Japanese or Chinese Polearm ?

pbleed · 19th June 2025, 11:27 PM

I am reasonably sure that this "polearm" is actually a Japanese fire fighting tool. These are called "tobiguchi". Most are short fire-axe type things that were used in urban homes and businesses of pre-modern urban Japan, the wisdom being that when a fire broke out in the rather lightly constructed downtown areas, folks could pull down thatch and walls to stop the spread of the flames. Long, "polearm" versions are not common, but they may have been made for neighborhood teams or operations that offered tall structures, places like temple yards mebbe.

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19th June 2025, 11:27 PM	#5
pbleed Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Little Rock, Arkansas Posts: 89	I am reasonably sure that this "polearm" is actually a Japanese fire fighting tool. These are called "tobiguchi". Most are short fire-axe type things that were used in urban homes and businesses of pre-modern urban Japan, the wisdom being that when a fire broke out in the rather lightly constructed downtown areas, folks could pull down thatch and walls to stop the spread of the flames. Long, "polearm" versions are not common, but they may have been made for neighborhood teams or operations that offered tall structures, places like temple yards mebbe.