Talk:Kubotan

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[edit] Merge with Kubaton?

  • It is unclear the relation between the Kubaton and the Kubotan. I suspect that they are either alternate spellings of one another, or that Kubotan is a brand of Kubaton. I am looking into the matter. Chriszuma 12:23 18 December, 2006
  • I did some research and it turned out that Kubaton is actually an alternate spelling of Kubotan, which is actually a registered trademark of Takayuki Kutoba. I went ahead and merged the articles, and performed a major overhaul on the article itself. I removed the disputed tag because I confirmed the accuracy of the points in question, and removed some exaggerations. Chriszuma 15:07 18 December, 2006
  • Kubaton is actually a misspelling of Kubotan, but it is sometimes used. Nevertheless both terms are included in this article Kaoloy (talk) 12:49, 1 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Accuracy Dispute

This article is presented as an advertisement, and not informative in the least. It does not present history, a picture, or a good description. Instead it presents a 'false' series of claims about the weapons use and capabilities. It is the wielder of a weapon that makes a weapon effective, not the weapon itself, and in this case... it's a gimmick. It was created by Takayuki Kubota (the weapon was named after himself). Although it has been claimed to initially have been created for "unarmed undercover police officers in Japan," this has not been substantiated. What has been substantiated is that it has been widely advertised in martial art magazines and comic books and is commonly mispresented as a traditional weapon. - Roy Locke

    • For one, if the accuracy is being disputed - the person making such claims should go to task and fix it. I do not know much of the history of a kubaton but I added the template so this could be settled. FiftyOneWicked 04:22, 3 July 2006 (UTC)FiftyOneWicked
      • If that were the case, all weapons would be gimmicks and their use and effectiveness merely subjective. The article now contains a brief history, clear picture and good description. Be that as it may be, it is still a recognized and useable weapon and as a testament to its usefulness, I have witnessed court officers and clerks, security and prison officers carry this weapon. Kaoloy (talk) 12:54, 1 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Strictly For Amusement Value?

I've heard it said that the kubotan is really only an effective weapon if you're 5'4" tall and named Tak Kubota.

Septegram 02:40, 20 July 2006 (UTC)


If you want history on it, you'll have to trace it's origins back to weapons like the Yawara stick, koppo, suntetsu, etc. You may even go further back and discuss the possibility of it's roots in the techniques of the sheathed tanto. While Master Kubota might have made such "false" claims about training Japanese police officers, it in no way, detracts from the effectiveness of the tool itself. I've used it, I know others that have used it. I know police and security people that can attest to its effectiveness. In addition, we have no other further information to go by other than this. Unless of course you have some new information to add.


A very good article can be found on page 302 in the book The Truth About Self Protection by Massad Ayoob. Without proper, hands on training, it only gives false confidence. Easy2go 16:15, 21 August 2006 (UTC)

sounds fishy to me...

  • Any weapons will inspire false confidence without hands-on training. Easy2go, maybe you could update this page with some info? Citrus538 14:01, 15 November 2006 (UTC)

I have also used the kubotan, but only in training. In that environment, it seems to be an effective extension for control and locks, and its uses as an offensive striking weapon are obvious. That said, the article notes how this device can be easily substituted by 'makeshift' items. I don't see how this is a simple advertisement for the item- the article describes how it is used, and gives a physical description of it. I do think some citations would be useful, especially when the author states that it is "now one of the most popular and widely carried self-defense tools around"... since I rarely see it outside of martial arts circles **

  • It seems to me that the Kubotan is merely a brand name Kubaton, which is a legitimate martial arts weapon. It is basically just a shorter yawara with a keyring. Perhaps this article should be merged with Kubaton. Chriszuma 12:02, 18 December 2006