Truncheons - East Asian

Timo Nieminen · 14th October 2012, 06:35 AM

Some truncheons, mostly Japanese.

#1: Chinese iron ruler (tie chi). Polyhedral pommel and guard. Supposedly antique. 718g.

The rest are all Japanese (in style).

#2: Naeshi or naeshi jutte or nayashi jutte. Basically, a jutte without the hook. The Japanese version of #1. 787g. Iron with some brass (or similar) decoration (the splotch at about 11.5" is one of three brass splotches). Supposedly antique.

#3: Jutte (or jitte). Wooden handle. Supposedly antique. 315g.

#4: Brass jutte, 397g. Early/mid 20th century?

#5: Jutte, modern replica (by Hanwei, China). 357g.

#6. Kabutowari (or hachiwari). Sometimes described as a swordbreaker, sometimes described as a can-opener for opening armour. The name means "helmet breaker". Supposed to have been a battlefield weapon, rather than a police or civilian weapon like the other ones. Held with the hook in front, with the "blade" curving away from the wielder. Modern, for martial arts use. 594g.

Timo Nieminen · 14th October 2012, 06:50 AM

#7: Tessen or tenarashi, or tenarashi tessen. Specifically a gunsengata tenarashi (war fan shaped tenarashi). A fan-shaped truncheon. This imitates the flat (non-folding) fans used for signalling in battle. "Tenarashi" means "hand trainer", so these might be more intended for training than use (due to their weight). 784g. Supposedly antique, probably modern.

#8: Tessen or tenarashi, a sensugata tenarashi (folding-fan shaped tenarashi). Has fake folds along the sides to look more like a real fan. 878g. Supposedly antique, perhaps modern.

#9: Tekkan, or tetsu-ken (iron sword). Apparently these were used by merchants who were restricted in what weapons they could legally carry. Supposedly antique, probably 20th century. Sometimes these are described as tea-room swords, intended to allow the habitually-armed (i.e., samurai) to retain the appearance of a sword in the tea room where they were not supposed to have a sword (also being usable as a truncheon). 384g.

Some of the supposedly "hidden" weapons are not very well hidden. For example, some "fan knives", knives with handle and scabbard having the appearance of a folding fan (like #8 above), are very obvious. Perhaps weapon-like enough to let everybody know the wearer was armed, while providing sufficient excuse for the police to not arrest?

#10: Some modern jutte. The differences between these and the older ones (and the Hanwei replica) are clear. These have welded-on hooks (clearly electro-welded) and simple geometry - there is no taper at all (these are usually made from round bars, like these, but sometimes hexagonal stock is used). The bottom one has a hook like a sai hook. Sometimes modern jutte like these are offered as antiques. Top to bottom: 455g, 319g, 374g.

VANDOO · 14th October 2012, 06:52 PM

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=11673

HERE IS A LINK TO AN OLD POST WITH SIMULAR INFORMATION. WHEN OLD WAYS ARE CHANGED BY NEW LAWS ATTEMPTS ARE ALWAYS MADE TO MAINTAIN THE OLD TRADITIONS AND RIGHTS BY THE SOCIETIES. I HOPE THE LINK WORKS AS THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I HAVE FIGURED IT OUT AND TRYED TO DO IT.

Timo Nieminen · 12th October 2014, 03:02 AM

Some more.

A jian (usually translated as "mace", 鐧 (traditional), 锏 (simplified), Pinyin jiǎn), photographed next to the iron ruler (鐵尺 (traditional), 铁尺 (simplified) , Pinyin tiě chǐ) above. Antique, 1660g. It's swingable, but a heavy pig. It's a little heavier than my heaviest one-handed sword (which is 1.6kg, and also a pig).

Then two modern reproductions. The top one is cast, and since it's knobbly, is probably a bian ("whip", 鞭, Pinyin biān). 1875g. The bottom one is quite light, at 999g. Both of these came as matched pairs; the partner of the bottom jian is currently disassembled for inspection and cleaning.

