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Jitte (weapon)

 
Jitte (weapon)

 
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Jitte (weapon)
 
 
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The , literally meaning "ten-hand" (i.e., the weapon with the power of ten hands), is a specialized weapon
Weapon

A weapon is a tool used to apply or threaten to apply force for the purpose of hunting, attack or defense in combat, subduing enemy personnel, or to destroy enemy weapons, equipment and defensive structures....
 which was used by law enforcement officers (called okapiki or doshin) during Edo period
Edo period

The , or , is a division of History of Japan running from 1603 to 1868. The period marks the governance of the Edo or Tokugawa shogunate, which was officially established in 1603 by the first Edo shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu....
 Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
. Nowadays, the jutte is the subject of the Japanese martial art of juttejutsu
Juttejutsu

is the Japanese martial art of using the Japanese weapon jutte . Juttejutsu was evolved mainly for the law enforcement officers of the Edo period to enable non-lethal disarmament and apprehension of criminals who were usually carrying a sword....
.

Design & technique
The modern jutte is about 45cm (18 inches) long with no cutting edge and a one-pronged tine, about 5cm long starting just above the handle and pointing toward the tip.






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The , literally meaning "ten-hand" (i.e., the weapon with the power of ten hands), is a specialized weapon
Weapon

A weapon is a tool used to apply or threaten to apply force for the purpose of hunting, attack or defense in combat, subduing enemy personnel, or to destroy enemy weapons, equipment and defensive structures....
 which was used by law enforcement officers (called okapiki or doshin) during Edo period
Edo period

The , or , is a division of History of Japan running from 1603 to 1868. The period marks the governance of the Edo or Tokugawa shogunate, which was officially established in 1603 by the first Edo shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu....
 Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
. Nowadays, the jutte is the subject of the Japanese martial art of juttejutsu
Juttejutsu

is the Japanese martial art of using the Japanese weapon jutte . Juttejutsu was evolved mainly for the law enforcement officers of the Edo period to enable non-lethal disarmament and apprehension of criminals who were usually carrying a sword....
.

Design & technique


The modern jutte is about 45cm (18 inches) long with no cutting edge and a one-pronged tine, about 5cm long starting just above the handle and pointing toward the tip. A popular misconception is that the tine is used to catch a sword. It could possibly be used for this purpose, but the tine's proximity to the hand would make it rather dangerous. When faced with a swordsman, a more likely use for the tine would be to capture and arrest the blade having evaded it. The tine's more common use is to hook into clothing or parts of the body like the nose or mouth, or to push into joints or other weak points on the body.

The jutte can also be used in much the same manner as other short sticks or batons, to strike large muscle groups and aid in joint manipulation.

History


The original form of the jutte is traditionally believed to have been created by the legendary swordmaker Masamune
Masamune

Masamune , also known as Goro Nyudo Masamune , is widely recognized as Japan's greatest swordsmith. As no exact dates are known for Masamune's life, he has reached an almost legendary status....
 (although some claim his father, Munshinai had done so, instead); it resembled its name of "ten hands", having that many prongs, and resembling a rake
Rake

Rake may refer to:* Rake , various angles in bicycle and motorcycle geometry* Rake , a long-handled tool with tines* Rake , a cellular automaton pattern that moves while regularly emitting spaceships...
. It was carried in one hand, and used on the battlefield either to trap an enemy's sword and then slay them, or trap it and bind the enemy with a lasso or grapple with them, capturing them. The design is said to have been derived from the Okinawan sai
Sai (weapon)

Sai is the Ryukyuan languages name for a traditional Okinawan weapon.The basic form of the weapon is that of a pointed, dagger-shaped truncheon, with two curved prongs projecting from the Handle ....
, although some assert that the jutte existed first, and influenced the design of the sai.

Variants


A variant on this design is the marohoshi, also known as the marohoshi jutte, which is generally shorter and incorporates a blade. A similar weapon is the sai
Sai (weapon)

Sai is the Ryukyuan languages name for a traditional Okinawan weapon.The basic form of the weapon is that of a pointed, dagger-shaped truncheon, with two curved prongs projecting from the Handle ....
. It resembles a jutte with a second prong, and is used in Okinawan kobudo.