Metsubushi
Encyclopedia
- "eye closers", the name for variety of implements and techniques used by samurai
police and other individuals to temporarily or permanently blind or disorient an opponent in feudal Japan.
One type of metsubushi was a powder made up of ashes
, ground-up pepper
, mud
, flour
, and dirt
. For severe damage, it could also include fine-ground glass
. It was kept in hollowed-out eggs
(happō), bamboo
tubes or other small containers. When confronted by an attacker, a person would throw the metsubushi in the attacker's eyes, blinding him, while the victim ran off or hid himself. This practice is thought to have brought about tales of ninja disappearing in a puff of smoke.
Other metsubushi techniques included blinding the opponent with light reflected off a mirror or throwing any item at an opponent's head, making him instinctively close his eyes.
Flash
and smoke bomb
s would also count as more modern metsubushi.
On Spike TV
's Deadliest Warrior
, happō filled with crushed glass or concentrated liquid made from chili peppers was featured as one of the ninja's weapons in "Episode 3: Spartan vs. Ninja". It was called a "Black Egg" in the show.
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
police and other individuals to temporarily or permanently blind or disorient an opponent in feudal Japan.
Description
One type of metsubushi used by police for blowing powdered pepper or dust into the eyes of a suspect. It is described as being a lacquer or brass box with a wide mouthpiece for blowing on, and a hole or pipe on the other end for directing the powder into the eyes of the person being captured.One type of metsubushi was a powder made up of ashes
Wood ash
Wood ash is the residue powder left after the combustion of wood. Main producers of wood ash are wood industries and power plants.-Composition:...
, ground-up pepper
Black pepper
Black pepper is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit, known as a peppercorn when dried, is approximately in diameter, dark red when fully mature, and, like all drupes, contains a single seed...
, mud
Mud
Mud is a mixture of water and some combination of soil, silt, and clay. Ancient mud deposits harden over geological time to form sedimentary rock such as shale or mudstone . When geological deposits of mud are formed in estuaries the resultant layers are termed bay muds...
, flour
Flour
Flour is a powder which is made by grinding cereal grains, other seeds or roots . It is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many cultures, making the availability of adequate supplies of flour a major economic and political issue at various times throughout history...
, and dirt
Dirt
Dirt is unclean matter, especially when in contact with a person's clothes, skin or possessions when they are said to become dirty. Common types of dirt include:* dust — a general powder of organic or mineral matter...
. For severe damage, it could also include fine-ground glass
Glass
Glass is an amorphous solid material. Glasses are typically brittle and optically transparent.The most familiar type of glass, used for centuries in windows and drinking vessels, is soda-lime glass, composed of about 75% silica plus Na2O, CaO, and several minor additives...
. It was kept in hollowed-out eggs
Egg (food)
Eggs are laid by females of many different species, including birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish, and have probably been eaten by mankind for millennia. Bird and reptile eggs consist of a protective eggshell, albumen , and vitellus , contained within various thin membranes...
(happō), bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
tubes or other small containers. When confronted by an attacker, a person would throw the metsubushi in the attacker's eyes, blinding him, while the victim ran off or hid himself. This practice is thought to have brought about tales of ninja disappearing in a puff of smoke.
Other metsubushi techniques included blinding the opponent with light reflected off a mirror or throwing any item at an opponent's head, making him instinctively close his eyes.
Flash
Stun grenade
A stun grenade, also known as a flash grenade or a flashbang, is a non-lethal weapon. The first devices like this were created in the 1960s at the order of the British Special Air Service as an incapacitant....
and smoke bomb
Smoke bomb
A smoke bomb is a firework designed to produce smoke upon ignition. Smoke bombs are useful to military units, airsoft games, paintball games, self defense and pranks...
s would also count as more modern metsubushi.
On Spike TV
Spike TV
Spike is an American cable television channel. It launched on March 7, 1983 as The Nashville Network , a joint venture of WSM, Inc...
's Deadliest Warrior
Deadliest Warrior
Deadliest Warrior is a television program in which information on historical or modern warriors and their weapons are used to determine which of them is the "deadliest" based upon tests performed during each episode...
, happō filled with crushed glass or concentrated liquid made from chili peppers was featured as one of the ninja's weapons in "Episode 3: Spartan vs. Ninja". It was called a "Black Egg" in the show.