Finally, a backscratcher, or zhua .I've seen two different characters for this, 撾 (traditional)/挝 (simplified) and 抓, both pronounced zhuā (Pinyin), meaning "beat/strike" and "scratch/claw/grab". Sometimes tie zhua 鐵抓, iron claw. "Zhua" seems to be used both for short one-handed versions and 6-8' polearms. Modern reproduction, 736g. An antique one can be seen at http://www.oriental-arms.com/item.php?id=4313

kronckew · 9th August 2015, 08:29 PM

i picked up a 'vintage' showa (1926-1988) hatchiwari/kabutowari saturday, on it's way now from japan. roughly 25 in. LOA in the saya, looks about 22 in. out of it , 'blade/hook' about 14.5 in. in mounts and saya. 645grams in saya. metal fittings look untarnished - gold/gold plated? i would assume 'late' showa & more ceremonial than not, tho 645 grams of steel hitting you might smart a bit. pics mostly upside down of course.

. more photos in my jitte/jutte thread.

kronckew · 9th August 2015, 08:38 PM

my edo jitte/jutte from same thread i just mentioned...

Mickey the Finn · 15th September 2020, 11:35 AM

Hmm... When brass knuckles became prohibited weapons, suddenly "belt buckles" having the same size and form began to appear on the market (as well as Formica and Arborite knuckles). A couple of size 000 horseshoes might also work. In regions where the good, old-fashioned sap, cosh, blackjack or slungshot became frowned upon, virtually identical items of leather and lead began to appear, marketed as "book weights". When anti-personnel landmines became "bad", one country I know of simply changed the nomenclature of it's inventory to "anti-personnel explosive charge".
The ingenuity of Homo Sapiens in solving problems associated with settling differences of opinion, and clarifying relations between individuals and/or groups is absolutely marvelous.

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14th October 2012, 06:35 AM	#1
Timo Nieminen Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Posts: 422	Truncheons - East Asian Some truncheons, mostly Japanese. #1: Chinese iron ruler (tie chi). Polyhedral pommel and guard. Supposedly antique. 718g. The rest are all Japanese (in style). #2: Naeshi or naeshi jutte or nayashi jutte. Basically, a jutte without the hook. The Japanese version of #1. 787g. Iron with some brass (or similar) decoration (the splotch at about 11.5" is one of three brass splotches). Supposedly antique. #3: Jutte (or jitte). Wooden handle. Supposedly antique. 315g. #4: Brass jutte, 397g. Early/mid 20th century? #5: Jutte, modern replica (by Hanwei, China). 357g. #6. Kabutowari (or hachiwari). Sometimes described as a swordbreaker, sometimes described as a can-opener for opening armour. The name means "helmet breaker". Supposed to have been a battlefield weapon, rather than a police or civilian weapon like the other ones. Held with the hook in front, with the "blade" curving away from the wielder. Modern, for martial arts use. 594g. Attached Images

14th October 2012, 06:50 AM	#2
Timo Nieminen Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Posts: 422	#7: Tessen or tenarashi, or tenarashi tessen. Specifically a gunsengata tenarashi (war fan shaped tenarashi). A fan-shaped truncheon. This imitates the flat (non-folding) fans used for signalling in battle. "Tenarashi" means "hand trainer", so these might be more intended for training than use (due to their weight). 784g. Supposedly antique, probably modern. #8: Tessen or tenarashi, a sensugata tenarashi (folding-fan shaped tenarashi). Has fake folds along the sides to look more like a real fan. 878g. Supposedly antique, perhaps modern. #9: Tekkan, or tetsu-ken (iron sword). Apparently these were used by merchants who were restricted in what weapons they could legally carry. Supposedly antique, probably 20th century. Sometimes these are described as tea-room swords, intended to allow the habitually-armed (i.e., samurai) to retain the appearance of a sword in the tea room where they were not supposed to have a sword (also being usable as a truncheon). 384g. Some of the supposedly "hidden" weapons are not very well hidden. For example, some "fan knives", knives with handle and scabbard having the appearance of a folding fan (like #8 above), are very obvious. Perhaps weapon-like enough to let everybody know the wearer was armed, while providing sufficient excuse for the police to not arrest? #10: Some modern jutte. The differences between these and the older ones (and the Hanwei replica) are clear. These have welded-on hooks (clearly electro-welded) and simple geometry - there is no taper at all (these are usually made from round bars, like these, but sometimes hexagonal stock is used). The bottom one has a hook like a sai hook. Sometimes modern jutte like these are offered as antiques. Top to bottom: 455g, 319g, 374g. Attached Images

