weapon that was used for blocking and striking.
I also went online (well, not to click links, just to search). I joined some forums where people who were into Japanese weapons talked. I asked a bunch of questions, like “Why aren’t these weapons more famous?” People had all sorts of answers. Some said it was because they were more for specific situations, not as flashy as a katana. Others thought it was just a matter of marketing; the big – name weapons got all the attention.
I even tried making some of these weapons myself. I went to a hardware store and got some materials. It was a total mess at first. I was trying to make a kubotan, a small stick – like weapon. I cut the wood wrong, glued it all weird, but after a few tries, I got something that at least looked like it could be a kubotan.
As I delved deeper, I realized that these lesser – known weapons are like the underdogs of the Japanese weapon world. They have their own unique history and uses, but they just haven’t gotten the spotlight. Maybe it’s time we give them a chance. Maybe one day, we’ll see more people using and appreciating these cool, hidden Japanese weapons.
