Kusarigama, a smal guide from my own experience
May 14, 2021 23:23:14 GMT
Post by karasunoir on May 14, 2021 23:23:14 GMT
English is kinda bad, sorry
Kusarigama is a weapon that always appealed to me, but getting ahold of one can be rather gimmicky (especially a real one, and not a tactical or souvenir one)
So after a lot of (probably not quality) research, i decided to write a smal guide, in case a soul who looks for these finds this post one day.
There are a loot of countries, where these are illegal, so cheek that first
REAL ONE
There are antiques out there, but prices wary, and they are not to common. Most come from edo period, and will in most cases be labled as "antique ninja weapons", even tho they mostly are not. I have been lucky, and got my hands one one. These are not commonly faked, as demand is realy low, but be sceptical. The most common ones from edo period have the chain attached to the blade, some also have handguards. Look for a fuller on the blade, its usualy a good sign. Some rust should be exspected aswell, these were not realy show pices. There are some from time to time on ebay, and other auction sites, they usualy range from 200 to 1000$.
FUNCTIONAL ONE
You will find some online, but honnestly, there does not seam to be mutch of quality out there. Easiest to do is to put together one yourself, by buying parts. Searching "sickle farm tool" on amazon will neat you many results for kama. Pick a japanese one (or a cheaper chineese), these are realy cheap (most under 20$). All you need now is a smaler chain or solid rope, and a weight. These can be found in fishing stores (or you can be creative), i have an antique kusarigama, and the ball weighs 140 grams, hope that helps.
Fastening the chain or rope to the kama is rather easy, but if you buy a wooden one, you can just screw inn a hook at the end. With a powertool, its easy to make a hole in the blade if you prefer the chain to be attached to the blade. Lenght of the chain waries alot, make one 1 to 3meters depending on what feels comftable. A chain fastened to the blade is usualy shorter that if fastened to the handle.
TRAINING
Lets be real, this weapon can be a bit hostile to its user if handled poorly, so if you have any plans one trying one out, then practice A LOT with a training one first.
Same as functional version applies here, some martial arts supliers have these from time to time, but making one is easier. Getting hold of a training kama, and attaching a rope with a SOFT ball, at the end is a great way of getting something that looks the part, however, if starved on cash, a bent pice of wood will do aswell.
TECHNIQUE???
Ok, same as with most weapons, getting a instructor to teach you is best practice. But lets be real here, the chance of finding someone skilled with the weapon around your erea is probably just as low as finding a nihonto buried in your backyard. So some basic tips for those interrested:
Wach vids on youtube, there are some great weapon showcases by japanese masters out there. Seeing someone good with the weapon is a good start (i would ignore most bujikan kusarigama tecniques, i wont say anything about historical acuracy here, there are probably som wonderful showcases out there, but what i have seen have been sloppy at best)
A mistake a lot of people do when handlig chain weapons early on, is not striking with confidence. When trowing or swinging the chain at a target, dont stop the swing, but follow trough. Not following trough is what makes the chain bounce back in most cases. Also, dont swing to fast when your not striking, it should be swung controlled around you, controlling the space, always ready to strike.
There are to versions of the weapon, chain attached to blade, and attached to handle. Try both verions, When attached to the blade, you can wield it and use the chain with one hand, attached to the handle not to much. However, the handle attachment makes controlling the sickle mutch easier. Try both, and find witch you like.
Dont get to distracted by tying stuff up in the start, work on strikes and chain controll. Having a target to "snach" before you is also beneficial, as a lot of kusarigama tecnique is about ensnaring.
Hope it helps someone
Kusarigama is a weapon that always appealed to me, but getting ahold of one can be rather gimmicky (especially a real one, and not a tactical or souvenir one)
So after a lot of (probably not quality) research, i decided to write a smal guide, in case a soul who looks for these finds this post one day.
There are a loot of countries, where these are illegal, so cheek that first
REAL ONE
There are antiques out there, but prices wary, and they are not to common. Most come from edo period, and will in most cases be labled as "antique ninja weapons", even tho they mostly are not. I have been lucky, and got my hands one one. These are not commonly faked, as demand is realy low, but be sceptical. The most common ones from edo period have the chain attached to the blade, some also have handguards. Look for a fuller on the blade, its usualy a good sign. Some rust should be exspected aswell, these were not realy show pices. There are some from time to time on ebay, and other auction sites, they usualy range from 200 to 1000$.
FUNCTIONAL ONE
You will find some online, but honnestly, there does not seam to be mutch of quality out there. Easiest to do is to put together one yourself, by buying parts. Searching "sickle farm tool" on amazon will neat you many results for kama. Pick a japanese one (or a cheaper chineese), these are realy cheap (most under 20$). All you need now is a smaler chain or solid rope, and a weight. These can be found in fishing stores (or you can be creative), i have an antique kusarigama, and the ball weighs 140 grams, hope that helps.
Fastening the chain or rope to the kama is rather easy, but if you buy a wooden one, you can just screw inn a hook at the end. With a powertool, its easy to make a hole in the blade if you prefer the chain to be attached to the blade. Lenght of the chain waries alot, make one 1 to 3meters depending on what feels comftable. A chain fastened to the blade is usualy shorter that if fastened to the handle.
TRAINING
Lets be real, this weapon can be a bit hostile to its user if handled poorly, so if you have any plans one trying one out, then practice A LOT with a training one first.
Same as functional version applies here, some martial arts supliers have these from time to time, but making one is easier. Getting hold of a training kama, and attaching a rope with a SOFT ball, at the end is a great way of getting something that looks the part, however, if starved on cash, a bent pice of wood will do aswell.
TECHNIQUE???
Ok, same as with most weapons, getting a instructor to teach you is best practice. But lets be real here, the chance of finding someone skilled with the weapon around your erea is probably just as low as finding a nihonto buried in your backyard. So some basic tips for those interrested:
Wach vids on youtube, there are some great weapon showcases by japanese masters out there. Seeing someone good with the weapon is a good start (i would ignore most bujikan kusarigama tecniques, i wont say anything about historical acuracy here, there are probably som wonderful showcases out there, but what i have seen have been sloppy at best)
A mistake a lot of people do when handlig chain weapons early on, is not striking with confidence. When trowing or swinging the chain at a target, dont stop the swing, but follow trough. Not following trough is what makes the chain bounce back in most cases. Also, dont swing to fast when your not striking, it should be swung controlled around you, controlling the space, always ready to strike.
There are to versions of the weapon, chain attached to blade, and attached to handle. Try both verions, When attached to the blade, you can wield it and use the chain with one hand, attached to the handle not to much. However, the handle attachment makes controlling the sickle mutch easier. Try both, and find witch you like.
Dont get to distracted by tying stuff up in the start, work on strikes and chain controll. Having a target to "snach" before you is also beneficial, as a lot of kusarigama tecnique is about ensnaring.
Hope it helps someone