Jutte

The jutte or jitte (十手?), literally meaning "ten-hand" (i.e., the weapon with the power of ten hands),[1] is a specialized weapon.

In Edo period Japan the jutte was a substitute for a badge and represented someone on official business and was carried by all levels of police officers including high ranking samurai police officials and low-rank samurai law enforcement officers (called okappiki or doshin).[2][3] Other high ranking samurai officials carried a jutte as a badge of office,[4] including hotel, rice and grain inspectors (aratame).[5][6] It is the subject of the Japanese martial art of juttejutsu.[7]

Contents

Parts of the jutte

[8] [9]

Additional information and technique

Jutte may have a small spear tip or blade attached to the tsuka and hidden in the boshin. Jutte could be highly decorated with all manner of inlays and designs or very plain and basic depending on the status of the owner and the jutte's intended use. Jutte could range in length from around 12 inches to over 24 inches. [8] The modern jutte is about 45 cm (18 inches) long with no cutting edge and a one-pronged tine kagi, about 5 cm long starting just above the handle tsuka and pointing toward the tip sentan. A popular misconception is that the kagi is used to catch a sword. It could possibly be used for this purpose, but the kagi's proximity to the hand would make it rather dangerous. When faced with a swordsman, a more likely use for the kagi would be to capture and arrest the blade after blocking it with the boshin.[11] The kagi'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. It also could be used to hook the thumb while holding the weapon backwards, to allow different techniques such as punches and blocks, very similarly to a sai. 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.[11]

History

In feudal Japan, it was a crime punishable by death to bring a sword into the shogun's palace. This law applied to everyone except the shogun's sons and hatamoto, including the palace guards. In effect several kinds of non-sword, defensive weapons were carried by these palace guards, but jutte was particularly effective and ultimately it evolved to become the symbol of a palace guard's exalted position.[12]

Other jutte types and similar weapons

In popular culture

Notable examples of jutte featured in fiction include: Classic Japanese cinema, trading card games, in manga and anime and in video games.[14]

Gallery

See also

References

  1. ^ George Kirby, Mike Lee, Jutte: Japanese power-of-ten-hands weapon, Ohara Publications, 1987
  2. ^ Stephen Turnbull, The Samurai Swordsman: Master of War, p.113
  3. ^ Don Cunningham, Taiho-Jutsu: Law and Order in the Age of the Samurai, Tuttle Publishing, 2004; p.65
  4. ^ Serge Mol, Classical weaponry of Japan: special weapons and tactics of the martial arts, pp.77–78
  5. ^ Cunningham, p.72
  6. ^ William E. Deal, Handbook to life in medieval and early modern Japan, pp.166–167
  7. ^ a b Serge Mol, Classical weaponry of Japan: special weapons and tactics of the martial arts, Kodansha International, 2003
  8. ^ a b c Cunningham, p.66
  9. ^ Daniel C. Pauley, Samantha Pauley, Pauley's Guide: A Dictionary of Japanese Martial Arts and Culture, 2009, p.65
  10. ^ Thomas Louis, Tommy Ito, Samurai: The Code of the Warrior, Sterling Publishing Company, Inc., 2008; p.129
  11. ^ a b Serge Mol, Classical weaponry of Japan: special weapons and tactics of the martial arts, Kodansha International, 2003; p.80
  12. ^ Jutte (Ju-Te): The "Power-of-Ten-Hands" Weapon
  13. ^ a b Serge Mol, Classical weaponry of Japan: special weapons and tactics of the martial arts, Kodansha International, 2003; p.221
  14. ^ http://www.guildwiki.org/Jitte

External links