14th October 2012, 06:52 PM	#3
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=11673 HERE IS A LINK TO AN OLD POST WITH SIMULAR INFORMATION. WHEN OLD WAYS ARE CHANGED BY NEW LAWS ATTEMPTS ARE ALWAYS MADE TO MAINTAIN THE OLD TRADITIONS AND RIGHTS BY THE SOCIETIES. I HOPE THE LINK WORKS AS THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I HAVE FIGURED IT OUT AND TRYED TO DO IT.

12th October 2014, 03:02 AM	#4
Timo Nieminen Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Posts: 422	Some more. A jian (usually translated as "mace", 鐧 (traditional), 锏 (simplified), Pinyin jiǎn), photographed next to the iron ruler (鐵尺 (traditional), 铁尺 (simplified) , Pinyin tiě chǐ) above. Antique, 1660g. It's swingable, but a heavy pig. It's a little heavier than my heaviest one-handed sword (which is 1.6kg, and also a pig). Then two modern reproductions. The top one is cast, and since it's knobbly, is probably a bian ("whip", 鞭, Pinyin biān). 1875g. The bottom one is quite light, at 999g. Both of these came as matched pairs; the partner of the bottom jian is currently disassembled for inspection and cleaning. Finally, a backscratcher, or zhua .I've seen two different characters for this, 撾 (traditional)/挝 (simplified) and 抓, both pronounced zhuā (Pinyin), meaning "beat/strike" and "scratch/claw/grab". Sometimes tie zhua 鐵抓, iron claw. "Zhua" seems to be used both for short one-handed versions and 6-8' polearms. Modern reproduction, 736g. An antique one can be seen at http://www.oriental-arms.com/item.php?id=4313 Attached Images Last edited by Timo Nieminen; 12th October 2014 at 03:13 AM.

9th August 2015, 08:29 PM	#5
kronckew Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Room 101, Glos. UK Posts: 4,186	i picked up a 'vintage' showa (1926-1988) hatchiwari/kabutowari saturday, on it's way now from japan. roughly 25 in. LOA in the saya, looks about 22 in. out of it , 'blade/hook' about 14.5 in. in mounts and saya. 645grams in saya. metal fittings look untarnished - gold/gold plated? i would assume 'late' showa & more ceremonial than not, tho 645 grams of steel hitting you might smart a bit. pics mostly upside down of course. . more photos in my jitte/jutte thread. Attached Images

9th August 2015, 08:38 PM	#6
kronckew Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Room 101, Glos. UK Posts: 4,186	my edo jitte/jutte from same thread i just mentioned... Attached Images

15th September 2020, 11:35 AM	#7
Mickey the Finn Member Join Date: Dec 2017 Posts: 90	Hmm... When brass knuckles became prohibited weapons, suddenly "belt buckles" having the same size and form began to appear on the market (as well as Formica and Arborite knuckles). A couple of size 000 horseshoes might also work. In regions where the good, old-fashioned sap, cosh, blackjack or slungshot became frowned upon, virtually identical items of leather and lead began to appear, marketed as "book weights". When anti-personnel landmines became "bad", one country I know of simply changed the nomenclature of it's inventory to "anti-personnel explosive charge". The ingenuity of Homo Sapiens in solving problems associated with settling differences of opinion, and clarifying relations between individuals and/or groups is absolutely marvelous.